Chapter Text
The Plague of Locusts
The Plague of Darkness
Summary
God sends Moses to Pharaoh with a warning of locusts that will consume everything the hail left standing. Pharaoh's own servants urge him to let Israel go, recognizing Egypt is destroyed. Pharaoh offers to let the men go but not the families. Moses refuses. An east wind brings locusts covering the entire land, devouring every remaining green thing. Pharaoh confesses sin and begs forgiveness. A west wind drives the locusts into the Red Sea, but Pharaoh's heart is hardened. God then sends a darkness so thick it can be felt, covering Egypt for three days. No Egyptian can see another or rise from their place, yet Israel has light. Pharaoh agrees to let Israel go but demands their flocks remain. Moses refuses. Pharaoh threatens Moses with death.
Meaning
The fracturing of Pharaoh's court reveals that sustained rebellion against God eventually isolates the rebel. Pharaoh's offer to release only men represents another attempt at partial obedience — God demands complete liberation because partial freedom is not freedom at all.
Darkness struck at the supreme deity of Egypt — Ra, the sun god. Three days without the sun declared Ra powerless before the LORD. Light in Israel's dwellings while Egypt sat in darkness symbolizes the spiritual division between those who belong to God and those who reject Him. Pharaoh's final compromise mirrors the world's attempt to release souls while retaining their resources.
Background
Locust swarms were among the most devastating natural disasters in the ancient Near East. A single swarm could number in the billions, covering hundreds of square miles. The east wind carried them in; the west wind drove them out, demonstrating God's mastery over creation.
Ra stood at the pinnacle of the Egyptian pantheon, and Pharaoh was considered his son. Extinguishing the sun for three days was the most direct assault on Egyptian royal theology.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-6Warning of the Eighth Plague: Locusts Threatened
- vv. 7-11Pharaoh's Servants Urge Release; Pharaoh Bargains
- vv. 12-15The Locusts Devastate Egypt
- vv. 16-20Pharaoh's False Repentance and Hardened Heart
- vv. 21-23The Ninth Plague: Three Days of Darkness
- vv. 24-26Pharaoh Bargains Again; Moses Refuses Compromise
- vv. 27-29Final Confrontation: Pharaoh Dismisses Moses
Key Verses
“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:”— 10:1
This verse explicitly states God's sovereign purpose in hardening Pharaoh's heart — not merely to punish, but to display His power and establish a testimony for future generations. It is a central text in discussions of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
“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.”— 10:3
The divine question 'How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself?' reveals that at the core of Pharaoh's resistance is pride. This verse frames the entire plague narrative as a confrontation between human arrogance and divine authority.
“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.”— 10:23
The contrast between Egypt's paralyzing darkness and Israel's light powerfully illustrates God's distinction between His people and the world. This verse is frequently cited as a type of spiritual darkness versus the light of God's presence.
“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.”— 10:26
Moses' insistence that 'not an hoof be left behind' demonstrates the principle of total consecration — holding nothing back from God's service. It stands as a rebuke to partial obedience and compromise.
People & Places
People
- Moses — Prophet and deliverer of Israel, God's spokesman who confronts Pharaoh and mediates the plagues.
- Aaron — Moses' brother and co-spokesman before Pharaoh, accompanying him in the demand to release Israel.
- Pharaoh — King of Egypt whose hardened heart refuses to release the Israelites despite escalating divine judgments.
- Pharaoh's servants — Egyptian court officials who urge Pharaoh to release the Hebrews, recognizing that Egypt is being destroyed.
Places
- Egypt — The land suffering under God's plagues, seat of Pharaoh's power and Israel's bondage.
- Red Sea — The body of water into which God cast the locusts by a west wind, completely removing the plague from Egypt.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
The plague of darkness over Egypt (vv. 21–23) carries rich prophetic typology. The three days of impenetrable darkness foreshadow the three hours of darkness at Christ's crucifixion (Matthew 27:45) and anticipate the eschatological 'day of darkness' in prophetic literature (Joel 2:2, Amos 5:18). The distinction between Egypt's darkness and Israel's light prefigures the New Testament theme of believers as 'children of light' set apart from the darkness of the world (1 John 1:5–7, Colossians 1:13).
Devotional
Pharaoh's repeated cycle — confessing sin under pressure, then hardening his heart when relief comes — is a warning against superficial repentance. True humility before God is not a negotiating tactic but a permanent posture of the soul.
Notice how Pharaoh tried to bargain: go, but leave your families; go, but leave your flocks. God will not accept partial surrender. Moses understood that worship requires everything we have — 'not an hoof left behind.'
Where are you holding back from God? The areas we try to keep under our own control are often the very things He is asking us to consecrate. Full obedience is the only path to true freedom.
Literary Style
This chapter is dramatic narrative structured around two plague accounts (locusts and darkness), each following a pattern of warning, execution, Pharaoh's appeal, and renewed hardening. Dialogue dominates — the escalating verbal confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh drives the tension. The locust description employs hyperbole characteristic of ancient Near Eastern plague accounts, while the darkness narrative is strikingly sparse, using brevity to convey the totality of judgment.