Exodus 10 – Locusts, Darkness, and the Coming Fall of Egypt
In Exodus 10, God intensifies His judgments with devastating locusts and thick darkness. These plagues dismantle Egypt’s pride and call Pharaoh—and the nations—to recognize the God of Israel. Yet Pharaoh’s heart still resists.
Devastation Falls—But Mercy Still Knocks
In this chapter, the judgments begin to feel final. Egypt’s economy, environment, and very sense of light and life are shattered. God reveals the reason behind the plagues, offers Pharaoh more chances to repent, and begins to break even the will of his own court. The end is near—but the call to surrender still stands.
✔ God reveals the purpose of the plagues.
✔ Locusts devour the land.
✔ Darkness covers Egypt.
✔ Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened.
📖 Key Verse: “That thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son… what things I have wrought in Egypt… that ye may know how that I am the LORD.” – Exodus 10:2
🔎 God wants His power known—not just by Pharaoh, but by every generation.
Exodus Chapter 10 Overview
Exodus 10:1–11 – A Warning and a Negotiation
📖 Exodus 10:1–2 – “That I might shew these my signs… and that ye may tell your sons…”
🔎 These verses reveal one of God’s greatest motivations for the plagues—legacy.
🔹 God is not just confronting Pharaoh—He’s building testimony for future generations.
🔹 The purpose is multi-layered: to humble Egypt, to deliver Israel, and to leave a record of divine power that will echo throughout history.
🔹 “That ye may know…” – Knowledge of God through experience becomes a foundation of generational faith (see Psalm 78:4-7).
➡️ Spiritual Insight: What God does in your life isn’t only for you—it’s for those who come after you.
📖 Exodus 10:3–4 – “How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?… I will bring the locusts.”
🔎 This is the first time God directly connects the plagues to Pharaoh’s lack of humility.
🔹 Pharaoh’s resistance is now seen as pride against God Himself.
🔹 The question “How long?” shows that time is running out. God’s patience is long—but not endless.
🔹 Locusts are more than a natural disaster—they are a symbol of divine discipline (see Joel 1–2).
➡️ Prophetic Parallel: Pride is always a prelude to judgment. God confronts it directly (Proverbs 16:18).
📖 Exodus 10:7 – “Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?”
🔎 A shocking shift—Pharaoh’s own advisors turn against him.
🔹 Egypt’s leadership begins to fracture. Even hardened pagans recognize that resisting God is costing them everything.
🔹 This verse shows that the truth is breaking through, even if Pharaoh won’t admit it.
🔹 God is not only judging Pharaoh—He’s revealing Himself to everyone around him.
➡️ Spiritual Warning: When even the ungodly begin to acknowledge truth and we still resist, we’re walking toward destruction with eyes wide open.
📖 Exodus 10:8–11 – “Go, serve the LORD… but who are they that shall go?”
🔎 Pharaoh’s negotiation reveals his true fear: loss of control.
🔹 He wants to limit the exodus—only the men can go. Worship is fine, as long as Pharaoh still sets the terms.
🔹 Moses’ answer is bold and uncompromising: “We will go with our young and with our old… with our flocks and with our herds.”
🔹 True worship involves the whole person, the whole family, the whole offering.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: The enemy will always offer partial obedience as a trap. But God never accepts halfway surrender.
📖 Exodus 10:11 – “So they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.”
🔎 Pharaoh’s anger boils—not from Moses’ demands, but from his own loss of authority.
🔹 Moses won’t compromise, so Pharaoh shuts down the conversation.
🔹 But as we’ll see—the real conversation isn’t over. God will speak again.
➡️ Devotional Thought: When the world rejects your obedience, don’t step back—stand firm. God is still speaking.
Exodus 10:12–20 – The Locusts Consume Everything
📖 Exodus 10:12–13 – “Stretch out thine hand… and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day… and the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt.”
🔎 The plague begins with God’s command and control over the wind:
🔹 The east wind in Scripture often brings judgment (Hosea 13:15, Jonah 4:8).
🔹 This wind doesn’t just bring insects—it delivers a wave of destruction sent by God’s own breath.
🔹 Egypt once boasted about controlling nature through magic and gods. Now, nature obeys God’s voice alone.
➡️ Spiritual Insight: The winds that bring ruin are not chaotic—they’re sent with precision by the Judge of all the earth.
📖 Exodus 10:14–15 – “They were very grievous… they did eat every herb of the land… and there remained not any green thing.”
🔎 This is total ecological collapse:
🔹 The hail left a few crops—now the locusts finish the ruin. Egypt’s food supply is annihilated.
🔹 Locusts represent a devouring judgment—in both Old and New Testaments (Joel 1:4, Revelation 9:3).
🔹 This is not just economic destruction—it’s psychological despair. The land is stripped bare.
➡️ Prophetic Pattern: What judgment doesn’t crush, it often devours next—especially when pride refuses to yield.
📖 Exodus 10:16–17 – “I have sinned… forgive… and take away from me this death only.”
🔎 Pharaoh’s heart speaks again—but it’s still self-focused:
🔹 He admits sin, but only to escape discomfort.
🔹 His plea is selective: “take away this death”—not, “change my heart”.
🔹 It’s not true repentance—it’s damage control.
➡️ Warning: Saying “I’ve sinned” is not enough if it doesn’t lead to transformation and surrender.
📖 Exodus 10:18–19 – “The LORD turned a mighty strong west wind… and cast the locusts into the Red sea.”
🔎 God’s mercy is swift and supernatural:
🔹 A second wind removes the plague completely—no human effort involved.
🔹 The Red Sea appears here as a foreshadowing—it will become the burial place of Egypt’s pride and power in Exodus 14.
