Exodus 10:4 · Bible study
Exodus 10:4 Commentary: Locusts and Divine Judgment
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Moses warns Pharaoh of a locust plague. This study examines the precise timing and the swarm as a display of God's absolute sovereignty over creation.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God warns Pharaoh that refusal will bring a locust swarm the next day, finishing what the hail left.
- Key words: arbeh (H0697), “multitudinous” locust; machar (H4279), “tomorrow”; ma’en (H3986), “refusing,” a participle indicating persistent resistance.
- Main debate: Timing relative to the hail, some suggest a gap for crops to regrow; most accept the immediate sequence.
- Theological theme: God’s sovereignty over creation and his patience in judgment.
- Best use: Teaching on the certainty of consequences, the mercy of warning, and God’s power to use small agents for great purposes.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,
KJV King James Version 1769
Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring locusts into thy border:
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
for if thou art refusing to send My people away, lo, I am bringing in to-morrow the locust into thy border,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, I will to-morrow bring locusts into thy borders;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
But if thou resist, and wilt not let them go, behold I will bring in to-morrow the locusts into thy coasts;
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y si aun rehusas dejarlo ir, he aquí que yo traeré mañana langosta en tus términos,
E se ainda recusas deixá-lo ir, eis que trarei amanhã gafanhotos em teu território,
Si tu refuses de laisser aller mon peuple, voici, je ferai venir demain des sauterelles dans toute l’ étendue de ton pays.
Weigerst du dich, mein Volk zu lassen, siehe, so will ich morgen Heuschrecken kommen lassen an allen Orten,
Want indien gij weigert Mijn volk te laten trekken, zie, zo zal Ik morgen sprinkhanen in uw landpale brengen.
Se tu rifiuti di lasciar andare il mio popolo, ecco, domani farò venire delle locuste in tutta l’estensione del tuo paese.
Bo jeźli nie będziesz chciał wypuścić ludu mego, oto ja przywiodę jutro szarańczę na granicę twoję,
а если ты не отпустишь народа Моего, то вот, завтра [в это самое время] Я наведу саранчу на [всю] твою область:
你 若 不肯 容 我的百姓 去，明天 我 要使蝗蟲 進 入你的境內，
For if you will not let my people go, tomorrow I will send locusts into your land:
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 10:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across Protestant traditions agree that this verse presents a direct, divinely orchestrated threat. The locusts are not a random natural disaster but God's chosen instrument. Barnes notes that the Hebrew word arbeh means “multitudinous,” pointing to the swarms that devastate entire regions. Calvin emphasizes that God “arms a host of vile insects” to humble the tyrant. Keil and Delitzsch draw attention to the phrase “the eye of the earth”, a poetic image behind the English “surface” that pictures the land looking up to man before the locusts cover it. The timing (machar, “tomorrow”) is deliberate: Moses sets a precise day, showing that the plague comes under God's command, not by chance. The refusal to release God's people triggers this judgment; the locusts will finish what the hail left, leaving nothing. This is divine judgment with warning, an invitation to repent.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The threat comes directly from God as a consequence of Pharaoh’s refusal to let Israel go, and the locusts are presented as a real, devastating swarm that will arrive on the next day.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the locust swarm | The locusts are a real, historical swarm sent by God as judgment. | Some emphasize the natural phenomenon (locusts common in the region); others stress the supernatural timing and scale (never before seen, announced ahead). |
| Timing of the plague after the hail | The locusts consume what the hail spared. | Gill cites Aben Ezra’s opinion that many days elapsed for crops to regrow; others (Calvin, Keil) see no necessary gap, since the locusts target what remained from the hail. |
| The 'tomorrow' as a sign | The specific timeline shows God’s control and gives Pharaoh opportunity to repent. | Some see the set time primarily as a test of faith (Barnes), while others view it as a demonstration of Moses’ prophetic authority (Calvin). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Locusts were well known across the ancient Near East but visited Egypt less frequently. The Hebrew word arbeh (H0697) is the most common of nine biblical terms for locust species, each describing a stage or characteristic. Travelers like Volney and Niebuhr describe swarms so dense they blot out the sun and strip every green thing. The Cambridge Bible notes that locusts typically arrived from the western deserts or, as with the east wind in Exodus 10:13, from Arabia. The “tomorrow” pattern links this plague with earlier signs: the plague of flies (Exodus 8:23) and the hail (Exodus 9:18) also had set times. This repetition underscores the prophet’s authority, Moses speaks God’s schedule, and nature obeys.
The locusts threaten to consume “the residue of that which is escaped” (v.5). After the hail destroyed the barley and flax, the wheat and spelt remained (Exodus 9:31, 32). Now even that last hope of food would vanish. The devastation reaches beyond crops: the insects fill houses, making them uninhabitable. Keil and Delitzsch observe that “the face of the earth” in Hebrew is literally “the eye of the earth,” a vivid image of the land’s vulnerability. For Egyptians, the Nile Valley’s fertility was life itself. A swarm that hides the ground and eats every plant struck at the country’s economic and religious identity, the god Isis was sometimes depicted as a locust, making this plague a direct challenge to Egyptian deities.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 10:4. The main issue is the rendering of gvul (H1366): translations vary between “coast,” “border,” “territory,” and “country.” All capture the idea of Egypt’s geographic boundaries.
