Abraham Quote by Ben Witherington III
““Verse 12 [of Ex. 12) tells us that the judgment of Yahweh is not only on the Egyptians but also on their deities. This is probably an allusion to the fact that Egyptians would often pray for the safety of their firstborn, particularly firstborn sons, as was the custom in many ancient patriarchal cultures. The death of the firstborn would be seen as a sign of the anger or perhaps the impotence of their gods. This is worth pondering when it comes to the death of Jesus as God’s only begotten, or beloved, Son. Would Jesus’ contemporaries have assumed his death was a manifestation of God’s wrath? Probably so. In any event, Yahweh is showing his superiority over the spirits behind the pagan deities, and thus we should not overlook the supernatural struggle that is implied to be behind the contest of wills between Moses and Pharaoh.””
About This Quote
Source Bible Commentary: Exodus 12, 2020
The comment links Yahweh’s judgment over Egyptian gods to the broader theme of divine supremacy, suggesting that the death of the firstborn and later Jesus’ death illustrate God’s power over pagan deities.
In simple terms: Yahweh’s judgment shows God’s superiority over other gods.
Key Takeaway
Recognize divine authority in biblical narratives.
Themes
faith
theology
biblical history
divine judgment
Mood
thoughtful
reflective
scholarly
Type
expository
theological
When to use this quote
- Studying Exodus in a seminary
- preaching about God’s power
- personal reflection on divine justice
Key Concepts
Monotheism
spiritual conflict
prophetic symbolism
Questions to Reflect On
- What does divine judgment mean today?
- How does this passage shape understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice?
A Different Perspective
Interpretations may vary across traditions.
![“The Jews have made him [Yahweh] the assassin of the human species, to make room for the religion of the Jews. The Christians have made him the murderer of himself, and the founder of a new religion to supersede and expel the Jewish religion. And to find pretence and admission for these things…” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d84/thomas-paine-267_assassin_the-jews-have-made-him-yahweh-the-assass_2292873.jpg)
![“Again; in the tenth chapter of Deuteronomy we have the expression, “For Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords.”[318] And numerous are the Scriptural assertions that Jehovah is highly exalted above all gods, to be feared above all gods, and so on. If, then. He executed judgment…” quote by G.H. Pember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b99/g-h-pember-21155_quote_again-in-the-tenth-chapter-of-deuteronom_1173607.jpg)
![“Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not going to allow a con artist to take over the party of [Abraham] Lincoln and [Ronald] Reagan.” quote by Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c6a/marco-rubio-355_abraham_donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nomi_14750.jpg)
