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Exodus 7–13

After Pharaoh refused the Lord’s commands through Moses and Aaron that he free the Israelites, the Lord revealed that He would show signs and wonders in Egypt. Despite seeing miracles and plagues, Pharaoh continued to harden his heart and refused to let the Israelites go. The Lord sent one final plague—the death of all firstborn males in Egypt. The Lord caused the destroying angel to pass over Israelite homes that were marked with the blood of a lamb. The Lord introduced the Passover, which would become a memorial of the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt. The Passover would help the Israelites look forward to the Messiah’s coming and the deliverance of God’s children from spiritual death.

Resources

• Background and Context

• Learn More

• Media

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Background and Context

Exodus 7:3, 13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10

Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

See “Exodus 4:21. Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?”

Exodus 7–11

Why did the Lord send plagues upon Egypt?

When the Lord first called Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, He explained that Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go except “by a mighty hand.” The Lord then promised, “I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.”

The Lord said that through the plagues He would send, Pharaoh and the Egyptians “shall know that I am the Lord” and that “there is none like me in all the earth.” The plagues clearly demonstrated that Jehovah was more powerful than the gods of Egypt, including Pharaoh, who was seen by the Egyptians as a god.

The following is a list of the plagues described in Exodus 7–11:

1. Water turned to blood (see Exodus 7:19–25)

2. Frogs (see Exodus 8:5–15)

3. Lice (see Exodus 8:16–19)

4. Flies (see Exodus 8:20–24, 29–32)

5. Cattle die (see Exodus 9:1–7)

6. Boils (see Exodus 9:8–12)

7. Hail and fire from the sky (see Exodus 9:22–35)

8. Locusts (see Exodus 10:12–20)

9. Darkness (see Exodus 10:21–27)

10. Death of every firstborn (see Exodus 11:4–10)

Exodus 7:10–12, 20–22; 8:6–7

How were Pharaoh’s magicians able to imitate some of the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron?

President Dallin H. Oaks remarked: “You will remember that the magicians in Pharaoh’s court duplicated some of the miracles Moses produced through the power of God [see Exodus 7–8]. Perhaps these magicians were servants of the devil, using his power, but I think it more likely that they were simply skilled practitioners of magic tricks that they used to reinforce their position in Pharaoh’s court.”

Although the magicians of Egypt were able to perform some imitations, they were never able to prevent or overcome the plagues the Lord sent. In fact, their imitations of the first two plagues likely made circumstances worse for the people of Egypt. The contrast between the Lord’s priesthood power exercised by Moses and the imitations wrought by the magicians of Egypt illustrates that God’s power is superior to all other forms of power.

Exodus 8:8–10

Why did the Lord allow Pharaoh to choose when the second plague would end?

The fact that Pharaoh appealed to Moses and Aaron—rather than his magicians—to end the plague of frogs suggests that Pharaoh was beginning to recognize Jehovah’s power. Moses responded to Pharaoh’s request by asking Pharaoh when he wanted Moses to call upon the Lord to stop the plague. By allowing Pharaoh to choose when the plague would end, Moses was perhaps making it clear that the removal of the plague was not by coincidence but by the power of God.

Exodus 12:1–15

What can the symbols of the Passover teach us about Jesus Christ?

The tenth plague threatened the death of all firstborn children and animals in Egypt. However, the Lord provided a way for the Israelites to escape this plague. He instructed them to participate in a special meal as the plague passed over them—the Passover meal. The Lord’s instructions included many important symbols that point to Him, including the following.

The Passover Supper, by Brian Call

Lamb without blemish (Exodus 12:4–6, 46)

The Lord commanded the Israelites to kill and eat a male lamb “without blemish.” He further instructed them that no bones of the lamb should be broken. The Apostle Peter described Jesus Christ as the “lamb without blemish.” As the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ was slain for the sins of the world. None of Savior’s bones were broken at the time of His death.

Blood of the lamb on the lintel and door posts (Exodus 12:6–7, 12–13)

Elder Gerrit W. Gong taught:

“The final plague threatened the death of the firstborn in the land but not in the house of Israel if—if those households put the blood of an unblemished firstling lamb on the lintels of their doors.

“The angel of death passed by the houses marked with the symbolic blood of the lamb. That passing by, or pass over, represents Jesus Christ ultimately overcoming death. Indeed, the atoning blood of the Lamb of God gives our Good Shepherd power to gather His people in all places and circumstances into the safety of His fold on both sides of the veil.”

The Passover, by W. H. Margetson

Unleavened bread (Exodus 12:8, 15)

The Lord commanded the Israelites to eat unleavened bread as part of their Passover meal and to rid their homes of all leaven for seven days. Bread is a symbol of Jesus Christ. The Savior testified, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

Leaven, or yeast, causes bread to rise. The Israelites did not have time to allow their bread to rise on the night of the Passover because God was about to deliver them and they would need to depart Egypt in haste. In time, leavening became associated with worldly influences that distract and corrupt. The removal of all leaven from the home for seven days after the Passover could symbolize repentance through Jesus Christ. As part of our repentance, we are to rid ourselves of anything that can corrupt us spiritually.

Bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8)

Bitter herbs were to be eaten along with the lamb. They could have reminded the Israelites of the bitterness of their bondage in Egypt or of the bitterness of sin. Through His Atonement, the Savior drank the “bitter cup” so we could be redeemed from sin and death.

Eat in haste (Exodus 12:11)

The Lord’s instructions to the Israelites in verse 11 were an indication that their deliverance would occur very soon. They were to eat in haste, having their loins girded, shoes on their feet, and staff in hand. These instructions can serve as a reminder of the Lord’s desire for us to respond quickly to His commandments.

Exodus 13:1–2, 12

Why were the firstborn children and animals sanctified to the Lord?

