Exodus 10:8-18

8 So Moses and Aaron ¹were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "²Go, serve the LORD your God! Who are the ones that are going?"

9 Moses said, "³We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, ⁴with our flocks and our herds we shall go, for we must hold a feast to the LORD."

10 Then he said to them, "Thus may the LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Take heed, for evil is in your mind.

11 "Not so! Go now, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desire." So ⁵they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "⁶Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and ⁷eat every plant of the land, even all that the hail has left."

13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD directed an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the ⁸locusts.

14 ⁹The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt; they were very numerous. There had never been so many locusts, nor would there be so many again.

15 For they covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was darkened; and they ¹⁰ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Thus nothing * green was left on tree or plant of the field through all the land of Egypt.

16 Then Pharaoh hurriedly ¹¹called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, "¹²I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

17 "Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ¹³make supplication to the LORD your God, that He would only remove this death from me."

18 ¹⁴He went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD.

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Exodus 10:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 10

This chapter is introduced with giving the reasons why the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, Ex 10:1,2. Moses and Aaron go in to him, and once more demanded in the name of the Lord the dismission of the people of Israel, and in case of refusal, threatened him with locusts being sent into his country, which should make terrible havoc in all his coasts, Ex 10:3-6, the servants of Pharaoh entreat him to let them go, upon which Moses and Aaron are brought in again, and treated with about the terms of their departure; but they, insisting upon taking all with them, men, women, and children, and flocks and herds, and Pharaoh not willing that any but men should go, they are drove from his presence in wrath, Ex 10:7-11 wherefore the locusts were brought on all the land, which made sad devastation in it, Ex 10:12-15, and this wrought on Pharaoh so far as to acknowledge his sin, pray for forgiveness, and to desire Moses and Aaron to entreat the Lord to remove the plague, which they did, and it was removed accordingly, but still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, Ex 10:16-20 then followed the plague of thick darkness over all the land for three days, which brought Pharaoh to yield that all should go with them excepting their flocks and herds; but Moses not only insisted that not a hoof should be left behind, but that Pharaoh should give them sacrifices and burnt offerings, Ex 10:21-26. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he refused to comply, and Moses was bid to be gone, and take care never to see his face any more, and which Moses agreed to, Ex 10:27-29.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 14

1. Exodus 8:8
2. Exodus 8:25
3. Exodus 12:37, 38
4. Exodus 10:26
5. Exodus 10:28
6. Exodus 7:19
7. Exodus 10:5, 15
8. Psalms 78:46; Psalms 105:34
9. Deuteronomy 28:38; Psalms 78:46; Psalms 105:34; Joel 1:4, 7; Joel 2:1-11; Revelation 9:3
10. Exodus 10:5; Psalms 105:34
11. Exodus 8:8
12. Exodus 9:27
13. Exodus 8:8, 28; Exodus 9:28; 1 Kings 13:6
14. Exodus 8:30

Footnotes 9

[a]. Lit "Who and who are"
[b]. Lit "have a feast"
[c]. Lit "when I"
[d]. Lit "before your face"
[e]. Lit "you desire it"
[f]. Lit "carried"
[g]. Lit "heavy"
[h]. Lit "locusts like them before them"
[i]. Lit "after them"