Exodus 10

Exodus 10 covers the eighth and ninth of the ten plagues in the opening section of the Book of Exodus. It follows the plague of hail in Exodus 9, and the final plague is announced in Exodus 11.

Outline

• Verses 1–2: The LORD explains why he has hardened Pharaoh's heart: to show his signs and to have them told to future generations.
• Verses 3–6: Moses and Aaron warn Pharaoh of a plague of locusts.
• Verses 7–11: Pharaoh's servants urge him to let Israel go. Pharaoh permits only the men to go and drives the two out.
• Verses 12–15: An east wind brings the locusts, which devour every plant and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left.
• Verses 16–20: Pharaoh admits his sin and asks for forgiveness. A west wind drives the locusts into the Red Sea, but Pharaoh's heart is hardened and he does not let the people go.
• Verses 21–23: Darkness covers all the land of Egypt for three days. Only where the children of Israel dwell is there light.
• Verses 24–29: Pharaoh tells them to leave their flocks and herds behind. When Moses refuses, Pharaoh warns that if Moses sees his face again, he will die.

Key Verses

• Exodus 10:2: "And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son" — links the purpose of the plagues to passing the faith on to the next generation.
• Exodus 10:23: "But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings" — illustrates the theme of God distinguishing between Egypt and his own people.

Characters and Places

• Moses and Aaron: deliver the LORD's word to Pharaoh.
• Pharaoh: the king of Egypt, who appears to give way but repeatedly changes his mind.
• Pharaoh's servants: urge the king to yield, pointing out that "Egypt is destroyed."
• Egypt: the land on which the plagues fall.
• Red Sea: the sea into which the locusts are driven. The Hebrew name is commonly understood to mean "Sea of Reeds."

Points for Reflection

• The chapter repeatedly states that the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart (verses 1, 20, 27). Paul cites Pharaoh as an example in Romans 9. The Calvinist tradition reads this passage as a demonstration of God's sovereignty. The Wesleyan and Arminian traditions emphasize human responsibility, pointing also to the earlier accounts in which Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 8:15, 8:32). This debate is treated in detail in the article on predestination and free will.
• Some interpreters see the plague of darkness as a judgment on the Egyptian worship of the sun god, although the text does not say so directly.
• The imagery of locusts and darkness reappears in the descriptions of plagues in Joel and Revelation.