Exodus 10
Summary for Exod 10:1-20: 10:1-20 a The eighth plague was the plague of locusts (10:4 b). Evidently enough time had elapsed between this plague and the previous one that the wheat and emmer wheat had sprouted (see 9:32 c). The Egyptian god Osiris was especially revered as the god who descended into the underworld and brought plant life back in the spring. This second, climactic attack on the plant life demonstrated that even Osiris was helpless before the Lord. There is no eternal life in sprouting plants.10:2 d The plagues were sent so that Israel will know that I am the Lord (similarly, with respect to Egypt, see 9:14-16 e).
10:4 f These locusts were not the insects called locusts in North America, but a form of migratory grasshopper. Swarming out of desert regions, they could devastate large areas of land, devouring all the plant life before them.
Summary for Exod 10:7-11: 10:7-11 g The officials, with no royal prestige on the line, were willing to learn the lessons of God’s sovereignty and let the men go. Pharaoh again resisted, in an effort to save face somehow. He would let them go only if they left their families behind and were thus bound to return, but Moses had never said they would return. While the purpose for going into the wilderness was to worship God, it was unthinkable that oppressed slaves would willingly return to their oppressors once they were free, and Pharaoh knew it.
Summary for Exod 10:13-15: 10:13-15 h The miraculous nature of the locust plague was indicated by its timing (when Moses raised his staff) and by its extent and intensity (from one end of the country to the other, and there has never been another one like it). 10:13 i an east wind: The grasshopper swarms came from the Arabian Desert, across the Red Sea to the east.
10:17 j Forgive my sin: Pharaoh’s recognition grew deeper; he admitted that his pride and refusal to keep his word were sins, and he recognized that sin cannot be ignored but must be forgiven. Unfortunately, his correct theological understanding did not in itself change his heart.
Summary for Exod 10:21-29: 10:21-29 k The ninth plague was the plague of darkness (10:21 l). The chief god of Egypt through the centuries, who appeared under several different names, was the sun. At this time he was known as Amon-Re. He was supreme over all the other gods and was considered to be the ultimate source of life. The Lord showed that the sun’s light is completely under his control; he could shut it off from Egypt proper, while leaving it to shine in Goshen in the northeast part of the country (10:23 m; see study note on 9:1-7).
10:24 n leave your flocks and herds: Pharaoh again attempted to save some scrap of his prestige and authority from the debacle.
Summary for Exod 10:25-26: 10:25-26 o Moses was unrelenting. He knew that the Israelites, far from leaving any of their possessions behind, would be receiving gifts from the Egyptians, who would hurry them away (3:21-22 p). He also kept the focus on the worship of God. This continual refrain about the purpose for leaving Egypt (see study note on 8:26-27) reflects the key purpose of their exodus, to become the people of God.
Summary for Exod 10:27-29: 10:27-29 q Pharaoh seemed to realize that he had reached a point of no return. If he would not submit—the only action appropriate to what he had learned from the plagues—then he must kill the messenger. This reasoning is similar to that of the religious leaders later during the life of Christ. They refused to draw the appropriate conclusions from Jesus’ life and ministry, so they decided to kill him (see John 11:45-53 r).
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