במדבר, פרק ל״ג, פסוק ד׳

The moment of departure from Egypt carried a dramatic contrast. While the Israelites marched out proudly, the Egyptians were completely consumed by their own disaster. This timing was highly intentional, designed to allow the Israelites a smooth exit without any resistance. Because the Egyptians were entirely absorbed in mourning and burying their dead [רש״י, שפתי חכמים, משכיל לדוד], the Israelites were able to leave triumphantly in plain sight. The Egyptian masses did not even realize the Israelites were leaving permanently; their profound pain, shock, and confusion prevented them from paying attention to the unfolding events or raising any protest [רלב״ג, העמק דבר, כלי יקר, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

The scale of the devastation was vast. The destruction was so severe that some suggest the firstborns themselves became agents of destruction, turning against and killing their own fathers [כלי יקר]. Alongside the death of the firstborns, God executed severe judgments against the Egyptian deities. The realization of this divine punishment occurred specifically during the burials rather than the night of the plague itself. In the darkness, the Egyptians were simply too busy weeping to notice the state of their idols. It was only in the morning, when they brought their dead to their temples for burial, that they discovered the absolute ruin of their gods. Silver and gold statues had melted, wooden figures had rotted, and stone idols were shattered to pieces [תולדות יצחק, צאינה וראינה, רבנו בחיי], much like the later collapse of the Philistine idol Dagon [רבנו בחיי, אבן עזרא]. This shocking discovery further paralyzed the Egyptians, ensuring they lacked the capacity to stop the Israelites from leaving [העמק דבר].

The sequence of these events reveals a specific divine priority. By striking the firstborns before destroying the idols, God first avenged the suffering of the Israelites at the hands of their oppressors, and only afterward acted for His own honor by dismantling their idolatry [אדרת אליהו]. This destruction also extended to the cosmic realm, breaking the spiritual power attributed to Aries, the ram, which was considered the firstborn of the zodiac signs [מלבי״ם]. Interestingly, a single idol, Baal Zephon, was deliberately left intact. This served as a calculated deception to tempt the Egyptians into eventually pursuing the Israelites, tricking them into believing this particular deity was still guarding their wealth [כלי יקר].

The concept of the Egyptian gods facing judgment carries several additional layers of meaning. One approach identifies these entities not as statues, but as the human judges and leaders of Egypt. This creates a profound irony where God executed judgments upon the very judges of the land, as the nation's elite leaders also perished that night [פענח רזא, דעת זקנים, בכור שור, הדר זקנים]. Another perspective suggests the firstborns themselves were worshipped as deities by the Egyptians. Consequently, the Egyptians rushed to bury their dead with intense urgency to hide the deep disgrace of their supposed gods lying lifeless in the streets [הכתב והקבלה]. Finally, the divine judgment also fell upon the sacred animals worshipped in Egypt. Because these revered creatures died alongside the firstborns, the Egyptians were forced to simultaneously bury both their human family members and the animals and birds they had worshipped as divine [אם למקרא].