Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 11:5
And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that [is] behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
5. the mill ] The Heb. word is a dual, properly, no doubt, the two mill-stones (though the root-meaning of raim is not known). The reference is to the hand-mill, consisting of two circular stones, 18 inches or two feet in diameter, the lower one being fixed on the ground, while the upper one is turned round by a woman or sometimes (cf. Mat 24:41) by two women kneeling or sitting beside it. The mill is fed by grain being poured in through an opening in the centre of the upper stone. The hand-mill is still in daily use in practically every household in an Eastern village. In the houses of the rich, the work of the mill fell to the female slaves; cf. Isa 47:2 where the command to ‘take the mill-stones and grind meal’ is a prophecy of impending slavery. Captives were also sometimes compelled to do the same work (Judges 14:21, Lam 5:13).
of cattle ] comp. on Exo 9:6; Exo 9:19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Two points are to be noticed:
1. The extent of the visitation: the whole land suffers in the persons of its firstborn, not merely for the guilt of the sovereign, but for the actual participation of the people in the crime of infanticide Exo 1:22.
2. The limitation: Pharaohs command had been to slay ALL the male children of the Israelites, but only one child in each Egyptian family was to die. If Tothmosis II was the Pharaoh, the visitation fell with special severity on his family. He left no son, but was succeeded by his widow.
The mill – This consisted of two circular stones, one fixed in the ground, the other turned by a handle. The work of grinding was extremely laborious, and performed by women of the lowest rank.
Firstborn of beasts – This visitation has a special force in reference to the worship of beasts, which was universal in Egypt; each district having its own sacred animal, adored as a manifestation or representative of the local tutelary deity.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. The first-born of Pharaoh, c.] From the heir to the Egyptian throne to the son of the most abject slave, or the principal person in each family. See Clarke on Ex 12:29.
The maid-servant that is behind the mill] The meanest slaves were employed in this work. In many parts of the east they still grind all their corn with a kind of portable mill-stones, the upper one of which is turned round by a sort of lever fixed in the rim. A drawing of one of these machines as used in China is now before me, and the person who grinds is represented as pushing the lever before him, and thus running round with the stone. Perhaps something like this is intended by the expression BEHIND the mill in the text. On this passage Dr. Shaw has the following observation: – “Most families grind their wheat and barley at home, having two portable mill-stones for that purpose, the uppermost of which is turned round by a small handle of wood or iron that is placed in the rim. When this stone is large, or expedition required, a second person is called in to assist and as it is usual for women alone to be concerned in this employment, who seat themselves over against each other with the mill-stone between them, we may see, not only the propriety of the expression (Ex 11:5) of sitting behind the mill, but the force of another, (Mt 24:41), that two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” – Travels, p. 231, 4to edit. These portable mills, under the name of querns, were used among our ancestors in this and the sister kingdoms, and some of them are in use to the present day. Both the instrument and its name our forefathers seem to have borrowed from the continent. They have long existed among the inhabitants of Shetland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, &c.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That sitteth upon his throne; either now actually ruling with his father, as Solomon did even whilst David lived, 1Ki 1:34; or, more probably, he that is to sit, the present time for the future, he whose right this is by the custom of Egypt, and by the law of nations.
The first-born of the maid-servant; the poor captive slave that was in the prison, as it is Exo 12:29, and there did grind at the mill. In those times and places they had divers mills, which were not turned about by wind or water, as ours are, but by the hands of their servants, who for that purpose stood behind the mill, and so with hard labour turned it about. See Jdg 16:21; Isa 47:1,2; La 5:13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. And all the first-born in theland . . . shall dieThe time, the suddenness, the dreadfulseverity of this coming calamity, and the peculiar description ofvictims, among both men and beasts, on whom it was to fall, would allcontribute to aggravate its character.
