שמות, פרק י״ב, פסוק ל״ג

After years of bitter enslavement, a dramatic reversal overtakes the Egyptian empire. The entire nation acts as a single entity, transforming from cruel taskmasters into panicked expellers. In a striking irony, the very same strength and forceful grip the Egyptians previously used to keep the Israelites in bondage is now aggressively applied to drive them out [אבן עזרא, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו]. This pressure comes not merely from the common citizens, but from military and government officials who use physical force to accelerate the departure [העמק דבר].

The haste of this exodus is shared, though driven by entirely different motives. The Egyptians rush to expel their former slaves like fleeing deer out of sheer panic, while the Israelites hurry to seize the moment and gather the spoils of the land [קיצור בעל הטורים]. A unique perspective suggests the Egyptians specifically pressured the Mixed Multitude to leave, assuming the Israelites would quickly follow their lead [שפתי כהן]. In reality, Pharaoh grants permission to leave during the night, but by daylight, the Egyptian masses swarm the Israelite camps, driving them out so rapidly that there is no time to prepare provisions [מלבי״ם]. This expulsion is not an act of repentance or a genuine recognition of Israelite liberty. It is born purely out of the terror of punishment. The Egyptians only intend a temporary and local dismissal; they do not truly accept the Israelites' permanent freedom until the subsequent events at the Red Sea [העמק דבר].

The root of the Egyptian panic is a profound fear that the entire nation is in an ongoing state of death [בכור שור, חזקוני]. They are terrified that waiting for another plague will lead to the death of those who are not firstborns [בכור שור], validating Moses's initial warning that continued oppression would bring fatal consequences [אבן עזרא, חזקוני]. This terror is amplified by a deep confusion regarding the plague itself. Moses had declared that only the firstborns would die, yet the Egyptians witness five or ten deaths within a single household, leading them to believe the plague has spread indiscriminately [רש״י, חומש קה״ת]. The tragic reality, however, is that Egyptian women had been unfaithful, resulting in multiple firstborn sons from different biological fathers living under one roof. Additionally, the plague strikes fathers who are themselves firstborns, or the most prominent members of a household [מזרחי, שטיינזלץ, משכיל לדוד].

Recognizing that the known firstborns have indeed perished, the Egyptians do not accuse Moses of deceit. Instead, they realize their hidden familial shame has been exposed to the world. Some deliberately amplify their cries of mourning, hoping to arouse Moses's mercy, even as they harbor the dark truth of their lineage [יריעות שלמה, דברי דוד, משכיל לדוד]. Gripped by mortal terror, the Egyptians willingly forfeit all the wealth they had lent to the Israelites, desperate only for them to leave so the dying will cease [חזקוני].

Pharaoh's relentless stubbornness throughout this ordeal is likened to a servant who brings his king a rotting fish and is sentenced to eat it, receive a hundred lashes, and pay a fine. The servant tries to eat the fish, but overcome by the stench, begs for the lashes instead. Midway through the beating, he breaks down and agrees to pay the fine, ultimately suffering all three punishments. Similarly, through his refusal to recognize God, Pharaoh endures the devastating plagues, is forced to expel the Israelites against his will, and ultimately loses all the wealth of his empire [רבנו בחיי, צאינה וראינה].