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Moses warned Pharaoh about the killing of his firstborn son in Exodus 11:

4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

Did Pharaoh know about the blood that could have saved his son mentioned in the next chapter?

12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

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  • Repentance comes first, before faith in a sacrifice. Otherwise the sacrifice has mo meaning to the offerer. Up-voted +1.
    – Nigel J
    Commented Mar 20, 2021 at 16:41
  • Pharaoh saw himself as a god! And, he also had other gods that were ‘his’. It wouldn’t have even entered his mind to submit.
    – Dave
    Commented Mar 20, 2021 at 17:27

1 Answer 1

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Again, the short answer is, We are not told. However, I would find it impossible to believe that the Egyptians would not have known because of:

  • the extensive preparations going on Israel before that first Passover including slaughtering the lamb, and painting the door posts, etc.
  • the very fact that a "mixed multitude" (Ex 12:38) of Egyptians and other decided to leave Egypt with the Israelites suggests that they had been impressed with what had gone on and perhaps some of them has also participated in the first Passover.

This reminds me of the instance recorded in Esther 8:17, "And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them."

Thus, I am sure that even if Moses had not explicitly told Pharaoh, he would have found out via what was going on.

Further, the fact that something is not recorded does not mean that it was not said. I feel that Moses very likely did tell Pharaoh about the blood out of mercy and compassion. The fact that after all these miraculous plagues, some still refused to believe is what made the real "distinction between Egypt and Israel" (Ex 11:7).

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