Then the Lord said to Moses: Go to Pharaoh, for I have made him and his servants obstinate in order that I may perform these signs of mine among them 2 and that you may recount to your son and grandson how I made a fool of the Egyptians and what signs I did among them, so that you may know that I am the Lord.
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go to serve me. 4 For if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your territory. 5 They will cover the surface of the earth, so that the earth itself will not be visible. They will eat up the remnant you saved undamaged from the hail, as well as all the trees that are growing in your fields. 6 They will fill your houses and the houses of your servants and of all the Egyptians—something your parents and your grandparents have not seen from the day they appeared on this soil until today.” With that he turned and left Pharaoh.
7 But Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long will he be a snare for us? Let the people go to serve the Lord, their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is being destroyed?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, who said to them, “Go, serve the Lord, your God. But who exactly will go?” 9 Moses answered, “With our young and old we must go; with our sons and daughters, with our flocks and herds we must go. It is a pilgrimage feast of the Lord for us.” 10 “The Lord help you,” Pharaoh replied, “if I let your little ones go with you! Clearly, you have some evil in mind. 11 By no means! Just you men go and serve the Lord. After all, that is what you have been asking for.” With that they were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 The Lord then said to Moses: Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come upon it and eat up all the land’s vegetation, whatever the hail has left. 13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord drove an east wind over the land all that day and all night. When it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 14 The locusts came up over the whole land of Egypt and settled down over all its territory. Never before had there been such a fierce swarm of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered the surface of the whole land, so that it became black. They ate up all the vegetation in the land and all the fruit of the trees the hail had spared. Nothing green was left on any tree or plant in the fields throughout the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord, your God, and against you. 17 But now, do forgive me my sin only this once, and pray to the Lord, your God, only to take this death from me.” 18 When Moses left Pharaoh, he prayed to the Lord, 19 and the Lord caused the wind to shift to a very strong west wind, which took up the locusts and hurled them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust remained within the whole territory of Egypt. 20 Yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
God commands Moses to confront Pharaoh with the impending judgment of the plague of locusts. God explicitly states His purpose in these plagues—to display His power, so that both the Israelites and Egyptians recognize His sovereignty and recount His deeds to future generations. Moses and Aaron deliver God's ultimatum to Pharaoh, warning of devastation if he refuses to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh’s officials plead with him to relent, but Pharaoh remains obstinate, granting permission only for the men to leave, thus rejecting God’s full demand.
In response, God brings an overwhelming swarm of locusts that consume all vegetation left after the previous plague of hail. This unprecedented devastation underscores God's supremacy over Egyptian agriculture and its associated deities, particularly Osiris, the god of crops and fertility. Pharaoh hurriedly summons Moses and Aaron, confesses his sin, and begs for the removal of the plague. After Moses intercedes, God sends a strong wind to drive the locusts into the Red Sea. Despite this, Pharaoh’s heart remains hardened, as God had foretold.
This plague directly confronts the Egyptian gods Osiris and Isis. Osiris was believed to be the deity over the fertility of crops so by sending locusts to destroy the remaining produce of Egypt, God demonstrates that the sustenance of life depends not on pagan gods but on Him alone. The goddess Isis was associated with protection and life and this plague revealed her impotence in the face of God's will. In Scripture, locusts symbolize divine judgment (Joel 2:25; Rev. 9:1-11).
God repeatedly demonstrates His mercy and patience by the many opportunities he gives Pharaoh to repent and obey. Despite Pharaoh’s hardened heart, God spares Egypt from total destruction, withholding judgment after Moses intercedes. Pharaoh’s refusal to fully obey God, even after acknowledging his sin (Ex. 10:16–17), reveals the depth of his hardness of heart. This obstinacy exemplifies humanity's rebellion against God, as seen in Psalm 95:8–9.
The deliverance from locusts through Moses' intercession prefigures Christ's role as the ultimate mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). However, Moses’ intercession brings temporary relief while Christ's intercession on the cross brings eternal redemption. Through Christ, the God who judged Egypt offers salvation to all who place their trust in Him.
Heavenly Father You revealed Your sovereignty and power in the midst of Egypt, showing that You alone are the Lord of all creation. Help us to trust in You, to turn from the hardness of our hearts, and to recognize Your saving work in our lives. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
Comments