World English Bible
- The 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;
- and 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.”
- Moses 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.
- Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,
- and 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.
- Your 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.
- Pharaoh’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?”
- Moses 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?”
- Moses 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.”
- He said to them, “The LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.
- Not 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.
- The 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.”
- Moses 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.
- The 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.
- For 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.
- Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
- Now therefore please forgive my sin again, and pray to the LORD your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”
- Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.
- The 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.
- But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.
- The 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.”
- Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
- They 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.
- Pharaoh 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.”
- Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
- Our 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.”
- But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go.
- Pharaoh 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!”
- Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”
Exodus chapter 10 draws us deeper into the dramatic confrontation between Yahweh, the living God, and Pharaoh, the self-proclaimed god-king of Egypt. Two powerful plagues dominate this narrative: the locusts (verses 1-20) and darkness (verses 21-29). Each plague intensifies the previous message: God alone is sovereign, and all human pride that defies Him ultimately crumbles.
In ancient cultures, locust infestations represented an existential threat, capable of consuming a year’s laborious harvest in mere days—an economic and social disaster. But here, the plague is more than a mere agricultural calamity. In Exodus 10:2 (English Standard Version), God instructs Moses to pass the lessons down through history:
“that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”
The Hebrew text emphasizes the importance of memory and testimony. The phrase “that you may tell” (וּלְמַעַן תְּסַפֵּר lu-ma’an t’saper) implies intentional conversation across generations. Sharing stories of God’s faithfulness isn’t merely historical—it’s deeply spiritual. Remembering God’s power to liberate and discipline shapes our identity as His people.
Notably, Pharaoh’s counselors begin to plea for reason, realizing Egypt’s ruin is imminent (10:7). Pharaoh continues to waver between hardness and apparent remorse, but ultimately chooses pride over humility, resulting in devastating consequences.
Cross-reference: Joel 1:4-7 portrays another significant prophetic use of locust imagery as divine judgment, underscoring its theological symbolism.
The plague of darkness directly challenges the heart of Egyptian religion. Egyptians worshipped the sun god Ra (or Re), believing him to be the supreme deity who brought life, vision, wellness, and order to the cosmos. A darkness that could be “felt” (Exodus 10:21 New King James Version) was terrifying: it showed the absolute impotence of Egyptian gods, as even the powerful Ra is silenced by Yahweh’s command.
The Hebrew description choshekh (חֹשֶׁךְ) depicts not just physical darkness but a profound spiritual blindness. The Egyptians, led by Pharaoh, cannot discern truth from lie, divine from mundane. Meanwhile, Israelites in Goshen experience brilliant light, symbolizing God’s presence and truth.
By sending darkness, Yahweh exposes the emptiness and futility of placing trust in false gods or in our self-made power. It reminds God’s people today to examine carefully: What false securities do we still cherish? What societal idolatries have seeped into our hearts unnoticed?
Cross-reference: Compare to Christ’s crucifixion in Matthew 27:45 (“there was darkness over all the land…”), indicating judgment and spiritual upheaval.
Repeatedly, chapters in Exodus state Pharaoh’s heart was “hardened.” The Hebrew text uses multiple expressions for this: sometimes Pharaoh does the hardening (kabed, meaning “heavy”) and sometimes God does (using the phrase chizek et lev Pharaoh, “strengthened or hardened Pharaoh’s heart”). Interpreters through history have wrestled with this tension: Does God limit Pharaoh’s freedom? Prominent theologians such as Augustine and Calvin have emphasized the coexistence of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Pharaoh freely hardens his heart, even while God sovereignly permits or even strengthens him in judgment as a demonstration of His own glory.
The human heart frequently rebels against yielding control—it fights acknowledging that God alone is Lord. Pharaoh’s stubbornness thus provides a mirror for our own spiritual reflections.
Consider meditating today on Isaac Watts’ profound hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” Reflect on how God’s unchanging power delivers His people from spiritual bondage and grants wisdom amid life’s darkness.
Heavenly Father, You alone reign sovereign over all creation. Forgive our tendencies toward pride, stubbornness, and spiritual blindness. Illuminate our hearts with Your truth, and grow in us a humble awareness of our dependence upon You. May we faithfully tell others of your power, mercy, and faithfulness, even as we meditate deeply upon Your glory revealed in the pages of Scripture. We pray this through Christ, the true Light who has overcome the darkness. Amen.