🔹 God shows He can start and stop judgment in an instant.
➡️ Spiritual Application: God controls both the storm and the silence. He remembers mercy even in wrath.
📖 Exodus 10:20 – “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart…”
🔎 The cycle continues—relief without repentance leads to greater rebellion:
🔹 Pharaoh’s heart is beyond feeling—truth no longer moves him.
🔹 Each act of mercy becomes an opportunity to double down in pride.
🔹 This is a terrifying moment: Pharaoh resists not because he isn’t warned, but because he chooses darkness over light.
➡️ Prophetic Echo: Just like the wicked in Revelation 16:9, who experience judgment “yet repented not”—some hearts grow harder under mercy.
Exodus 10:21–29 – Darkness That Can Be Felt
📖 Exodus 10:21 – “Stretch out thine hand… that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”
🔎 This plague is spiritual and symbolic, not just environmental:
🔹 The phrase “darkness which may be felt” indicates a supernatural oppression—a heaviness that paralyzed the nation.
🔹 Egypt worshiped Ra, the sun god. This plague is a direct assault on their supreme deity.
🔹 Light—the symbol of order, clarity, and life—is completely withdrawn.
➡️ Prophetic Insight: When a nation rejects light, God may eventually remove it altogether (John 12:35–36).
📖 Exodus 10:22–23 – “There was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt… but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.”
🔎 The contrast is stunning:
🔹 Egypt sits in utter darkness for three days—a symbol of separation, judgment, and spiritual blindness.
🔹 Meanwhile, Israel enjoys light in their homes—not natural light, but divinely sustained.
🔹 This marks God’s people as set apart, even as the world around them plunges into confusion.
➡️ Prophetic Parallel: In the last days, darkness will cover the earth (Isaiah 60:2), but God’s people will shine with spiritual clarity and heavenly light.
📖 Exodus 10:24 – “Go ye, serve the LORD… only let your flocks and your herds be stayed.”
🔎 Pharaoh’s final compromise is denying their sacrifice:
🔹 He’s willing to let the people go—but not their offering.
🔹 True worship always requires sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
🔹 Pharaoh wants a worship without cost, a relationship without surrender.
➡️ Spiritual Warning: The enemy is content with us being religious—as long as it costs us nothing.
📖 Exodus 10:25–26 – “We know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither.”
🔎 Moses stands firm:
🔹 He refuses to limit what belongs to God. Every part of their life—including their possessions—must be yielded.
🔹 This is not stubbornness—it’s faith-filled obedience.
🔹 Moses says: “We don’t even know what He’ll require—but we’re bringing it all.”
➡️ Devotional Insight: Real obedience means bringing everything to the altar, even before we know what God will ask.
📖 Exodus 10:27–29 – “Pharaoh said… see my face no more… and Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.”
🔎 This is the end of Pharaoh’s chances:
🔹 Pharaoh cuts off the conversation—but Moses delivers a chilling prophecy.
🔹 The man who once had power to kill now loses access to God’s prophet.
🔹 When truth is rejected for too long, the messenger goes silent (see Amos 8:11).
➡️ Final Warning: The worst judgment is not the plague—but when God stops speaking.
Exodus Chapter 10 - Deeper Study
Overview: God Revealed, Egypt Ruined
🔹 Timeframe: The final warnings before the death of the firstborn.
🔹 Setting: Egypt’s devastated fields, darkened skies, and trembling court.
🔹 Theme: God’s power will be known—through surrender or through judgment.
Key Takeaways
🔑 Judgment is for revelation—not revenge.
🔑 Partial obedience is still rebellion.
🔑 Spiritual darkness often follows refusal to repent.
🔑 God preserves His people even in the darkest hour.
🔑 Rejection of truth leads to silence from God’s messengers.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 Darkness that can be felt – Foreshadows the 5th bowl judgment (Revelation 16:10) where darkness falls on the beast’s kingdom.
🔮 Locusts – Mirrors Revelation 9, where demonic locusts torment the unsealed.
🔮 Generational testimony – God’s mighty acts are meant to be remembered and retold (Psalm 78:4–7)
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 Egypt’s economy – Based on agriculture and light. Locusts and darkness strike at the core of their civilization.
📜 Egyptian religion – Ra, the sun god, was supreme. The darkness reveals his utter powerlessness.
📜 Negotiated obedience – Common in ancient kingship—but God demands complete surrender.
💡 Final Reflection: Will You Serve God on His Terms—or Yours?
Each plague asks Pharaoh the same question—and asks us too:
📌 Will you let God rule every part of your life—or negotiate terms like Pharaoh?
📌 Are you living in light—or hiding in spiritual darkness?
📌 When judgment falls, will you harden your heart—or become a vessel of remembrance?
🚀 The time is coming when God’s messengers will speak no more. Choose the light while it still shines.
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
Exo 10:1 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:
Exo 10:2 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.
Exo 10:3 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.
Exo 10:4 Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:
Exo 10:5 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:
Exo 10:6 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.
Exo 10:7 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?
Exo 10:8 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?
Exo 10:9 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.
Exo 10:10 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 you.
Exo 10:11 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.
Exo 10:12 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.
Exo 10:13 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.
Exo 10:14 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 them shall be such.
Exo 10:15 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.
Exo 10:16 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
Exo 10:17 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 only.
Exo 10:18 And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.
Exo 10:19 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.
Exo 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
The Ninth Plague: Darkness
Exo 10:21 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.
Exo 10:22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:
Exo 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.
Exo 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.
Exo 10:25 And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.
Exo 10:26 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.
Exo 10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.
Exo 10:28 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.
Exo 10:29 And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.
Date Written
1446-1406 BC
Written By
Moses
Language
Hebrew
Verses
29