Exodus 10:12-19

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 10:12-20

Here is, I. The invasion of the land by the locusts?God's great army, Joel 2:11. God bids Moses stretch out his hand (Exod. 10:12), to beckon them, as it wee (for they came at a call), and he stretched forth his rod, Exod. 10:13. Compare Exod. 9:22, 23. Moses ascribes it to the stretching out, not of his own hand, but the rod of God, the instituted sign of God's presence with him. The locusts obey the summons, and fly upon the wings of the wind, the east wind, and caterpillars without number,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:12

And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt ,.... First one way, and then another, towards every quarter, and every part of the land, to signify that the following plague would come upon the whole land: for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt ; the stretching out of his hand was to be the signal to them to come up and spread themselves over the land, which was brought about by the mighty power of God; for otherwise there was no such... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:13

And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt ,.... His hand, with his rod in it: and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land , all that day and all that night; all that day after he had been driven from Pharaoh, and after he had stretched out his hand with his rod in it over Egypt, which was the seventh of the month Abib, and all the night following. This Jehovah did, who holds the winds in his fist, and brings them out of his treasures, whose will they obey, and whose... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:14

And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt ,.... Being raised up by the wind in the places where they were generated, they flew and spread themselves all over the land, being in a wonderful manner produced and multiplied by the power of God: and rested in all the coasts of Egypt ; in every part of it where the Egyptians dwelt, and where there were meadows, pastures, fields, gardens, orchards; here they lighted and fed, excepting the land of Goshen, where Israel dwelt, which must... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:15

For they covered the face of the whole earth ,.... Of the whole land of Egypt; and this seems to be the instance in which these locusts differed from all others, that had been or would be, even in their numbers; for though there might have been before, and have been since, such vast numbers of them together as to darken the air and the sun, and by lighting first on one spot, and then on another, have destroyed whole countries; yet never was such an instance known as this, as that they should... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:16

Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste ,.... Or, "hastened to call them" F20 וימהר־לקרא "et festinavit ad vocandum", Montanus; "festinavit accersere", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; sent messengers in all haste to fetch them, and desire them to come as soon as possible to him. Thus he who a few hours ago drove them from his presence, in a hurry, sends for them to come to him with all speed, which the present circumstances he was in required: and he said to Moses... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:17

Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin, only this once ,.... Pretending that he would never offend any more, and if he did, he did not desire it should be forgiven him, but that due punishment should be inflicted on him. These words are directed to Moses, he being the principal person that came to him with a commission from the Lord, and who was made a god to Pharaoh; and therefore he does not ask forgiveness of the Lord, but of Moses: and entreat the Lord your God, that he may take... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:18

And he went out from Pharaoh ,.... Without the city, as he had been wont to do: and entreated the Lord; prayed to him that he would remove the plague of the locusts from the land. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 10:19

And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind ,.... He turned the wind the contrary way it before blew; it was an east wind that brought the locusts, but now it was changed into a west wind, or "a wind of the sea" F21 רוח ים "venture maris", Montanus, Drusius. , of the Mediterranean sea; a wind which blew from thence, which lay to the west of Egypt, as the Red sea did to the east of it, to which the locusts were carried by the wind as follows: which took away the locusts, and cast... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 10:13

The Lord brought an east wind - As locusts abounded in those countries, and particularly in Ethiopia, and more especially at this time of the year, God had no need to create new swarms for this purpose; all that was requisite was to cause such a wind to blow as would bring those which already existed over the land of Egypt. The miracle in this business was the bringing the locusts at the appointed time, and causing the proper wind to blow for that purpose; and then taking them away after a... read more

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