Exodus 11:8

8 All your officers will come to me. They will bow facedown to the ground before me and say, 'Leave and take all your people with you.' After that, I will leave." Then Moses very angrily left the king.

Exodus 11:8 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 11:8

And all these thy servants
Pharaoh's nobles, ministers, courtiers and counsellors, who were then in his presence, and stood about him, to whom Moses pointed: shall come down unto me;
from Pharaoh's palace, which might be built on an eminence, to the place where Moses had dwelt during the time he had been in Egypt, which might lie lower; or these should come from Zoan, or from Memphis, whichever of them was now the royal city, to the land of Goshen, which lay lower than the other part of Egypt; or it may only denote the submission of Pharaoh's, servants, that they should in the time of their distress be so humble and condescending as to come themselves to Moses, and as it follows: and bow down themselves unto me;
in the most obsequious manner, humbly entreating, and earnestly begging him: saying, get thee out, and all the people that follow thee;
or "are at thy feet" F23, that were at his beck and command, and under his power, as Aben Ezra; or that followed his counsel and advice, as Jarchi, that did as he directed them, and went after him as their leader and commander, even everyone of them; they that brought up the rear, he, and all of them, would be desired to depart, and not a man remain behind: this was fulfilled, ( Exodus 12:31 ) : and after that I will go out;
out of the land of Egypt, Moses, and all the children of Israel: and he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger;
as soon as he had said the above words, because he had bid him be gone from him, and had threatened him with his life, if ever he saw his face more; and because he was so rebellious against God, whose zeal inspired the heart of Moses with indignation against him, though the meekest man on earth, and for whose glory he was concerned; though some understand this of Moses going out from Pharaoh, when he and not Moses was in great anger, because of what Moses had now threatened him with, and told him what would be the issue of things, the submission of him and his nobles, and the dismission of Israel; but this sense is not favoured by the accents.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 (Kylgrb) "in pedibus tuis", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; "sub pedibus tuis", Munster, Vatablus; "qui est ad pedes tuos", Cartwright.

Exodus 11:8 In-Context

6 There will be loud outcries everywhere in Egypt, worse than any time before or after this.
7 But not even a dog will bark at the Israelites or their animals.' Then you will know that the Lord treats Israel differently from Egypt.
8 All your officers will come to me. They will bow facedown to the ground before me and say, 'Leave and take all your people with you.' After that, I will leave." Then Moses very angrily left the king.
9 The Lord had told Moses, "The king will not listen to you and Aaron so that I may do many miracles in the land of Egypt."
10 Moses and Aaron did all these great miracles in front of the king. But the Lord made him stubborn, and the king would not let the Israelites leave his country.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.