Exodus 10

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs before him:

And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the Lord.

And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.

Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:

And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:

And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.

And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.

And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs 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 forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord.

And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.

And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.

Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.

And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

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Exodus 10:4

“Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:”

Study Summary

If you refuse to let my people go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. The eighth plague is the first to announce not only what it will do but when: tomorrow. The announcement of tomorrow's locusts gives Pharaoh one night to change course — one more opportunity added to the seven already given. The locust in the ancient Near East was the most feared natural disaster after famine — the two were often caused by the same event, since locusts devoured the crops that prevented famine. Joel 1–2 uses the locust plague as its central image for divine judgment: a day of darkness and gloom, a great and mighty army. The locusts of Exodus 10 stand behind Joel's vision as the historical template for eschatological judgment. What God did to Egypt through locusts, He will do to the nations through the locust-like creatures of Revelation 9:3.

Community Reflections

Mary Patel (test user)7h ago

Transformation through the Word — Exodus 10

God meets us exactly where we are — broken, uncertain, yet chosen. Today it speaks comfort; a year ago it spoke conviction.. This connects directly to the promise made to Abraham. It implies covenant loyalty, steadfast love that never wavers.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. There's something deeply comforting about knowing that the same God who spoke these words is the same yesterday, today, and forever.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. I notice the repetition here is deliberate — the author wants us to feel the emphasis, to let the truth sink deep into our hearts.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. We bring nothing; He provides everything.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The imagery here is agricultural — the original audience…

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