1God threateneth to send locusts. 7Pharaoh at the urgent entreaty of his servants is inclined to let the Israelites go, but at length refuseth. 12The plague of locusts. 16Pharaoh again entreateth Moses, getteth them removed, and is hardened. 21The plague of darkness. 24Pharaoh entreateth Moses again, 27but still is hardened.
1AND the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: fora I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants, that I might shew these my signs 1before him:
a Exod. 4:21; 9:34.
1 That is, of his kingdom, or, of him, that is, before them. Other, before him.
2And 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.
3And 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.
4Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy 2coast:
2 That is, land, kingdom.
5And they shall cover 3the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat 4the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat 5every tree which groweth for you out of the field:
3 Hebr. the eye; that is, all the land, which at other times lies open to the view of the beholder.
4 Namely, the wheat and spelt, as Exod. 9:32.
5 That is, all the fruits and leaves of the trees.
6And 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.
7And 6Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be 7a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed8?
6 Namely, the nobles, the great ones, the courtiers, and the counselors.
7 That is, a destruction, namely, by these many plagues he brings upon us.
8 Understand additionally: unless thou dismisseth them speedily.
8And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but 9who are they that shall go?
9 Here Pharaoh limits his word already, allowing not all but some only to go whom he would have named and specified unto him.
9And 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 10we must hold a feast unto the LORD.
10 On which we shall have occasion to slay some cattle.
10And he said unto them, 11Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; 12for evil is before you.
11 He wants to say, I shall by no means let you go with your children.
12 He wants to say, Take heed, lest some mischief and disaster befall you, if you do not forbear to be thus troublesome unto me.
11Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that 13ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.
13 This king is not ashamed to lie, or to pervert the words of Moses and Aaron.
12¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt 14for 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.
14 The sense is: in order that the locusts may come up upon, etc.
13And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought 15an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east windb brought the locusts.
15 Which blows very fiercely in these parts, so that great ships are often broken by it. See Exod. 14:21; Num. 11:31; Psalm 48:7.
b Psalm 78:46; 105:34, 35.
14And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in 16all the coastsc of Egypt: 17very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.
16 That is, in the entire land, in all the parts and quarters thereof.
c borders, region, country
17 In regard of the vast multitude, (for they covered the earth) and the excessive damage which they did.
15For they covered 18the 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.
18 See verse 5.
16¶Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned 19against the LORD your God, and against you.
19 Namely, against the Lord by my disobedience, and against you, by my last uncivil dismissing and expelling of you.
17Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin 20only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me 21this death only.
20 As if he would say: If ever I trespass again in this kind, pray no more for me.
21 This death, that is, this deadly plague which consumes and destroys all, and will make us to famish and perish utterly; so it is said in 2 Kings 4:40: there is death in the pot, that is, deadly herbs.
18And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the LORD.
19And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and 22cast them into the 23Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.
22 Hebr. fastened them, or, secured them; that is, God did cast and confine them there as such that they had to remain there without being able to get out.
23 In this same sea Pharaoh himself was drowned afterwards, Exodus 14.
20But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.
21¶And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even 24darkness which may be felt.
24 That is, the air, which shall be so thick that it shall exclude any light whatsoever.
22And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there wasd a 25thick darkness in all the land of Egypt 26three days:
d Psalm 105:27, 28.
25 Hebr. obscurity of darkness.
26 Moses could well tell how long this darkness lasted, in regard that the daylight held its ordinary course still among the Israelites, as follows in verse 23.
2327They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel 28had light 29in their dwellings.
27 Hebr. They saw not the man his brother; there was no light of the sun, moon or the stars.
28 Namely, in the time of day when it used otherwise to be light.
29 Understand this only of the land of Goshen; or likewise, as some conjecture, of all the places where the Israelites dwelled.
24 ¶ 30And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: 31let your little ones also go with you.
30 Namely, when the three days of darkness was past.
31 Understand hereby the women also, of whose help and attendance the little ones could not be without.
25And Moses said, Thou must 32give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God.
32 That is, give way to take along with us.
26Our 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 33with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither.
33 What sort and number of cattle we shall be ordered to sacrifice to our God.
27¶But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go.
28And 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 34shalt die.
34 That is, I will be your death, or cause thee to be put to death.
29And Moses said, 35Thou hast spoken well, Ie will see thy face again no more.
35 This is no testimony which Pharaoh spoke well and righteously, but Moses gives him to understand thereby that it would happen as Pharaoh had said, as touching his return and seeing his face, since Moses knew what God had determined over Pharaoh.
e Heb. 11:27.