Exodus 10:18 Komentář

The eighth and ninth of the plagues of Egypt, that of locusts and that of darkness, are recorded in this chapter. I. Concerning the plague of locusts, 1. God instructs Moses in the meaning of these amazing dispensations of his providence (Exo 10:1, Exo 10:2). 2. He threatens the locusts (Exo 10:3-6). 3. Pharaoh, at the persuasion of his servants, is willing to treat again with Moses (Exo 10:7-9), but they cannot agree (Exo 10:10, Exo 10:11). 4. The locusts come (Exo 10:12-15). 5. Pharaoh cries Peccavi - I have offended (Exo 10:16, Exo 10:17), whereupon Moses prays for the removal of the plague, and it is done; but Pharaoh's heart is still hardened (Exo 10:18-20). II. Concerning the plague of darkness, 1. It is inflicted (Exo 10:21-23). 2. Pharaoh again treats with Moses about a surrender, but the treaty breaks off in a heat (Exo 10:26, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 10 This chapter is introduced with giving the reasons why the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, Exo 10:1. Moses and Aaron go in to him, and once more demanded in the name of the Lord the dismission of the people of Israel, and in case of refusal, threatened him with locusts being sent into his country, which should make terrible havoc in all his coasts, Exo 10:3, the servants of Pharaoh entreat him to let them go, upon which Moses and Aaron are brought in again, and treated with about the terms of their departure; but they, insisting upon taking all with them, men, women, and children, and flocks and herds, and Pharaoh not willing that any but men should go, they are drove from his presence in wrath, Exo 10:7 wherefore the locusts were brought on all the land, which made sad devastation in it, Exo 10:12, and this wrought on Pharaoh so far as to acknowledge his sin, pray for forgiveness, and to desire Moses and Aaron to entreat the Lord to remove the plague, which they did, and it was removed accordingly, but still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, Exo 10:16 then followed the plague of thick darkness over all the land for three days, which brought Pharaoh to yield that all should go with them excepting their flocks and herds; but Moses not only insisted that not a hoof should be left behind, but that Pharaoh should give them sacrifices and burnt offerings, Exo 10:21. Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he refused to comply, and Moses was bid to be gone, and take care never to see his face any more, and which Moses agreed to, Exo 10:27.

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. 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. Exodus 10:19 exo 10:19 exo 10:19 exo 10:19And 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" (u), 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 them into the Red sea; and as it is usual for locusts to be brought by winds, so to be carried away with them, and to be let fall into seas, lakes, and pools, and there perish. So Pliny says (w) of locusts, that being taken up and carried with the wind in flocks or swarms, they fell into seas and lakes; and Jerom observes (x) in his time, that they had seen swarms of locusts cover the land of Judea, which upon the wind rising have been driven into the first and last seas; that is, into the Dead sea, and into the Mediterranean sea; see Joe 2:20. This sea here called the Red sea is the same which is now called the Arabian gulf; in the original text it is the sea of Suph; that is, the sea of flags or rushes; as the word is rendered, Exo 2:3 from the great numbers of these growing on the banks of it, which are full of them, as Thevenot (y) says; or the "sea of weeds" (z), from the multitude of them in the bottom of it, or floating on it. So Columbus found in the Spanish West Indies, on the coast of Paria, a sea full of herbs, or weeds (a), which grew so thick, that they sometimes in a manner stopped the ships. Some render Yam Suph, the sea of bushes; and some late travellers (b) observe, that though, in the dreadful wilds along this lake, one sees neither tree, shrub, nor vegetable, except a kind of bramble, yet it is remarkable that they are found in the sea growing on its bottom, where we behold with astonishment whole groves of trees blossoming and bearing fruit, as if nature by these marine vegetables meant to compensate for the extreme sterility reigning in all the deserts of Arabia; and with this agrees the account that Pliny (c) gives of the Red sea, that in it olives and green fruit trees grow; yea, he says that that and all the Eastern ocean is full of woods; and adds, it is wonderful that in the Red sea woods live, especially the laurel, and the olive bearing berries. Hillerus (d) thinks this sea here has the name of the sea of Suph from a city of the same name near unto it. It is often called the Red sea in profane authors as here, not from the coral that grew in it, or the red sand at the bottom of it, or red mountains near it; though Thevenot (e) says, there are some mountains all over red on the sides of it; nor from the shade of those mountains upon it; nor from the appearance of it through the rays of the sun upon it; and much less from the natural colour of it; which, as Curtius (f) observes, does not differ from others; though a late traveller says (g), that"on several parts of this sea (the Red sea) we observed abundance of reddish spots made by a weed resembling "cargaco" (or Sargosso) rooted in the bottom, and floating in some places: upon strict examination, it proved to be that which we found the Ethiopians call Sufo (as here Suph), used up and down for dying their stuffs and clothes of a red colour,''but the Greeks called it so from Erythras or Erythrus, a king that reigned in those parts (h), whose name signifies red; and it is highly probable the same with Esau, who is called Edom, that is, red, from the red pottage he sold his birthright for to Jacob; and this sea washing his country, Idumea or Edom, was called the Red sea from thence; and here the locusts were cast by the wind, or "fixed" (i), as a tent is fixed, as the word signifies, and there continued, and never appeared more: there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt; so that the removal of them was as great a miracle as the bringing them at first: this was done about the nineth day of the month Abib. (u) "venture maris", Montanus, Drusius. (w) Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 29. (x) Comment. in Joel, ii. 20. (y) Travels into the Levant, B. 2. ch. 33. p. 175. (z) "in mare algosum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "in mare carectosum", Tigurine version. (a) P. Martyr. de Angleria, Decad. 1. l. 6. Vide Decad. 3. 5. (b) Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 2. p. 158. (c) Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 103. l. 13. c. 25. (d) Onomastic. Sacr. p. 128. (e) Ut supra. (Travels into the Levant, B. 2. ch. 33. p. 175.) (f) Hist. l. 8. sect. 9. (g) Hieronymo Lobo's Observations, &c. in Ray's Travels, vol. 2. p. 489. (h) Curtius ut supra. (Hist. l. 8. sect. 9.). Mela de Situ Orbis, l. 3. c. 8. Strabo, l. 16. p. 535, 536. (i) "et fixit eam", Montanus; so Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Ainsworth.

