What was happening when Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron by night?

Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night right after the plague where all the Egyptian firstborn died. His own house and every house in Egypt had been struck, and the whole land was in deep mourning and fear. Before this, Pharaoh had stubbornly refused to let Israel go, even through many plagues. Now, broken and afraid, he urgently tells Moses and Aaron to rise up, take the people with all their families and animals, leave Egypt at once, and even asks them to bless him, showing that he finally recognizes God’s power over him.

Why did Pharaoh ask the Israelites to leave and also ask for a blessing?

Pharaoh had resisted God’s command many times, but after the death of the firstborn he finally gave in. He tells Moses and Aaron to take the people, their flocks, and herds and go serve the Lord as they had asked. His request, “and bless me also,” shows a sudden change in him. He is terrified of further judgment and now knows that Israel’s God is far greater than he is. By asking for a blessing, he is in a way asking for mercy and hoping that their God will turn away His anger from Pharaoh and his land.

Why did the Israelites leave Egypt in such haste with unleavened bread?

The Egyptians were urgent and pressed the Israelites to leave quickly because they were afraid they would all die if Israel stayed any longer. The people had to leave at once and could not wait for their dough to rise, so they carried it while it was still unleavened and baked flat cakes on the way. This haste shows how suddenly God’s deliverance came. The simple, unleavened bread became a sign of their quick escape from slavery. It also taught them that obeying God’s call, even when it is sudden and uncomfortable, is more important than waiting for perfect conditions or extra comforts.

What does it mean that the Israelites spoiled the Egyptians?

Before they left, the Israelites asked the Egyptians for silver, gold, and clothing, just as God had told them to do earlier. God gave His people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so the Egyptians were willing to hand over what was asked. The passage says Israel “spoiled” the Egyptians, meaning they went out with their goods like a people who had won a victory. This was not stealing but God’s way of paying His people for years of harsh slave labor and keeping His promise that Abraham’s children would come out of that land with great possessions after their time of bondage.

Who was the mixed multitude that went up with Israel out of Egypt?

The mixed multitude were people who were not born from the family of Israel but left Egypt with them. They may have been other foreigners living in Egypt or Egyptians who, after seeing God’s power in the plagues, chose to go with Israel. Their presence shows that God’s saving work in Egypt was seen beyond the descendants of Jacob. It hints that others were drawn to join this people whom God was rescuing. At the same time, later stories show that not everyone in this mixed group was fully committed in heart, reminding us that not all who travel with God’s people truly belong to Him.

What is the significance of the number about six hundred thousand men on foot?

The passage says about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children, went out from Rameses to Succoth. This means the total number of people, including women and children, was likely several times that number, showing that a small family that once came into Egypt had become a large nation. This growth is not explained by ordinary means alone but points to God’s blessing and His promise to multiply Abraham’s offspring. It shows that God kept His word through all those hard years. When He finally brings them out, they are no longer a small clan but a whole host, like an army led by the Lord.

What does the four hundred and thirty years of sojourning refer to?

The passage says the sojourning of the children of Israel, who lived in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years, and that on that very day all the hosts of the Lord went out. This period connects back to God’s earlier promise to Abraham that his offspring would be strangers and afflicted before entering the promised land. The wording has been understood in more than one way, but the main point is clear: God did not forget His word. Even after centuries, on the exact time He had set, He brought His people out. It teaches that God’s timing may seem slow to us, but He is precise and faithful.

Why is this night called a night to be much observed to the LORD?

This night is called a night to be much observed because it was the night when the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt’s land. It was not an ordinary escape but a work of God’s power and mercy after long years of bondage. God wanted this night to be remembered by all future generations of Israel, not just as a story but as a regular memorial. By setting it apart, God taught them to look back with gratitude, to worship Him for saving them, and to pass this memory on to their children. It also points ahead to God’s greater work of saving His people in the future.

What does this passage teach about God’s character and His promises?

This passage shows that God is both just and merciful. He judges Egypt for its stubbornness and cruelty, yet He shows mercy to His people and even gives them favor in the eyes of their enemies. It also shows that God does not forget His promises, even across many generations. He told Abraham his offspring would be strangers but would one day come out with great possessions. Here, we see that very thing happen at the set time. God leads His people in an orderly way, cares for them in their haste, and commands them to remember what He has done, so they will trust Him in the future.

How can this story of Israel leaving Egypt speak to believers today?

This story reminds believers that God is able to bring His people out of long seasons of trouble at the time He chooses. The Israelites waited many years and likely felt forgotten, yet God was watching and acted suddenly. Their unleavened bread and hurried journey show that when God calls, we should be ready to move, even if it is uncomfortable. The mixed multitude warns that being among God’s people is not the same as belonging to God in heart. The call to keep that night as a memorial encourages believers to regularly remember how God has delivered them, especially in the greater salvation given through Christ.

Exod.12.31

Exodus 12:31

KJV

¶ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.

The Exodus Begins

¶ And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said.

Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.

And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.

And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.

And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.

¶ And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.

And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual.

¶ Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.