Exodus 10:1-20

The Plague of Locusts

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for ¹I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them,

2 and ²that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your grandson, how * I made a mockery of the Egyptians and how I performed My signs among them, ³that you may know that I am the LORD."

3 Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, 'How long * will you refuse to ⁴humble yourself before * Me? ⁵Let My people go, that they may serve Me.

4 'For if you refuse to let My people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory.

5 'They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. ⁶They will also eat the rest of what has escaped -what is left to you from the hail -and they will eat every tree which sprouts for you out of the field.

6 'Then ⁷your houses shall be filled and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day.' " And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.

7 ⁸Pharaoh's servants said to him, "How long * will this man be ⁹a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not realize that Egypt is destroyed?"

8 So Moses and Aaron ¹⁰were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, "¹¹Go, serve the LORD your God! Who are the ones that are going?"

9 Moses said, "¹²We shall go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, ¹³with 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 ¹⁴they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

12 Then the LORD said to Moses, "¹⁵Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt and ¹⁶eat 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 ¹⁷locusts.

14 ¹⁸The 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 ¹⁹ate 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 ²⁰called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, "²¹I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

17 "Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and ²²make supplication to the LORD your God, that He would only remove this death from me."

18 ²³He went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the LORD.

19 So the LORD shifted the wind to a very strong west wind which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red * Sea; not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt.

20 But ²⁴the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

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Exodus 10:1-20 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 24

1. Exodus 4:21; Exodus 7:13; Joshua 11:20; John 12:40; Romans 9:18
2. Exodus 12:26, 27; Exodus 13:8, 14, 15; Deuteronomy 4:9; Psalms 44:1; Psalms 78:5; Joel 1:3
3. Exodus 7:5, 17
4. 1 Kings 21:29; 2 Chronicles 34:27; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6
5. Exodus 4:23
6. Joel 1:4; Joel 2:25
7. Exodus 8:3, 21
8. Exodus 7:5; Exodus 8:19; Exodus 12:33
9. Exodus 23:33; Joshua 23:13; 1 Samuel 18:21; Ecclesiastes 7:26
10. Exodus 8:8
11. Exodus 8:25
12. Exodus 12:37, 38
13. Exodus 10:26
14. Exodus 10:28
15. Exodus 7:19
16. Exodus 10:5, 15
17. Psalms 78:46; Psalms 105:34
18. Deuteronomy 28:38; Psalms 78:46; Psalms 105:34; Joel 1:4, 7; Joel 2:1-11; Revelation 9:3
19. Exodus 10:5; Psalms 105:34
20. Exodus 8:8
21. Exodus 9:27
22. Exodus 8:8, 28; Exodus 9:28; 1 Kings 13:6
23. Exodus 8:30
24. Exodus 4:21; Exodus 11:10

Footnotes 18

[a]. Lit "made heavy"
[b]. Lit "put"
[c]. Lit "in his midst"
[d]. Lit "ears"
[e]. Lit "put"
[f]. Lit "were"
[g]. Lit "know"
[h]. Lit "Who and who are"
[i]. Lit "have a feast"
[j]. Lit "when I"
[k]. Lit "before your face"
[l]. Lit "you desire it"
[m]. Lit "carried"
[n]. Lit "heavy"
[o]. Lit "locusts like them before them"
[p]. Lit "after them"
[q]. Lit "Sea of Reeds"
[r]. Lit "made strong"