Moses is again sent to Pharaoh, and expostulates with him on his refusal to let the Hebrews go, Exo 10:1-3. The eighth plague, viz., of locusts, is threatened, Exo 10:4. The extent and oppressive nature of this plague, Exo 10:5, Exo 10:6. Pharaoh's servants counsel him to dismiss the Hebrews, Exo 10:7. He calls for Moses and Aaron, and inquires who they are of the Hebrews who wish to go, Exo 10:8. Moses having answered that the whole people, with their flocks and herds must go and hold a feast to the Lord, Exo 10:9, Pharaoh is enraged, and having granted permission only to the men, drives Moses and Aaron from his presence, Exo 10:10, Exo 10:11. Moses is commanded to stretch out his hand and bring the locusts, Exo 10:12. He does so, and an east wind is sent, which, blowing all that day and night, brings the locusts the next morning, Exo 10:13. The devastation occasioned by these insects, Exo 10:14, Exo 10:15. Pharaoh is humbled, acknowledges his sin, and begs Moses to intercede with Jehovah for him, Exo 10:16, Exo 10:17. Moses does so, and at his request a strong west wind is sent, which carries all the locusts to the Red Sea, Exo 10:18, Exo 10:19. Pharaoh's heart is again hardened, Exo 10:20. Moses is commanded to bring the ninth plague of extraordinary darkness over all the land of Egypt, Exo 10:21. The nature, duration, and effects of this, Exo 10:22, Exo 10:23. Pharaoh, again humbled, consents to let the people go, provided they leave their cattle behind, Exo 10:24. Moses insists on having all their cattle, because of the sacrifices which they must make to the Lord, Exo 10:25, Exo 10:26. Pharaoh, again hardened, refuses, Exo 10:27. Orders Moses from his presence, and threatens him with death should he ever return, Exo 10:28. Moses departs with the promise of returning no more, Exo 10:29.

PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS. (Exo. 10:1-20) show these my signs, &c.--Sinners even of the worst description are to be admonished even though there may be little hope of amendment, and hence those striking miracles that carried so clear and conclusive demonstration of the being and character of the true God were performed in lengthened series before Pharaoh to leave him without excuse when judgment should be finally executed.

The eighth plague; the Locusts. - Exo 10:1-6. As Pharaoh's pride still refused to bend to the will of God, Moses was directed to announce another, and in some respects a more fearful, plague. At the same time God strengthened Moses' faith, by telling him that the hardening of Pharaoh and his servants was decreed by Him, that these signs might be done among them, and that Israel might perceive by this to all generations that He was Jehovah (cf. Exo 7:3-5). We may learn from Ps 78 and 105 in what manner the Israelites narrated these signs to their children and children's children. אתת שׁית, to set or prepare signs (Exo 10:1), is interchanged with שׂוּם (Exo 10:2) in the same sense (vid., Exo 8:12). The suffix in בּקרבּו (Exo 10:1) refers to Egypt as a country; and that in בּם (Exo 10:2) to the Egyptians. In the expression, "thou mayest tell," Moses is addressed as the representative of the nation. התעלּל: to have to do with a person, generally in a bad sense, to do him harm (Sa1 31:4). "How I have put forth My might" (De Wette).

To show the hardened king the greatness of the divine long-suffering, Moses prayed to the Lord, and the Lord cast the locusts into the Red Sea by a strong west wind. The expression "Jehovah turned a very strong west wind" is a concise form, for "Jehovah turned the wind into a very strong west wind." The fact that locusts do perish in the sea is attested by many authorities. Gregatim sublatae vento in maria aut stagna decidunt (Pliny); many others are given by Bochart and Volney. ויּתקעהוּ: He thrust them, i.e., drove them with irresistible force, into the Red Sea. The Red Sea is called סוּף ים, according to the ordinary supposition, on account of the quantity of sea-weed which floats upon the water and lies upon the shore; but Knobel traces the name to a town which formerly stood at the head of the gulf, and derived its name from the weed, and supports his opinion by the omission of the article before Suph, though without being able to prove that any such town really existed in the earlier times of the Pharaohs.