Reception History
This verse has been read throughout church history as an example of God’s patient judgment. Early Christian writers noted how the locusts foreshadowed final judgment and the call to repent before it is too late. Calvin applied the passage spiritually, comparing the “fanatics” that arise when rulers oppose true worship to locusts sent by God. During the Reformation, the verse was used to argue that civil leaders who resist God invite national calamity. In modern preaching, the locust plague remains a vivid picture of how God’s sovereignty extends over even the smallest creatures, and how his warnings are both mercy and demand. The verse is part of the Exodus narrative read in Christian liturgy during Holy Week, connecting the liberation from Egypt to deliverance through Christ.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- God warns before he strikes. The “tomorrow” gives Pharaoh time to relent. Mercy accompanies judgment.
- Creation obeys its Maker. Insects that lack a king (Proverbs 30:27) become an army at God’s command.
- Refusal brings escalation. Each “no” raised the stakes. The locusts finish what the hail began, leaving no room for negotiation.
Five-Point Outline
- The threat is specific. Locusts, not flies or hail, a new form of scourge tailored to Egypt’s pride.
- The timing is precise. “Tomorrow” shows the God of Israel controls the calendar, not Pharaoh.
- The agent is unlikely. Tiny insects overpower the empire’s army. God uses the weak to shame the strong.
- The destruction is complete. What remains after the hail is now targeted. No garden, no house is safe.
- The invitation remains open. The verse is a conditional threat: “if you refuse.” Pharaoh could still choose humility.
Illustration Hooks
- A farmer watches a swarm of grasshoppers strip a field in hours. What took months to grow vanishes before lunch. That sudden, total loss mirrors the plague’s effect.
- A doctor gives a firm deadline: change your diet this week, or the next test will show irreversible damage. The warning is a gift, not a threat, but it demands a response.
- A local government issues an evacuation order with a specific time: “Leave by noon tomorrow.” Those who wait lose their chance. The precision forces a decision.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- Why does God give warning if he already knows Pharaoh will refuse?
- Do natural disasters today carry the same kind of divine message?
- How do I know when a difficult situation is a warning from God versus ordinary hardship?
Leading a Discussion
This verse hangs on a conditional threat. God does not hide his intentions. He states the consequence plainly before the plague lands. As a group, consider the weight of that warning, and what it reveals about the One who issues it.
Discussion Questions
- What does Pharaoh’s pattern of refusal teach about the human heart in positions of power?
- Why does God specify “tomorrow” rather than act immediately? What does that timing communicate about his character?
- What does the choice of locusts, a small insect, tell us about God’s methods?
- In what ways do we, like Pharaoh, resist God even after clear warnings?
- How does this passage challenge our view of God’s control over nature and history?
- Read Joel 1:4. How does the prophet use the locust imagery to call people to repentance?
- Where in your life right now might God be giving a clear “tomorrow” warning? How can your group help you respond?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 8:10 | Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Let it be according to your word, that you may know that there is no one like Yahweh our God. |
| Exodus 8:23 | I will put a division between my people and your people. This sign shall happen by tomorrow.”’” |
| Exodus 9:5 | Yahweh appointed a set time, saying, “Tomorrow Yahweh shall do this thing in the land.” |
| Exodus 9:18 | Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded even until now. |
| Exodus 11:4 | Moses said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘About midnight I will go out into the middle of Egypt, |
| Exodus 11:5 | and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of livestock. |
| Proverbs 30:27 | The locusts have no king, yet they advance in ranks. |
| Joel 1:4 | What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws attention to the Hebrew word for locust, arbeh, which comes from a root meaning to multiply or become great. He explains that the name itself highlights the insect's staggering reproductive power, making it a fitting symbol of overwhelming judgment. A traveler's account of entire landscapes stripped bare by locusts illustrates their terrifying force.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes points out that the most common Hebrew word for locust, "arbeh," literally means "multitudinous," a name that directly reflects the insect's devastating swarms. He notes that even in Egypt, where locusts are less common than in other eastern lands, they were well known and feared as the most terrible of scourges.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that God deliberately chooses the weakest possible agents—insects—to crush Pharaoh's pride, showing that no human power can withstand divine judgment. The locusts' sudden, unprecedented invasion, entering even the royal palaces, proves this was no natural event but a direct, personal strike from heaven.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that locusts, while common in Palestine, seldom visit Egypt. It cites travelers who observed swarms arriving from the southwest wind off the Libyan desert and, in one case, from the east, only to be driven back when the wind shifted.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
But if thou refuse to let my people go, beholde, to morowe will I bring grashoppers into thy coastes.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that the plague of locusts followed the hail immediately, not after a long interval for regrowth. He disagrees with those who argue many days were needed, because the locusts consumed only what the hail had already left standing.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses the concrete horror of the locusts by describing them as large, spotted red-and-black grasshoppers whose hind legs work like powerful springs. He emphasizes that these insects arrive in such countless numbers they darken the sky, stripping vegetation and bark within hours and leaving a desolation that takes years to repair.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight the phrase "cover the eye of the earth" as a distinctive Pentateuchal expression rooted in an ancient poetic idea: the earth with its plant-cover looks up to man. They argue that replacing "eye" with "surface" destroys this figure's real meaning, and that the swarms' horror lay in literally hiding the ground.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange distinguishes Pharaoh’s self-hardening from God’s subsequent judicial hardening. After the seventh plague, Pharaoh’s sentence was settled, and the later plagues completed his obduracy. Moses needed to know this in advance so the apparent failures would not discourage him, revealing Moses’ deep insight into God’s justice.