When the Blood Was Seen (Exodus 11-12)

Lyrics · Exodus

When the Blood Was Seen

Exodus 11-12

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When the Blood Was Seen

Exodus 11-12

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About this song

This song belongs to the Exodus collection. 8 recordings are available to play here, with the complete lyrics below.

Bible book: Exodus
Collection: Exodus
Musical styles: Acoustic, Pop, World Music, Worship & Gospel, Cinematic Rock

[Verse 1] A lamb without blemish was kept for the night, Taken on tenth day and held out of sight. At even it fell, and its blood marked the frame, A sign on the lintel, a sheltering name. Roasted with fire, with bitter herbs near, Unleavened bread for departure drew clear. Shoes on their feet and a staff in the hand, A meal eaten ready to leave Pharaoh's land. [Chorus] When the blood was seen, judgment passed over; Death crossed the kingdom, but mercy stood closer. From house unto house rose a terrible cry, Yet those under blood were appointed to life. When the blood was seen, the captive doors opened; A night of remembrance, a covenant token. [Verse 2] At midnight the firstborn of Egypt lay dead, From Pharaoh's own palace to prisoner's bed. No household untouched where the sign had not been; The king called for Moses before morning came in. "Rise, take your people, your children, your herds." The nation moved quickly beneath urgent words. [Memorial Refrain] Tell it to children when seasons return: Freedom was purchased while night torches burned. Keep this feast through the years yet unseen; Remember the night when the blood was seen.

Named in this songPharaoh Egypt Moses

About the passage

Exodus 11: The last warning leaves no room for bargaining

The final warning removes the last illusion that another round of bargaining will settle the conflict. One plague remains, and afterward Pharaoh will not merely permit Israel to leave but drive the people out. At the same time, ordinary Egyptians are giving silver and gold, and Moses has become highly regarded among Pharaoh's servants and the wider population. The king's resistance is increasingly isolated. Moses then announces death among the firstborn from the throne to the lowest social position, while Israel will be protected. The scale is household grief rather than another damaged resource, and the coming cry answers the long pressure already filling the book. Moses leaves Pharaoh in anger. A brief closing summary gathers the signs, the hardening, and the continued refusal before the account turns away from the court and toward what Israel's households must do that night.

Study Exodus 11 in depth

Exodus 12: The night that gives Israel a calendar

Exodus 12 gives Israel's departure a form that can outlive the generation leaving Egypt. The calendar is reset, households select and share an unblemished animal, blood marks the doorway, and the meal is eaten dressed for travel. Before the chapter reports the midnight judgment, it already gives future Israel an annual memorial, seven days of unleavened bread, holy assemblies, and answers for children who will ask what the observance means. At midnight the firstborn die throughout Egypt, and Pharaoh finally orders Israel out with the families and animals he had tried to keep. The people leave in haste with unleavened dough, valuables, livestock, and a mixed multitude. The chapter then looks backward over the long sojourn and forward into Passover participation, defining a guarded covenant meal that also gives a way for committed outsiders to enter its observance.

Study Exodus 12 in depth