the maid-servant that isbehind the millThe grinding of the meal for daily use in everyhousehold is commonly done by female slaves and is considered thelowest employment. Two portable millstones are used for the purpose,of which the uppermost is turned by a small wooden handle, and duringthe operation the maid sits behind the mill.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And all the firstborn in the land of Eygpt shall die,…. By the destroying angel inflicting a disease upon them, as Josephus says q, very probably the pestilence; however, it was sudden and immediate death, and which was universal, reaching to all the firstborn that were in the families of the Egyptians in all parts of the kingdom:
from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne: this periphrasis, “that sitteth upon his throne”, either belongs to Pharaoh, and is a description of him who now sat upon the throne of Egypt; and the Septuagint version leaves out the pronoun “his”; and so it is the same as if it had been said the firstborn of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; or else, to the firstborn, and describes him who either already sat upon the throne with his father, as was sometimes the case, that the firstborn was taken a partner in the throne, in the lifetime of his father; or who was the presumptive heir of the crown, and should succeed him, and so the Targum of Jonathan,
“who shall or is to sit upon the throne of his kingdom:”
even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; or “behind the two mills” r, or “two millstones”; for it was the custom then, as with the Arabs now, as Doctor Shaw relates s, to grind their corn with hand mills, which were two stones laid on one another, and in the uppermost was a handle, with which it was turned about by women, between whom the two stones were placed, and so they might be said to be behind them; though the phrase used does not necessarily suppose that they sat behind the mill, for it may as well be rendered “by” or “near the mill” t: this is not to be understood of the firstborn, as behind the mill, or at it, and grinding, as Aben Ezra interpret’s it, but of the maidservant; it being the business of such in early times to turn these mills, and grind corn, as it is now in Arabia, as the above traveller relates; and so it was in Judea, in the times of Christ, Mt 24:41 and Homer u, in his times, speaks of women grinding at the mill, [See comments on Mt 24:41], the design of these expressions is to show that none would escape this calamity threatened, neither the king nor his nobles, nor any of his subjects, high and low, rich and poor, bond and free: and all the firstborn of beasts: such as had escaped the plagues of the murrain and boils: this is added, not because they were such as were worshipped as gods, as Jarchi observes, but to increase their misery and aggravate their punishment, these being their property and substance, and became scarce and valuable, through the preceding plagues of the murrain, boils, and hail, which destroyed many of their cattle.
q Antiqu. l. 2. c. 14. sect. 6. r “post molas”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “after the mill stones”, Ainsworth. s Travels, p. 231. Ed. 2. t , Sept. “ad molam”, V. L. “apud molas”, Noldius, p. 11. No. 75. u , &c. Homer. Odyss. 7. l. 109.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(5) All the firstborn . . . shall die.The Heb. word translated firstborn is applied only to males; and thus the announcement was that in every family the eldest son should be cut off. In Egypt, as in most other countries, the law of primogeniture prevailedthe eldest son was the hope, stay, and support of the household, his fathers companion, his mothers joy, the object of his brothers and sisters reverence. The firstborn of the Pharaoh bore the title of erpa suten sa, or hereditary crown prince, and succeeded his father, unless he died or was formally set aside during his fathers lifetime. Among the nobles, estates were inherited, and sometimes titles descended to the firstborn. No greater affliction can be conceived, short of the general destruction of the people, than the sudden death in every family of him round whom the highest interests and fondest hopes clustered.
The maidservant that is behind the mill marks the lowest grade in the social scale, as the king that sits upon his throne marks the highest. All alike were to suffer. In every family there was to be one dead (Exo. 12:30).
