Exodus 10

17 Apr 2026 - Theology

Locusts and Darkness

In this chapter, we read about two more plagues: locusts and darkness.

Locusts

Exodus 10:1-2 - “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.”

Why is God hardening Pharaoh’s heart?

• To show these signs before him
• That we may tell of these signs in Egypt to our descendants
• So that we (ourselves and our descendants) may know that I am the Lord

“know” = (Hebr. yada) to know experientially

Believers today have that same call when we experience signs or miracles from the Lord, especially when they happen in our personal Egypt (wilderness season).

Pharaoh’s response to this threat of a plague was brought on by his servants:

Exodus 10:7-8 - “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?”

Moses responds that everyone and their cattle must go because they will hold a feast in the desert to the Lord (9). This angers Pharaoh because he would only allow the men to go (10-11).

Exodus 10:16-17 - “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.”

Exodus 10:20 - “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.”

“hardened” = chazaq [2388]

• To be strong
• Strengthened (resolve)
• When I do see it and power through (courage)

Three Days of Darkness

Exodus 10:21-22 - “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:”

This was not only darkness in the sky, but darkness which was felt.

“darkness” = choshek [2822]

• dark, darkness, obscurity, night, dusk
• misery, falsehood, ignorance
• can refer to the darkness of the grave
• figurative meaning of blindness, hiddenness, and judgement

Generally speaking, darkness is associated with death, failure, suffering, folly, and sin.

This is symbolism for those who are in eternal darkness (the Kingdom of Sin after death, or Hell), that they would experience a physical darkness and an internal darkness which is felt.

The three day darkness prefigures the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Light that regulates the evening and morning before the luminaries of the sky were created (Genesis 1, Exodus 5).

Exodus 10:23 - “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.”

What was the light in their dwellings?

“light” = ôr [216]

• light, brightness, lightning, luminary, daylight, sunlight, illumination
• enlightenment, happiness, cheerfulness
• signifies life in contrast to death
• can also symbolize prosperity, being born, or just being alive
• a prominent metaphorical meaning is instruction
• associated with life, salvation, prosperity, wisdom, and justice

Similarly to the Genesis 1 creation story, this light was separate from the luminaries in the sky.

After the three days were over, we can imagine that the light of the sun, moon, and stars came back. Similarly, after the death of Jesus Christ the Light on Good Friday, there were three days of physical and spiritual darkness, followed by the resurrection of the Light on Easter. It is this Light which shines on us all, so that we should believe in His death and resurrection, and thus consider ourselves dead to the darkness of the Kingdom of Sin and alive unto God (Romans 6).

Pharaoh’s Response

Exodus 10:24 - “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.”

Perhaps Pharaoh was aware of Egypt’s past, where in Genesis 50, we read that the little children, flocks and heards stayed behind in Egypt during Jacob’s burial procession. Pharaoh likely requested this in order to keep Israel tied to Egypt, so that they would return after serving the Lord in the desert.

Exodus 10:25-26 - “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.”

Moses’s response seems purposely provocative. Pharaoh does not want to let the people go, and he is trying to hold on to every last bit of power that he can. Yet Moses does not just say that the Israelites will leave with all of their children, flocks, and herds - he also asks Pharaoh to give them flocks and herds from Egypt for their sacrifices to the Lord!

Exodus 10:27-28 - “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.”

“hardened” = chazaq [2388]

• To be strong
• Strengthened (resolve)
• When I do see it and power through (courage)

The Lord gave Pharaoh courage to act on his desire, and again Pharaoh’s pride took over - he would not let the people go. His response still reads as more severe this time than in the past plagues. It is likely that there is a deeper meaning to this phrase, “see my face”, that we will explain later.

Exodus 10:29 - “And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.”

Let’s add these two plagues to our table:

References:

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. The BEMA Podcast, Episode 19: A Strengthened Heart
3. The Meaning of the Ten Plagues and the Egyptian gods they Defeated
4. The Exodus You Almost Passed over, by Rabbi David Fohrman (2021)
5. hardened = chazaq