Exodus 10:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.

NIV: Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

NASB: Then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, 'I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

CSB: Pharaoh urgently sent for Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

NLT: Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron. 'I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you,' he confessed.

KJV: Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.

NKJV: Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you.

Egypt's hard-headed Pharaoh (Exodus 5:2; 7:13–14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 35) only admits his sin twice. The first was regarding the plague of hail (Exodus 9:27). Here, faced with an epic swarm of locusts (Exodus 10:3–5), he admits guilt again. When Moses and Aaron first arrived, they had left no time for argument (Exodus 10:3–6). Pharaoh called them back to negotiate, only to order them out once again (Exodus 10:7–11). Now he brings them back in a panic.

This is the last time Pharaoh will take blame for anything. As with every confession or compromise in the past, this one is insincere. He only cares about stopping the damage. Once it is gone, he will resort back to his defiant hold on the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 1:11–14). All but one of these acts of stubbornness were his own choice (Exodus 9:12). After his dishonesty following the plague of hail (Exodus 9:34–35), he has lost the opportunity to truly repent (Exodus 4:21; 10:1–2). His life is now a living example of God's judgment on disobedience and sin.

Exodus 10:12–20 describes the eighth plague, an unimaginable cloud of locusts. These are grasshoppers which respond to weather patterns by spawning a generation of aggressive, hungry, fertile, insects who travel in close-packed swarms. This event is beyond anything ever seen before or since. Locusts completely cover the ground and eat every leaf, stem, and fruit which survived the plague of hail (Exodus 9:31–32). Pharaoh again begs for mercy, obtains it, and then goes back on his word to release the Israelites.

Moses warns Pharaoh that an eighth plague will come if the Hebrew slaves are not set free. This will be the worst locust invasion the nation will ever see. Pharaoh's advisors beg him to negotiate. He offers to release only Israelite men, which Moses rejects. The locust plague eradicates everything that survived the earlier hailstorm. Pharaoh pleads for relief, only to break his promise once again when the danger has passed. Next come three days of intense darkness. Pharaoh once again tries to arrange a partial release. When Moses refuses, Pharaoh threatens to kill him if he ever comes back.

Seven times, God has sent supernatural judgment against the nation of Egypt (Exodus 7—9). Each time, Pharaoh has refused to obey God's command to release the Israelite slaves. As a result, God will no longer give Pharaoh the ability to repent (Proverbs 29:1). Despite an epic, devastating locust invasion and three days of darkness, Pharaoh still refuses to submit. Rather, he threatens Moses with death. This will lead Moses to predict the last and worst of the ten plagues (Exodus 11). The tragic death of Egypt's firstborn during the Passover (Exodus 12) will finally lead to Israelite freedom.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.

Accessed 4/16/2025 9:04:58 AM