Chapter 10
The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness
God sends locusts and darkness as the final plagues
"If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the fac…"
Exodus 10:4
Chapter Overview
Exodus chapter 10, "The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness," stands at the heart of the unfolding story of God's redemptive purposes in history. God sends locusts and darkness as the final plagues. Here the reader encounters not merely ancient history or religious instruction, but the living word of a God who speaks with purpose — weaving themes of locusts and darkness into a narrative that addresses both its original audience and every generation since.
If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven.' The narrative structure of this chapter is carefully constructed to highlight both the immediacy of God's action and the ongoing implications for his covenant people. Every detail — who speaks, who acts, what is said, what is withheld — is loaded with theological intention.
The theme of locusts is not incidental here — it is the load-bearing pillar of the chapter's argument or story. Alongside it, darkness operates as a clarifying lens, sharpening the reader's understanding of what God is accomplishing and why it matters beyond the immediate circumstances.
Looking across the wider biblical landscape, Exodus 10 does not stand alone. The interplay between locusts and hand appears at critical junctures throughout Scripture — moments when God reshapes his people's self-understanding and renews his covenant claims on their lives. This chapter is precisely such a moment: a turning point where the reader is invited to see with fresh eyes what it means to be formed and held by God.
Chapter Outline
Setting the Scene: Locusts
vv. 1–7This section of Exodus 10 focuses on locusts — opening the reader to a fresh encounter with this truth.
The Action Unfolds: Darkness
vv. 8–14This section of Exodus 10 focuses on darkness — pressing the implications into concrete human experience.
Turning Point: Refusal
vv. 15–21This section of Exodus 10 focuses on refusal — revealing the divine perspective behind the human events.
Consequence and Response: Hand
vv. 22–30This section of Exodus 10 focuses on hand — showing how this theme reshapes the community of faith.
Key Verses
"If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land."
Exodus 10:4
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven.'"
Exodus 10:21
"See Exodus 10:29 — this verse stands as a key anchor of Exodus chapter 10's central teaching."
Exodus 10:29
Scripture Passage
If you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven.'
Sequence of Events
The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness: Locusts
This moment in Exodus 10 marks a turning point in the locusts dimension of the narrative — consequences unfold from here that shape everything that follows in the book and beyond.
The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness: Darkness
This moment in Exodus 10 marks a turning point in the darkness dimension of the narrative — consequences unfold from here that shape everything that follows in the book and beyond.
The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness: Refusal
This moment in Exodus 10 marks a turning point in the refusal dimension of the narrative — consequences unfold from here that shape everything that follows in the book and beyond.
The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness: Hand
This moment in Exodus 10 marks a turning point in the hand dimension of the narrative — consequences unfold from here that shape everything that follows in the book and beyond.
Study Notes
Locusts in Exodus 10: God sends locusts and darkness as the final plagues (see Exodus 10:4). This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand locusts in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Darkness in Exodus 10: God sends locusts and darkness as the final plagues (see Exodus 10:21). This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand darkness in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Refusal in Exodus 10: God sends locusts and darkness as the final plagues (see Exodus 10:29). This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand refusal in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Hand in Exodus 10: God sends locusts and darkness as the final plagues. This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand hand in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Life Application
In the light of locusts in Exodus 10: ask how you are actively engaging with this theme in your own life — not as a distant theological concept, but as a living reality that shapes your decisions, relationships, and worship today.
In the light of darkness in Exodus 10: ask how you are actively engaging with this theme in your own life — not as a distant theological concept, but as a living reality that shapes your decisions, relationships, and worship today.
In the light of refusal in Exodus 10: ask how you are actively engaging with this theme in your own life — not as a distant theological concept, but as a living reality that shapes your decisions, relationships, and worship today.
Reflection Questions
What specific aspect of "The Plagues: Locusts and Darkness" in Exodus 10 challenges or confirms your current understanding of God?
How does the theme of locusts in this chapter connect to your own experience of faith — where have you seen or struggled with this theme in your own life?
In what ways do locusts and darkness work together in this passage, and what does that relationship reveal about God's purposes?
If the original audience of Exodus heard this chapter in their historical context, what would have been their most immediate reaction — and what can that response teach us about how we should receive these words today?
Cross-References
Your word is a lamp to my feet
All Scripture is God-breathed and useful
The word of God is living and active