And it came to pass at midnight, the Lord slew every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharao, who sat on his throne, unto the firstborn of the captive woman that was in the prison, and all the firstborn of cattle.
וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בַּחֲצִ֣י הַלַּ֗יְלָה וַֽיהוָה֮ הִכָּ֣ה כָל־בְּכוֹר֮ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ מִבְּכֹ֤ר פַּרְעֹה֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עַל־כִּסְא֔וֹ עַ֚ד בְּכ֣וֹר הַשְּׁבִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּבֵ֣ית הַבּ֑וֹר וְכֹ֖ל בְּכ֥וֹר בְּהֵמָֽה׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
He excavated a pit for himself (Ps. 7:16). In Sacred Scripture, the term pit is associated with negative connotations, while the phrase well of water carries positive implications (cf. Gen. 21:19; Jn. 4:6). Joseph was thrown into a pit by his siblings (cf. Gen. 37:24). When the Lord strikes, His judgment extends from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of the captive woman who is in the pit.
Gregory the Theologian describes passionate thoughts as the first offspring of Egypt, symbolizing sin. From these passionate thoughts emerge subsequent manifestations of sin, known as the offspring of the Chaldeans, which signify demonic influences. These thoughts give rise to wicked actions, likened to the children of Babylon, representing sin born from confusion, as interpreted by Nikita. Such thoughts develop and, through actions, become partners, illustrating how "Egypt mourns for the firstborn of her thoughts and works." The Scripture depicts them as the elevated offspring of the Chaldeans and the children of Babylon, who are bruised and shattered upon the rock.
Thus, if you, dear confessor, counsel the one seeking repentance to extinguish their passionate thoughts, you take on the role of the second angel who vanquished the firstborn of Egypt, as narrated in Exodus. You emulate God’s command to obliterate the seed of the Chaldeans, echoing the sentiment expressed in Isaiah 48:14, “Loving Thee, I will do Thy will over Babylon, to take away the tribe of the Chaldeans.” In doing so, you come to deserve the happiness that the divine David mentions. It is akin to smashing the infants of evil thoughts before they mature, as proclaimed, “Blessed is he that hath and breaketh thy babes against a stone” (Psalms 136:9). Moreover, not only do you receive blessings, but the penitent also finds joy, as through confession, they shatter malevolent thoughts against the solid foundation of Christ, seeking His aid in prayer.
The manner of death for the firstborn is not clearly defined, yet we can draw insights from a parallel verse in 2 Samuel 24:15, where the Lord’s angel acts as the agent, and it is explicitly stated that the Lord inflicted a plague upon the Israelites. From this, we infer that the demise of the firstborn must have occurred through a swift, lethal epidemic, brilliantly highlighted by the fact that only the firstborn sons (and daughters, according to tradition) of the Egyptians perished, and this took place on the night designated by the Lord. When we juxtapose the death of Pharaoh's firstborn with the death of his last servant, we note an even more potent expression.
In Exodus 11:5, it mentions "the firstborn of the slave at the millstone," but here it declares "the firstborn of the prisoner that is in the pit." This latter term has been interpreted by Cook in relation to Brughsh, as seen in note 11 of Genesis 39 in the Sacred Chronicles.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS