Exodus 10

The plagues of locusts and darkness fall on Egypt as Pharaoh bargains with Moses, offering half-measures and false repentance. God uses the plagues so that Israel’s coming generations will know who the LORD is. The chapter ends with Pharaoh banishing Moses, and Moses agreeing that they will not meet again.

Exodus 10:1-2

God sends Moses back to Pharaoh, and He explains His purpose. The signs are not random. They are to be told to children and grandchildren, so that Israel will know that He is the LORD. The plagues become a story of God’s power handed down through the generations.

BSA: hardened (“made stubborn, given a stubborn attitude”): God confirms a stubbornness that Pharaoh has already shown, and uses it for His purpose. signs (“wonders, beacons”): These miracles are like signal fires that point to who God is.

See also: Exodus 4:21; Psalm 78:3-4.

Exodus 10:3

Moses speaks for the God of the Hebrews. The question is not about Pharaoh’s power but about his pride. Pharaoh is asked to humble himself, and the goal of freedom is worship. Israel is not leaving just to escape, but to serve God.

BSA: worship (“serve, give reverence to”): The same word can mean serve, so the choice is really who Israel will serve, Pharaoh or the LORD.

See also: James 4:10.

Exodus 10:4-6

The warning is exact: locusts, coming tomorrow. They will strip whatever the hail left and fill every house, even the palace officials’ homes. It will be worse than anything Egypt’s ancestors had seen. Moses then walks out, leaving Pharaoh to think it over.

BSA: devour (“eat, consume”): The locusts will finish what the hail started, leaving nothing to live on.

See also: Joel 1:4.

Exodus 10:7

For the first time Pharaoh’s own advisers speak up. They call Moses a snare, a trap, but they admit that Egypt is ruined and urge Pharaoh to give in. Those closest to the king see the truth before he does, yet he still will not bend.

BSA: snare (“trap, offense”): They see Moses as something that keeps catching Egypt in trouble. ruins (“destroyed, perished”): Their own word shows that the land is already dying.

Exodus 10:8-11

Pharaoh seems to bend, then bargains: who exactly will go? Moses answers that everyone will, young and old, with all their animals. Pharaoh refuses and says only the men may go. Keeping the children behind would keep the families as hostages. Then he drives Moses out.

BSA: feast (“festival, solemn assembly”): The whole community was to gather before God, so no one could be left behind.

See also: Exodus 5:1.

Exodus 10:12-15

At God’s word Moses stretches out his staff, and an east wind blows all day and night. By morning the locusts arrive in numbers never seen before. They darken the land and eat every green thing. God uses the wind, and so even the weather is under His command.

BSA: black (“darkened, without light”): The swarm was so thick that it hid the ground and shut out the light.

See also: Psalm 105:34-35.

Exodus 10:16-17

Pharaoh sends in a hurry for Moses and says, ‘I have sinned.’ But his words are about escaping the plague, not about changing his heart. He asks for forgiveness ‘once more’ and calls the locusts ’this death.’ He wants relief without turning to God.

BSA: sinned (“missed the mark, gone wrong”): He admits he has fallen short, but without real sorrow or change.

See also: 2 Corinthians 7:10.

Exodus 10:18-19

Moses prays, and the LORD answers at once. A strong west wind sweeps every locust into the Red Sea, so that not one remains. The same God who sent the swarm removes it completely when He chooses. His mercy is as thorough as His judgment.

BSA: Red (“of reeds”): The Hebrew name is the Sea of Reeds, a body of water that will matter again for Israel.

Hebrew: סוּף (suf, H5488) — “reeds.” The sea is literally the ‘Sea of Reeds.’ The same waters that swallow the locusts will later swallow Pharaoh’s army.

See also: Exodus 14:21-28.

Exodus 10:20

As soon as the plague lifts, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened again and Israel stays in Egypt. The cycle shows that relief alone does not change people. Pharaoh keeps choosing his own way, and God confirms the road he has chosen.

BSA: hardened (“strengthened, made stubborn”): The word means to make strong, so Pharaoh’s resolve is fixed against God.

See also: Romans 9:17-18.

Exodus 10:21-23

The ninth plague is a darkness so thick it could be felt. For three days no one could see another person or leave his place. Yet Israel’s homes had light. God can divide light from darkness, and He protects His own people even in the midst of judgment.

BSA: palpable (“thick, able to be felt”): The darkness was heavy and almost solid, not just the absence of daylight. light (“enlightenment, illumination”): Israel’s light hints at a deeper truth: God’s people live in His light while others sit in darkness.

See also: Genesis 1:3-4; Colossians 1:13.

Exodus 10:24-26

Pharaoh offers a new compromise: the children may go, but not the animals. Moses will not give up even a hoof. The animals are needed for sacrifice, and Israel will not know exactly what God requires until they are with Him. True worship is not bargained down.

BSA: worship (“serve and honor”): Serving God means giving Him what is His, which cannot be left behind in Egypt. sacrifices (“offerings to atone for sin, to honor God”): Offerings were the way Israel approached God, so they could not go without them.

See also: Exodus 8:25-28.

Exodus 10:27

Again Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, and he refuses to let Israel go. He had come close, but he cannot let go of control. The verse shows that bargaining with God does not end well when we want to keep part of what is His.

BSA: unwilling (“not willing, refused”): The refusal is Pharaoh’s own will, hardening more with every plague.

Exodus 10:28-29

Pharaoh drives Moses out and threatens him with death if he returns. Moses calmly agrees that he will not see Pharaoh’s face again. The king who would not listen has cut himself off from the one who brought God’s word, and the last plague will come without further warning.

BSA: face (“presence, person”): To see the king’s face was to be admitted to his presence, and Pharaoh closes that door.

See also: Exodus 11:4-8.