The Plague of the Firstborn completely shattered the pride of the Egyptian empire, forcing its stubborn ruler to abandon his royal etiquette and confront an unprecedented national disaster. Kings typically woke calmly in the third hour of the morning, but Pharaoh was jolted from his bed in a panic in the middle of the night [רש״י, פני דוד, מלבי״ם, ברכת אשר]. This sudden waking was forced upon him as masses of citizens gathered at his palace, crying out for salvation [ביאור יש״ר]. The nighttime setting also represented an absolute darkness that descended upon Egypt, standing in stark contrast to the light God provided to Moses and Aaron [אור החיים, פני דוד, חזקוני], though some understand the nighttime reference simply as a description of the hour [רש״ר הירש, אוהב גר]. In this chaos, Pharaoh awoke first and had to personally go from house to house to rouse his servants [רש״י, אבן עזרא, מלבי״ם, אבי עזר].
His servants had deliberately avoided waking him themselves, as they had previously advised him to let the Israelites go, only to be ignored [שפתי חכמים]. In a fit of vengeance that night, Pharaoh turned on the ministers and advisors who had encouraged him to rebel against God, killing them just as God was killing the firstborns [שפתי כהן]. While the plague devastated the civilian population, Pharaoh's army was notably spared. God kept the military forces alive specifically so He could drown them later in the Red Sea [העמק דבר]. The immediate result of the plague was a massive, agonizing cry across the land, fulfilling Moses' earlier prophecy with absolute precision [מלבי״ם, קאסוטו]. The Egyptians realized this was not merely a targeted strike against the firstborns; they feared it was an escalating disaster that would ultimately kill them all [אלשיך].
The reality that there was not a single house without a dead person raises a practical question, as naturally, not every family has a firstborn child. The simplest approach suggests that this describes the vast majority of homes, illustrating a widespread national plague [אבן עזרא]. However, most commentators offer deeper explanations for how every single household was affected. If a family did not have a firstborn, the oldest member of the household died, as the eldest is often referred to as a firstborn [רש״י, רמב״ן, גור אריה, בכור שור]. Another approach highlights the moral decay of Egypt, noting that Egyptian women were frequently unfaithful to their husbands with single men. Consequently, a single woman might have several children who were the biological firstborns of different fathers, all of whom died that night [רש״י, רמב״ן, שפתי חכמים, חומש קה״ת]. This widespread death of both maternal and paternal firstborns explains why God later commanded the Israelites to sanctify only the mother's firstborn. The maternal firstborn is universally recognizable and represents the true beginning of life in the world. Furthermore, unlike the Egyptians, the Israelites maintained strict family purity, allowing the sanctity to rest solely on the mother's firstborn [רמב״ן, מזרחי, תולדות יצחק, גור אריה, משכיל לדוד].
Beyond the immediate loss of life, a profound sense of grief permeated even the homes of those whose firstborns had died years prior. The Egyptians traditionally kept statues and portraits of their deceased firstborns in their houses. That night, these idols shattered and crumbled, reopening old wounds and renewing the families' pain as if their children had died that very day. Additionally, because the Egyptians often buried their dead inside their own homes, dogs entered during the plague, dug into the floors, and dragged out the corpses of the firstborns. Through both fresh death and the unearthing of the past, no household was left without the tangible, horrifying presence of the dead [רא״ש, דעת זקנים, חזקוני, צאינה וראינה].