Numbers 33:4

4 The Egyptians, busy burying their firstborn whom God had killed, watched them go. God had exposed the nonsense of their gods.

Numbers 33:4 Meaning and Commentary

Numbers 33:4

For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the Lord
had smitten among them
Which contributed much to the more easy and safe deliverance of the children of Israel; for their hearts were heavy with sorrow, and their hands were full, and they had other work to do, namely, to bury their dead, than to molest Israel; and besides, they knew it was for detaining them this stroke came upon them:

upon their gods also the Lord executed judgments;
they were moved at the presence, and by the power of God, and fell and were dashed to pieces, as the idols of the same land were in later times, see ( Isaiah 19:1 ) and this still the more intimidated and frightened the Egyptians, that they dared not attempt to hinder the departure of the Israelites from them. The Targum of Jonathan says, the Word of the Lord did this; and adds, their molten idols became soft, their strong idols were mutilated, their earthen idols were diminished, their wooden idols became ashes, and those of beasts died.

Numbers 33:4 In-Context

2 Under God's instruction Moses kept a log of every time they moved, camp by camp:

3 They marched out of Rameses the day after the Passover. It was the fifteenth day of the first month. They marched out heads high and confident.

4 The Egyptians, busy burying their firstborn whom God had killed, watched them go. God had exposed the nonsense of their gods.

5 The People of Israel: left Rameses and camped at Succoth;

6 left Succoth and camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness;