Exodus 10:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field,

NIV: They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.

NASB: And they will cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They will also eat the rest of what has survived—what is left to you from the hail—and they will eat every tree of yours which grows in the field.

CSB: They will cover the surface of the land so that no one will be able to see the land. They will eat the remainder left to you that escaped the hail; they will eat every tree you have growing in the fields.

NLT: They will cover the land so that you won’t be able to see the ground. They will devour what little is left of your crops after the hailstorm, including all the trees growing in the fields.

KJV: 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:

NKJV: And they shall cover the face of the earth, so that no one will be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of what is left, which remains to you from the hail, and they shall eat every tree which grows up for you out of the field.

Moses and Aaron have predicted a plague of locusts (Exodus 10:4) if Pharaoh refuses to free the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 10:3). Locusts are a form taken on by grasshoppers under certain conditions. Compared to typical grasshoppers, locusts are more aggressive, hungrier, and driven to gather close to each other. When their numbers rise, locust swarms can ruin crops by quickly eating everything before flying away to do the same thing again.

The plague threatened on Egypt is epic: worse than anything ever seen before (Exodus 10:6). The nation has already been devastated by a hailstorm that crushed crops and destroyed trees (Exodus 9:24–25). Everything that recovered from hailstones will be eaten by swarming insects. There will be so many locusts that a person won't be able to see the ground. Fields and houses will be completely overrun.

Ancient people knew well what locusts could do. Pharaoh's advisors will react to this threat by begging their king to negotiate with Moses (Exodus 10:7).

Exodus 10:1–11 sets up the eighth of ten plagues which God has sent to prove His power to all generations. Moses once again delivers the Lord's command that Egypt release the Hebrew slaves. But Pharaoh is even more stubborn than usual, as God's punishment for his constant disobedience. By now, even Pharaoh's advisors recognize the power they are facing. They encourage negotiation. Pharaoh agrees to let only the male Hebrews leave for worship—then sends Moses away when this is not accepted.

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.