Exodus 10:1-20

Exodus 10:1-20

[1] And the LORD  said  unto Moses,  Go  in unto Pharaoh:  for I have hardened  his heart,  of his servants,  that I might shew  these my signs  before  [2] And that thou mayest tell  in the ears  of thy 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.  [3] And Moses  and Aaron  came in  unto Pharaoh,  and said  the LORD  God  of the Hebrews,  How long  wilt thou refuse  to humble  thyself before  me? let my people  go,  that they may serve  [4] Else,  if thou refuse  to let my people  go,  behold, to morrow  will I bring  the locusts  into thy coast:  [5] 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:  [6] And they shall fill  thy houses,  of all thy servants,  and the houses  which neither thy fathers,  have seen,  since the day  that they were upon the earth  unto this day.  And he turned  himself, and went out  from Pharaoh.  [7] And Pharaoh's  servants  said  unto him, How long shall this man be a snare  go,  that they may serve  the LORD  their God:  knowest  thou not yet  that Egypt  is destroyed?  [8] And Moses  and Aaron  were brought again  unto Pharaoh:  and he said  serve  the LORD  your God:  but who are they that shall go?  [9] And Moses  said,  with our young  and with our old,  with our sons  and with our daughters,  with our flocks  and with our herds  for we must hold a feast  unto the LORD.  [10] 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  [11] now ye that are men,  and serve  the LORD;  for that ye did desire.  And they were driven out  from Pharaoh's  presence.  [12] 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.  [13] 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.  [14] 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  [15] For they covered  the face  of the whole earth,  was darkened;  and they did eat  every herb  of the land,  and all the fruit  of the trees  which the hail  had left:  not any green thing  in the trees,  or in the herbs  of the field,  through all the land  of Egypt.  [16] Then Pharaoh  called  for Moses  and Aaron  in haste;  and he said,  I have sinned  against the LORD  your God,  and against you. [17] 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  [18] And he went out  from Pharaoh,  and intreated  the LORD.  [19] 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.  [20] But the LORD  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart,  so that he would not let the children  of Israel  go. 

What does Exodus 10:1-20 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Moses explained another purpose of God in sending further plagues in this context, namely, so the Israelites in future generations would believe in Yahweh"s sovereignty ( Exodus 10:2)
Locusts were and still are a menace in Egypt as well as in many other countries of the world. The wind drove them from the wetter areas to the whole land of Egypt, excluding Goshen, where they multiplied. They consumed the remaining half of the crops and trees left by the hail. [1] Among their other gods, the Egyptians prayed to one manifested as a locust that they believed would preserve them from attacks by this devastating insect. [2]
Pharaoh"s permission for the male Israelites to leave Egypt to worship God brought on by the urging of his counselors was arbitrary. Egyptian females worshipped with their husbands, and Pharaoh could have permitted both men and women to worship Yahweh.
Pharaoh offered Moses three compromises, which the world still offers Christians. First, he suggested that the Israelites stay in Egypt ( Exodus 8:25). He said, in effect, You can be who you are, but live as a part of your larger culture; do not be distinctive. Second, he permitted them to leave Egypt but not to go far from it ( Exodus 8:28). He allowed them to separate from their culture but not drastically. Third, he gave permission for the males to leave, but their children had to remain in Egypt ( Exodus 10:8-11). Even godly parents are sometimes inclined to desire prosperity and worldly position for their children.
Pharaoh"s servants seem to have been ready and willing to acknowledge Yahweh as a god, but for Pharaoh this conflict had greater significance. It was a test of sovereignty. The advice of Pharaoh"s servants reflects their extreme distress ( Exodus 10:7).
"The king who . . . has a direct knowledge of the predestined order of the universe, cannot consult mere mortals. His decisions are represented as spontaneous creative acts motivated by considerations which are beyond human comprehension, although he may graciously disclose some of them." [3]
Joseph had previously delivered the Egyptians from starvation, but now Moses brought them to starvation. Both effects were the result of official Egyptian policy toward Abraham"s descendants (cf. Genesis 12:3).
Pharaoh"s confession of sin and his request for forgiveness were also most unusual ( Exodus 10:16).
"The Egyptian viewed his misdeeds not as sins, but as aberrations. They would bring him unhappiness because they disturbed his harmonious integration with the existing world; they might even be explicitly disapproved by one or another of the gods, but these were always ready to welcome his better insight.... It is especially significant that the Egyptians never showed any trace of feeling unworthy of the divine mercy. For he who errs is not a sinner but a fool, and his conversion to a better way of life does not require repentance but a better understanding." [4]
". . . the picture of a halting, confused Pharaoh plays well here at the conclusion of the plague narratives. It shows that Moses and Aaron were beginning to get on his nerves." [5]
The "Red Sea" ( Exodus 10:19) is the present Red Sea that lies to the east and south of the delta region. Some students of Exodus have mistakenly called it the Sea of Reeds. This opinion is due to the large quantity of papyrus reeds and seaweeds that some scholars have claimed grew on its banks and floated on its waters. However these reeds do not grow in salt water. [6]