Exodus 10

The LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these my signs among them;

and that you may tell in the hearing of your son, and of your son’s son, what things I have done to Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that you may know that I am the LORD.”

Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,

and they shall cover the surface of the earth, so that one won’t be able to see the earth. They shall eat the residue of that which has escaped, which remains to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which grows for you out of the field.

Your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your fathers’ fathers have seen, since the day that they were on the earth to this day.’” He turned, and went out from Pharaoh.

Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD, their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is destroyed?”

Moses and Aaron were brought again to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God; but who are those who will go?”

Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds; for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”

He said to them, “The LORD be with you if I let you go with your little ones! See, evil is clearly before your faces.

Not so! Go now you who are men, and serve the LORD; for that is what you desire!” Then they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.”

Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

The locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the borders of Egypt. They were very grievous. Before them there were no such locusts as they, nor will there ever be again.

For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

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 please forgive my sin again, and pray to the LORD your God, that he may also take away from me this death.”

Moses went out from Pharaoh, and prayed to the LORD.

The LORD sent an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the borders of Egypt.

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go.

The LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”

Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

They didn’t see one another, and nobody rose from his place for three days; but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

Pharaoh called to Moses, and said, “Go, serve the LORD. Only let your flocks and your herds stay behind. Let your little ones also go with you.”

Moses said, “You must also give into our hand sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

Our livestock also shall go with us. Not a hoof shall be left behind, for of it we must take to serve the LORD our God; and we don’t know with what we must serve the LORD, until we come there.”

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he wouldn’t let them go.

Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”

Moses said, “You have spoken well. I will see your face again no more.”

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter records the eighth and ninth plagues on Egypt—locusts and darkness—sent by the LORD to compel Pharaoh to release Israel. These judgments intensify both the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh and the demonstration of divine sovereignty. The chapter underscores that God’s actions are intended to reveal His identity and power, not only to Egyptians but especially to Israel across generations.

Flow.

The LORD instructs Moses to confront Pharaoh, revealing that He has hardened Pharaoh’s heart so His signs may be fully displayed.
Moses and Aaron demand the complete departure of Israel, including all people and livestock, but Pharaoh resists, first offering partial concession—only the men may go—then attempting compromise by allowing the children to leave but not the flocks.
After the plague of locusts devours what remained after the hail, Pharaoh briefly relents, confesses sin, and pleads for relief, yet remains hardened after deliverance.
The plague of darkness, oppressive and tangible, strikes Egypt for three days while Israel remains in light, yet still Pharaoh refuses full obedience, leading to a final, defiant break between Moses and Pharaoh.

Connections.
Following chapter 9, where the seventh plague (hail) underscored the distinction between Egypt and Israel and Pharaoh’s fleeting repentance, chapter 10 escalates both judgment and confrontation. The refusal to let Israel go with their flocks points forward to the central issue of worship, which chapter 11 will resolve in anticipation of the final plague and Israel’s departure. The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, mentioned repeatedly, prepares the reader for the climactic act of redemption in chapter 12, where the Passover reveals the full scope of God’s saving judgment.

What it teaches.
God sovereignly directs history to display His power and declare His name (WCF 3.7). The plagues are not random disasters but deliberate signs by which God reveals Himself to Israel and executes judgment on Egypt’s gods (Num. 33:4; cf. WCF 4.1). The distinction between Israel and Egyptians during the darkness confirms that God preserves His people in judgment (WCF 8.6). Pharaoh’s cyclical resistance, confession, and relapse illustrate the deceitfulness of sin, while God’s hardening actions uphold His justice in using sinful rebellion to fulfill His redemptive purposes (WCF 3.7; Rom. 9:17–18). True worship requires complete surrender—of persons, possessions, and future hopes (HC LD 32).

Apply.
The demand to leave Egypt with all they possessed shows that full obedience to God excludes nothing from His claim.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.