All the firstborn of beasts.The aggravation of the calamity by its extension to beasts is very remarkable, and is probably to be connected with the Egyptian animal-worship. At all times there were in Egypt four animals regarded as actual incarnations of deity, and the objects of profound veneration. Three of these were bulls, while one was a white cow. It is not unlikely that all were required to be firstborns; in which case the whole of Egypt would have been plunged into a religious mourning on account of their deaths, in addition to the domestic mourning that must have prevailed in each house. The deaths of other sacred animals, and of many pet animals in houses, would have increased the general consternation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die Israel consecrated all its firstborn to God, and Egypt’s firstborn were taken in wrath, as were Israel’s in mercy . The firstborn is the flower, the glory, of the nation, and thus the choice victims were taken from all ranks of men and from all kinds of beasts . The maidservant that is behind the mill, behind the two millstones . Here the specified ranks are from the king to the maidservant, and in Exo 12:29, from the king to the captive .
The handmill in common use in Egypt, as in the East, generally consists now, as then, of two round stones, from one and a half to two feet in diameter, the lower one being convex upon its upper surface, which fits into a corresponding concavity in the upper stone. The corn is dropped through a hole in the upper stone, which is revolved by means of an upright handle. It is usually worked by two women sitting on the ground, facing each other, with the mill between them, both holding the handle and pushing and pulling in alternation. See illustration at Mat 24:41. The Egyptians had also larger mills worked by asses or cattle .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 11:5. From the first-bornuntothe maid-servant that is behind the mill That is, from the highest to the lowest. It was usual for the lowest slaves to be employed in the drudgery of the mill; and, therefore, the prophet Isaiah uses this idea, to express the abject state of slavery to which Babylon should be reduced: Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon: sit on the ground, take the millstones and grind meal, Isa 47:1-2. Dr. Shaw observes, that most families in those countries still grind their wheat and barley at home, having two portable mill-stones for that purpose; the uppermost whereof is turned round by a small handle of wood or iron, which is placed in the rim. When this stone is large, or expedition is required, then a second person is called in to assist; and as it is usual for the women alone to be concerned in this employment, who seat themselves over-against each other, with the mill-stones between them; we may see not only the propriety of the expression in this verse, of sitting behind the mill, but the force of another, Mat 24:41 that two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Travels, p. 231.
All the first-born of beasts The beasts were involved in this common calamity, most probably, for the reason we have assigned upon another occasion; namely, their subserviency to the cause of idolatry.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Is there not somewhat very striking in the destruction of the first-born? Through the whole Levitical dispensation what a perpetual reference is there made to this! It should seem that even in the destruction of enemies as well as in the salvation of the Lord’s people, an allusion is unceasingly made to the sacrifice of Jesus.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that [is] behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
Ver. 5. That sitteth upon his throne. ] As co-partner in the kingdom. Our Henry II crowned his eldest son Henry while he was yet alive. But this young king, through discontent, fell into a fever, whereof he died before his father; who cast him away first by his indulgence, and after by his rigour, not suffering him to be what himself had made him. Mr Knox, in his “History of Scotland,” reporteth of one Sir John Hamilton, murdered by the king’s means, that he appeared to him in a vision with a naked sword drawn, and struck off both his arms with these words, Take this before thou receive a final payment for all thine impieties; and within twenty-four hours two of the king’s sons died.
That is behind the mill.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the firstborn: Exo 4:23, Exo 12:12, Exo 12:29, Exo 13:15, Psa 78:51, Psa 105:36, Psa 135:8, Psa 136:10, Heb 11:28
behind: Jdg 16:21, Isa 47:2, Lam 5:13, Mat 24:41
Reciprocal: Exo 10:4 – morrow Job 31:10 – grind Psa 139:15 – when I Luk 17:35 – grinding
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 11:5. The death of the firstborn had been threatened, Exo 4:23, but is last executed, and less judgments are tried; which, if they had done the work, would have prevented this. See how slow God is to wrath, and how willing to be met in the way of his judgments, and to have his anger turned away! That sitteth upon his throne: the maidservant behind the mill The poor captive slave, employed in the hardest labour. It was the custom then, as it is with the Arabs at present, to grind their corn with hand-mills, turned by their women-servants, who, for that purpose, stood behind the mill.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
11:5 And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that [is] behind {b} the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
(b) From the highest to the lowest.