Text: Psalm 136:10
OT Text Referred to: Exodus 12:29
Subject: smiting firstborn in covenantal loyalty retrospective
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Redemptive-Historical Progression
Anchor Text: Exod 12 — The Passover
Significance: Psalm 136:10 recasts the narrative of Exodus 12:29—where the LORD struck down every firstborn (בְּכוֹר, bekhor) in Egypt at midnight—as a line within a liturgical hymn structured by the refrain "His loving devotion endures forever" (כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ, ki le'olam chasdo). This reframing interprets the plague of the firstborn not merely as judgment on Egypt but as an act of חֶסֶד (chesed, covenant loyalty) toward Israel. By placing the smiting of Egypt's firstborn alongside creation, Red Sea deliverance, and conquest, the psalmist situates this event within the full arc of God's redemptive acts, inviting each generation to give thanks for deliverance as evidence of enduring covenant faithfulness.