Exodus 10
Exodus 10 centers on the eighth and ninth plagues that strike Egypt: the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness. As the intensity of the plagues increases, Pharaoh’s resistance becomes more exposed, and the liberation of the people of Israel draws nearer.
1verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them;
2verseand that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am the LORD.”
3verseMoses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.
4verseOr else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,
5verseand they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.
6verseYour houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.
7versePharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”
8verseMoses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are those who will go?”
9verseMoses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10verseHe said to them, “The LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.
11verseNot so! Go now you who are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.”
13verseMoses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
14verseThe locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again.
15verseFor they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
16verseThen Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
17verseNow therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to the LORD your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”
18verseMoses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.
19verseThe LORD sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.
20verseBut the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.
21verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”
22verseMoses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23verseThey didn’t see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
24versePharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”
25verseMoses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
26verseOur livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve the LORD our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve the LORD, until we come there.”
27verseBut the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go.
28versePharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”
29verseMoses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”
The Meaning of the Plague of Locusts (10:1–20)
The plague of locusts completely devours crops and trees, wiping out even the last remaining produce of the land of Egypt. This symbolizes Pharaoh’s stubborn attitude despite God’s warnings, as well as God’s patience and justice revealed through repeated opportunities. Even Pharaoh’s officials urge him to listen to what God and Moses say, but Pharaoh permits it only temporarily and then shuts his heart again.
The Meaning of the Plague of Darkness (10:21–29)
The plague of darkness brings “thick darkness over the whole land for three days,” so that the Egyptians cannot see one another and experience severe suffering in which everyday life comes to a halt. This is also a symbolic plague that shakes the order of creation (light and darkness), signaling that Pharaoh’s stubbornness is heading toward its end. Meanwhile, the fact that there was light for the people of Israel is emphasized in contrast.
The Forewarning of the Tenth Plague and Pharaoh’s Final Stubbornness
At the end of this chapter, Pharaoh proposes a compromise: the Israelites may leave, but their flocks and herds must remain behind. Moses refuses, because Israel’s worship and obedience cannot be separated from what God has commanded. Pharaoh then drives Moses away in anger, foreshadowing the final plague in the next chapter—the death of the firstborn.
Reflection Points
- How can we respond to God’s judgment, patience, and the purpose of salvation that are revealed through the plagues?
- Through the attitudes of Pharaoh, the Israelites, and Moses, what can we reflect on regarding a posture that stands before human stubbornness and God’s will?
Personal Application
- Let us reflect on how open I am, in my own life, to recognizing God’s will and obeying it.
- Even amid difficulties, let us trust God and examine our hearts so that we are not indifferent to changes around us.