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Exodus 10

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The Purpose of the Plagues and the Locust Warning 1–11

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And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs in the midst of them, ​
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and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought upon Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know that I am Jehovah. ​
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And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me. ​
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Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border:
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and they shall cover the face of the earth, so that one shall not be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:
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and thy houses shall be filled, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; as neither thy fathers nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned, and went out from Pharaoh.
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And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve Jehovah their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed? ​
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And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve Jehovah your God; but who are they that shall go?
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And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto Jehovah. ​
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And he said unto them, So be Jehovah with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.
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Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve Jehovah; for that is what ye desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

The Plague of Locusts 12–20

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And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.
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And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and Jehovah brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
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And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt; very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. ​
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For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
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Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against Jehovah your God, and against you.
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Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat Jehovah your God, that he may take away from me this death only. ​
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And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated Jehovah.
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And Jehovah turned an exceeding strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the border of Egypt.
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But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the children of Israel go. ​

The Plague of Darkness 21–29

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And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out thy hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. ​
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And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days;
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they saw not one another, neither rose any one from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. ​
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And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve Jehovah; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.
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And Moses said, Thou must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt-offerings, that we may sacrifice unto Jehovah our God.
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Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not a hoof be left behind: for thereof must we take to serve Jehovah our God; and we know not with what we must serve Jehovah, until we come thither. ​
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But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
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And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in the day thou seest my face thou shalt die. ​
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And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well; I will see thy face again no more.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Exodus 10

Verse 1

I have hardened his heart — Kabad, the verb said of Pharaoh himself in Ex 8:15, 8:32 and 9:34; here the LORD is the subject, and gives the purpose: 'that I might shew these my signs before him'. It fulfils 'I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders' (Ex 7:3). His servants' hearts are included.

Verse 2

tell in the ears of thy son — Saphar, to recount. The signs are to be handed down, as Israel is told to answer a child's question about the Passover (Ex 12:26–27; 13:14) and as the psalmist says, 'our fathers have told us… shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD' (Ps 78:3–4). The aim is knowledge: 'that ye may know'.

Verse 3

humble thyself — Anah, the verb of Egypt's treatment of Israel: taskmasters were set 'to afflict them with their burdens' (Ex 1:11), and 'the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied' (Ex 1:12). The one who afflicted is asked to be humbled. 'Refuse' (ma'en) is the LORD's charge from Ex 4:23 and 7:14.

Verse 7

a snare unto us — Moqesh, a trap that catches. In Exodus it recurs for the danger of the land's gods: 'if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee' (Ex 23:33; 34:12). Pharaoh's servants call Moses a snare and ask that 'the men' go to serve the LORD, since Egypt 'is destroyed', that is, has perished.

Verse 9

hold a feast — Here it is the noun chag, the pilgrim feast (the word of Ex 12:14); Ex 5:1 had the verb. Moses names the whole company: 'young and old', 'sons and daughters', 'flocks and herds'. On the Passover night Pharaoh grants the same terms: 'take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone' (Ex 12:32).

Verse 14

no such locusts — Arbeh, the locust; they 'rested' (nuach) in all the coasts, settling over the whole land. Ps 105:34–35 recalls it: 'the locusts came, and caterpillers, and that without number', and 'did eat up all the herbs in their land'. The LORD removes them by 'a mighty strong west wind' (v.19).

Verse 17

forgive… my sin — Nasa, to lift or bear away, the verb of forgiving. Pharaoh had said 'I have sinned' before (Ex 9:27) and now 'I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you' (v.16). He asks Moses to 'intreat' the LORD to 'take away from me this death only'; the 'only this once' sets his limit.

Verse 20

the LORD hardened — Chazaq, to make strong, the verb of 'I will harden' (Ex 4:21). The text speaks of both: 'Pharaoh hardened his heart' (Ex 8:15, 32; 9:34) and 'the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart' (Ex 9:12; here; v.27; 11:10). It follows at once on his asking forgiveness (v.17) and the removal of the locusts (v.19).

Verse 21

darkness which may be felt — Mashash, to feel or grope. Moses stretches out his hand 'toward heaven', as for the hail (Ex 9:22). The verb returns among the curses of Deut 28: 'thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness' (Deut 28:29). In the land the darkness lasts 'three days' (v.22).

Verse 23

light in their dwellings — Moshab, a dwelling-place. In Egypt 'They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days', in the 'thick darkness' of v.22. The same division is made at the sea, where the cloud 'was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these' (Ex 14:20).

Verse 26

we know not with what we must serve — Moses answers Pharaoh's offer to keep back the flocks and herds (v.24). The animals are needed 'to serve' (abad) the LORD, and what he will require is to be learned 'until we come thither', at the mountain where Israel was to 'serve God' (Ex 3:12).

Verse 28

see my face no more — Pharaoh's threat, 'in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die', is taken up by Moses: 'Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more' (v.29). 'Take heed' is shamar, to guard. Hebrews says that Moses 'forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king' (Heb 11:27).