The Final Farewell (Exodus 12:31-36).
Yahweh has delivered the final telling blow and Pharaoh tells Moses and Aaron that very night that they may go with all that they have and worship Yahweh, and seeks his right as their overlord to expect a blessing from their God. They thus depart loaded with riches as the Egyptians, eager to see them go, pour treasures on them, probably with the hope of placating Yahweh.
a Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron by night and tells them all to go and serve Yahweh and seeks a blessing for himself (Exodus 12:31-32).
b The Egyptians are urgent that they leave in haste because of the trail of death (Exodus 12:33).
b The children of Israel take their unleavened dough (thus leaving in haste) and all their domestic equipment (Exodus 12:34).
a They obtain jewels of silver and gold from the Egyptians (Exodus 12:35) in accordance with the word of Moses, for Yahweh gives them favour in the eyes of the Egyptians so that they give them all that they desire and they spoil the Egyptians. (While Pharaoh was seeking a blessing for himself, Yahweh was ensuring a blessing for His people).
The Command To Depart (Exodus 12:31-32)
‘And he called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Rise up, get yourselves out from among my people, both you and the children of Israel, and go, serve Yahweh as you have said. Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone. And bless me also.” '
This last plague was too much even for Pharaoh. He now wanted nothing more than to get Moses and Aaron away from his people as soon as possible. Possibly in spite of his earlier statement he called them to him at his palace, or it may be that his words were passed on through a high official, for he would himself be in mourning. And he gave them the permission that they had been seeking, including all that Moses had previously demanded (Exodus 10:9; Exodus 10:26). They could go and serve Yahweh in the wilderness. And he goes so far as to ask Yahweh's blessing on himself. He has come a long way from his sarcastic question, “Who is Yahweh?” (Exodus 5:2). Now he knows and seeks His benediction.
It was quite normal for kings to expect their tributaries to offer sacrifices on their behalf as a sign of loyalty, and to seek blessing from their God. This was still not permission to finally leave Egypt for good, but God knew what He was working towards.
The People's Departure and the Reaction of the Egyptians (Exodus 12:33-36).
‘And the Egyptians acted with great urgency towards the people to send them out of the land as soon as possible, for they said “We are all dead men.”
The ordinary Egyptians and the bureaucrats were also eager to see the back of the children of Israel. They had had enough. All their firstborn were dead. Soon they might be included as well.
“We are all dead men.” This may be a rueful look at their firstborn children lying dead in their beds, or may imply that they feared suffering the same fate themselves. What had happened to one could happen to all. As the plagues had gone by they had thought that things were so bad that they could not get worse. But they had got worse. And now this was the worst of all. And they recognised that if they did not get rid of the Israelites, it might get even worse still. Soon none might be left alive.
‘And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes on their shoulders.'
A homely description confirming that all leaven had been got rid of. All they now had was unleavened dough. The fact that they felt that they could not wait for it to leaven illustrates the speed at which they left. All this confirms that the getting rid of the leaven was a specific act carried out in fulfilment of Yahweh's command as otherwise there must have been some leavened bread still available. This was in obedience to Exodus 12:15.
The description of the kneadingtroughs on the shoulder suggests an eyewitness account. The purpose of mentioning them was to show that they were not in use. The bearing of such things in the loose clothing around the shoulders is still practised among Arabs.
‘And the children of Israel did as Moses had said, and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver and jewels of gold and clothing. And Yahweh gave the people favour in the eyes of the Egyptians so that they let them have what they asked. And they spoiled the Egyptians.'
Compare for this Exodus 4:21-22; Exodus 11:2-3. It was important that the people depart as victors to demonstrate the superiority of Yahweh. The children of Israel possibly knew that they were leaving for good for that was what Yahweh had promised right at the beginning (Exodus 3:8; Exodus 3:16), although it may be that at this stage they were still not sure and simply obeying Yahweh's commands. What the Egyptians thought we are not told. They were probably so keen to get rid of them that they did not care. It was only Pharaoh with his insatiable demand for slave labourers who thought at this stage in terms of their returning.
The jewels of silver and gold and the splendid clothing would be given with a view to pleasing Yahweh at the feast in the wilderness, and placating Him. It was to be for His treasure house. Or it may be that a cowed people were just happy to pour the riches on them hoping that it might please Yahweh and thus save them from further plagues. Either way the children of Israel departed with the spoils of war.
Note the interesting irony that Pharaoh had sought a blessing on himself, which would include a wish for his prosperity, while Yahweh was ensuring the prosperity of His own people.
So all having been done as Yahweh had commanded, they were ready to go on their way. Their permission was to go into the wilderness to serve Yahweh. But Yahweh's intention was that they leave Egypt permanently as He had promised and soon Pharaoh would panic and chase them with his army, breaking his treaty with Yahweh and releasing them from any obligation to return.