The Lord commanded that Israel’s firstborn sons be dedicated to Him and that their firstborn animals be offered to Him as a sacrifice. This commandment was related to His sparing of Israel’s firstborn children and animals from the final plague. Having saved the firstborn of the faithful from death, the Lord claimed them as belonging to Him.

The commandment to dedicate firstborn sons to the Lord can remind us of Jesus Christ, who was the firstborn of all the spirit children of Heavenly Father. During His mortal ministry, the Savior declared His dedication to the Father’s will: “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

Exodus 13:3–10

How did later generations continue to remember the Passover?

Moses instructed the Israelites to remember the day they were brought out of Egypt. To do this, they were to repeat the Passover feast each year on the anniversary of their deliverance. The Israelites faithfully followed this command, with certain aspects of the Passover observance evolving over time.

On the evening before Jesus Christ was crucified, He and His disciples shared a Passover meal together. At the end of this meal, Jesus introduced the ordinance of the sacrament, which He told His disciples to repeat in remembrance of Him. The following day, in similitude of the lamb that was sacrificed as part of the Passover, the Lamb of God was sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the world. His sacrifice ended the need for animal sacrifices.

After the Savior’s Crucifixion, His followers began to meet on the first day of each week to partake of bread and wine in remembrance of Him. President Boyd K. Packer explained that after the death of Jesus Christ, “the Passover would be commemorated forever as the sacrament.”

In Remembrance of Me, by Walter Rane

Learn More

The Passover

• Howard W. Hunter, “Christ, Our Passover,” Ensign, May 1985, 17–19

• “The Passover Supper,” Ensign, Apr. 2014, 74–75

The Sacrament

• Jeffrey R. Holland, “Behold the Lamb of God,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 44–46

Media

Music

• “As Bread is Broken,” Hymns—For Home and Church

Video

Images

Illustration of Moses and Aaron in the court of Pharaoh, by Robert T. Barrett

Moses and Aaron before the Pharaoh, by Paul Gustave Doré

Passover, by Eva Timothy

Notes

1. Exodus 3:19.

2. Exodus 3:20.

3. Exodus 7:5. See also Exodus 8:22; 9:29; 14:4, 18.

4. Exodus 9:14.

5. “[Some] interpreters suggest a symbolic correlation between each plague and an Egyptian deity, assuming they were each meant to demonstrate Jehovah’s superiority over a specific god. This explanation is difficult to confirm in every case. … [However,] there is no doubt that the plagues as a whole were intended to demonstrate the power of Jehovah over the Egyptian pantheon, which included the divine Pharaoh himself” (Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and others, Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament: An Illustrated Reference for Latter-day Saints [2009], 90). See also Kerry Muhlestein, “‘What I Will Do to Pharaoh’: The Plagues Viewed as a Divine Confrontation with Pharaoh,” in From Creation to Sinai: The Old Testament through the Lens of the Restoration, ed. Daniel L. Belnap and Aaron P. Schade (2021), 450.

6. Dallin H. Oaks, “Miracles,” Ensign, June 2001, 6.

7. The phrase “glory over me” in the King James Version can also be phrased “I grant you preeminence to declare” (see Exodus 8:9, footnote a).

8. “Allowing Pharaoh to specify the time for removing the frogs should reinforce the lesson of the Lord’s unique power: He can end a plague at the very moment specified” (Adele Berlin and Marc Zvi Brettler, eds., The Jewish Study Bible, 2nd ed. [2014], 111, note on Exodus 8:6).

9. Exodus 12:5.

10. See Exodus 12:46.

11. 1 Peter 1:19.

12. See 1 Nephi 11:32–33.

13. When the Savior was crucified, the Roman soldiers went to break His legs to induce death. However, they refrained when they saw that He had already died (see John 19:31–33). John taught, “These things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken” (John 19:36).

14. Gerrit W. Gong, “Hosanna and Hallelujah—The Living Jesus Christ: The Heart of Restoration and Easter,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 54. The blood on the entrances of the Israelite homes was also a sign to the Lord of their obedience and trust in Him and His prophet. In our day, the Lord used the imagery of the destroying angel passing by when He described the blessings of obeying the Word of Wisdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21).

15. See Exodus 12:8, 15.

16. John 6:35.

17. See Berlin and Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, 118, note on Exodus 12:14–20.

18. See Matthew 16:6, 12; 1 Corinthians 5:6–8.

19. After the Israelites escaped Egypt, the Lord instituted the annual feast of unleavened bread as a continuing memorial of their deliverance. This feast lasted for seven days. The first and seventh days were Sabbaths and days of holy convocation (see Exodus 12:15–17; Bible Dictionary, “Feasts”).

20. See Moroni 10:30–33; Doctrine and Covenants 58:42–43.

21. See Berlin and Brettler, The Jewish Study Bible, 117, note on Exodus 12:8; see also Exodus 1:14.

22. See “The Passover Supper,” Ensign, Apr. 2014, 74.

23. 3 Nephi 11:11.

24. See Exodus 13:2, 12. Originally, the firstborn male from each family was to serve in a priestly role in the tabernacle. Later, the tribe of Levi exclusively filled that role (see Numbers 3:12).

25. See Exodus 13:15.

26. See Colossians 1:14–18; Doctrine and Covenants 93:21.

27. John 6:38.

28. See Exodus 13:3–10.

29. See Bible Dictionary, “Feasts.”

30. See Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–18; Luke 22:7–20.

31. See Matthew 27:1–50. See also 1 Nephi 11:32–33.

32. See 3 Nephi 9:19–20.

33. See Acts 20:7.

34. Boyd K. Packer, “Atonement, Agency, Accountability,” Ensign, May 1988, 72.