Ninth Plague.—"Darkness which might be felt" covered the land for three days. It was so dark that the people did not dare to go out of their houses.
Through nine plagues Pharaoh's heart had remained hard and rebellious against God. Egypt was a ruined country because of this. Now the Lord told Moses that He would send one more plague, more terrible than all the others, and then they would be glad to let His people go.
But before it came, the Hebrews were to "borrow" from the Egyptians "jewels of silver and jewels of gold." For many years they had toiled without wages. What they received at this time was only a partial payment for their long years of service. This silver and gold would be needed when they should build the tabernacle in the wilderness.
Tenth Plague.—At midnight the angel of the Lord was to pass through Egypt and slay the first-born in every house, and the first-born of beasts.
None of the other plagues had come near to the land of Goshen where the children of Israel dwelt. But now they had a part to act or they would suffer with the Egyptians when the destroying angel should pass through the land.
In order to escape, the Israelites must separate from the Egyptians, and come into their own houses. They were to kill a lamb, and, with a bunch of hyssop, strike some of its blood upon the door-posts of their houses. Wherever this was done the destroying angel would "pass over" the house, and all within it were safe.
Death of the First-born.
They were also to roast the lamb whole, and eat it at midnight, while the destroying angel was doing his awful work among the Egyptians. They were to eat it standing, their shoes on their feet, their staff in hand, ready for flight.
This most solemn ceremony was called the "passover," because the destroying angel passed over the houses of those who had faith in God's commands and had put the blood upon the door-posts of their houses. The children of Israel were commanded to keep the passover each year as a memorial of their preservation in Egypt.