Misinterpretations of this passage often reduce it to a mere human declaration by Moses rather than God's authoritative word through His prophet, ignoring the divine 'I' that emphasizes God's personal intervention; others detach it from the covenantal context of Exodus, treating it as arbitrary violence instead of measured justice following Pharaoh's defiance and oppression of Israel, or allegorize it without basis to endorse vigilante actions today, overlooking the merciful Passover provision that spared the obedient Hebrews.
Exodus 11:4
King James Version (1769)
4 And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt:
In Exodus 11:4, Moses relays God's direct announcement of the tenth plague's timing—at midnight—when the Lord Himself would enter Egypt to strike down every firstborn son and firstborn of livestock, from Pharaoh's heir to the captive's child, demonstrating God's supreme authority over nations, His unwavering commitment to deliver Israel from bondage, and His righteous judgment on hardened rebellion after repeated warnings and signs.