Psalms 136:10

My Notes

What Does Psalms 136:10 Mean?

Psalm 136:10 applies the eternal refrain — "for his mercy endureth for ever" — to one of the most terrifying acts of God in the Bible: the killing of Egypt's firstborn. The juxtaposition is deliberate and theologically demanding.

"To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn" — the Hebrew lĕmakkeh Mitsrayim bivkhorehem (to the one who struck Egypt in/through their firstborn) uses nakah — to strike, to smite, to kill. The tenth plague (Exodus 12:29-30) killed every firstborn in Egypt — from Pharaoh's heir on the throne to the prisoner's child in the dungeon to the firstborn of the livestock. The death was comprehensive, instant, and devastating. Egypt woke to screaming in every house.

"For his mercy endureth for ever" — the Hebrew ki lĕ'olam chasdo (for His chesed is forever) is the same refrain that follows every other verse in the psalm — applied to creation (v. 5-9), to the exodus (v. 10-16), to the wilderness (v. 17-22), and to restoration (v. 23-25). The refrain doesn't change when the content turns violent. The chesed is applied to the plague of the firstborn with the same conviction as it's applied to the making of the sun and moon.

The theological challenge is sharp: how is killing Egypt's firstborn an expression of mercy? The answer operates on multiple levels. First, the mercy is directed at Israel — the chesed that killed Egypt's firstborn is the same chesed that freed Israel's firstborn from slavery. The death of one group was the liberation of another. Second, the plagues came after extended patience — nine previous plagues, each one a warning, each one followed by Pharaoh's refusal. The tenth plague wasn't sudden. It was the final act in a long drama of refused mercy. Third, the chesed encompasses the entire divine character — not just tenderness but justice, not just compassion but the willingness to act decisively against entrenched evil.

The psalmist doesn't flinch. He sings the refrain over the plague. The mercy endures — even through the death. Especially through the death. Because the mercy that frees the enslaved sometimes requires the defeat of the enslaver.

Reflection Questions

• 1.The refrain 'his mercy endureth forever' is applied to the killing of Egypt's firstborn. How do you hold together divine mercy and divine judgment in the same act?
• 2.The tenth plague came after nine warnings. How does extended patience before severe judgment change how you evaluate the severity?
• 3.Mercy toward the enslaved required judgment on the enslaver. Where do you see this principle operating — and does it make mercy more or less comfortable?
• 4.The psalmist doesn't soften the refrain for the violent content. What does it mean that God's chesed encompasses acts you find uncomfortable?

Devotional

His mercy endures forever. Even here. Even over the dead firstborn of Egypt.

The refrain doesn't change. Twenty-six times in Psalm 136, the same words: "for his mercy endureth for ever." Over creation: His mercy endures. Over the Red Sea: His mercy endures. Over the wilderness provision: His mercy endures. And here — over the night when death walked through Egypt and every household woke to a dead child — His mercy endures.

The psalmist doesn't skip this verse. Doesn't soften it. Doesn't apply a different refrain to the uncomfortable moment. The chesed that made the stars is the same chesed that struck the firstborn. The God who is merciful is the same God who killed. And the psalm insists: this is mercy. Not despite the death. Through the death.

How? Because the firstborn died so the slaves could go free. Because every Israelite child had been threatened with death by Pharaoh's decree (Exodus 1:22) for generations. Because nine plagues preceded this one — nine opportunities for Pharaoh to release the enslaved — and nine times he refused. Because mercy toward the oppressed sometimes looks like judgment on the oppressor. And because a God who never acts against evil is a God whose mercy means nothing to the people evil crushes.

This verse won't let you have a comfortable God. The chesed that endures forever is not gentle in every expression. It's fierce. It strikes. It kills the firstborn of the enslaver to free the firstborn of the enslaved. And the psalmist, standing on the free side of the Red Sea, sings the refrain with full voice: for His mercy endures forever.

The mercy isn't comfortable. But the slave who walked out of Egypt that night would tell you: it's real.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture