The Eighth Plague: Locusts
Exodus 10:1-20
Exo.10.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- הכבדתי: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,_,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לבו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואת: CONJ
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- למען: PREP
- שתי: NUM,card,f,du
- אתתי: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- בקרבו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRS,3,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 4:21 (verbal): Same divine formula — God tells Moses He will harden Pharaoh’s heart (וְאֶכְבְּדָה אֶת־לִבּוֹ) to bring about the display of God’s acts.
- Exodus 7:3 (verbal): Earlier statement of the same purpose: God will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply signs and wonders in Egypt (hardening linked to the demonstration of signs).
- Exodus 9:12 (verbal): Narrative repetition: after plagues God is said to have hardened Pharaoh’s heart, continuing the motif of divine hardening within the Exodus account.
- Deuteronomy 2:30 (thematic): Parallel theological motif — God is described as hardening an enemy ruler’s spirit (Sihon) so that he would be delivered into Israel’s hand, showing hardening as sovereign action to achieve deliverance/judgment.
- Romans 9:17–18 (quotation): Paul explicitly cites the Pharaoh episode (God raising Pharaoh up and hardening him) to argue that God sovereignly shows mercy and hardens whom he wills — New Testament theological use of Exodus’ hardening motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh, for I have made heavy his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may set these my signs in their midst.
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Go to Pharaoh, for I have made heavy his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may set these my signs in his midst,
Exo.10.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולמען: CONJ+PREP
- תספר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- בנך: NOUN,m,sg,cstr+poss,2,m,sg
- ובן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנך: NOUN,m,sg,cstr+poss,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- התעללתי: VERB,hit,perf,1,?,sg
- במצרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- אתתי: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שמתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- וידעתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אני: PRON,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 12:26–27 (verbal): Direct instruction regarding children asking about the Passover—parents are told to explain the Exodus so their children will know why the LORD acted on Israel’s behalf.
- Exodus 13:8,14 (verbal): Explicit command to tell your son on that day about what the LORD did in bringing Israel out of Egypt; closely parallels the motive of recounting God’s mighty acts to the next generation.
- Deuteronomy 6:20–25 (structural): Prescribes the question-and-answer pattern parents should use when children ask about God’s deeds and commandments, linking remembrance of deliverance to instruction and obedience.
- Psalm 78:4–7 (thematic): A didactic exhortation to recount God’s works to future generations so they might set their hope in God and keep his commandments—same purpose as Exod.10:2.
- Joshua 4:6–7 (thematic): Uses a memorial (stones) so that children will ask and elders can tell of God’s saving act (the Jordan crossing), paralleling the use of narrative memories to teach posterity about divine action.
Alternative generated candidates
- And in order that you may tell in the ears of your son and your son’s son how I dealt harshly with Egypt, and my signs that I set among them, and you shall know that I am YHWH.
- and in order that you may recount in the ears of your son and your son’s son how I dealt severely with Egypt, and my signs that I placed among them, so that you will know that I am YHWH.'
Exo.10.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואהרן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- העברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- עד: PREP
- מתי: ADV,int
- מאנת: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לענת: VERB,qal,inf
- מפני: PREP
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- ויעבדני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,obj1
Parallels
- Exodus 5:1 (verbal): Moses and Aaron again confront Pharaoh with the identical formula 'Thus says the LORD... Let my people go'—same speakers and demand, establishing a recurring summons.
- Exodus 7:16 (verbal): An earlier proclamation to Pharaoh uses the same opening ('The LORD God of the Hebrews... Let my people go'), showing the repeated, formulaic nature of the divine demand during the plague series.
- Exodus 9:1 (verbal): Contains the near-verbatim rebuke 'How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me?'—a repeated challenge to Pharaoh's obstinacy appearing across the plague narratives.
- Psalm 2:1–3 (thematic): Portrays earthly rulers conspiring and resisting God's purposes; thematically parallels Pharaoh's refusal to submit to God's command to release and serve His people.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said to him, Thus says YHWH, the God of the Hebrews: How long have you refused to humble yourself before me? Send my people, that they may serve me.
- And Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, 'Thus says YHWH, the God of the Hebrews: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Send my people, that they may serve me.
Exo.10.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- מאן: PRON,interrog
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- לשלח: VERB,qal,infc,_,_,_
- את: PRT,acc
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- הנני: PRT+PRON,1,sg
- מביא: VERB,hifil,ptc,m,sg
- מחר: ADV
- ארבה: VERB,hif,impf,1,c,sg,NA
- בגבלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2m,sg
Parallels
- Exod.10.12 (verbal): Same plague motif — God (by Moses) commands the bringing of locusts into Egypt; continuation/parallel account of the locust threat announced in 10:4.
- Exod.10.3 (thematic): The demand 'let my people go' appears here as Moses' reiterated plea; 10:4 is a warning tied to that demand and Pharaoh's refusal.
- Exod.5.2 (thematic): Pharaoh's defiant rhetorical challenge ('Who is the LORD...?') parallels the power-question implicit in 10:4's 'Who are you to send my people?,' highlighting resistance to divine authority.
- Joel 1:4 (allusion): Later prophetic description of devastating swarms ('what the palmerworm, the locust... hath eaten') echoes the biblical imagery of locusts as divine judgment, resonating with Exodus' locust plague.
- Deut.28:38-42 (thematic): Part of the covenantal curse listing crop failure and pests; provides theological background for locusts as a punishment from YHWH, the category under which Exodus' plague falls.
Alternative generated candidates
- For if you refuse to send my people, look, I am bringing tomorrow the locust within your territory.
- For if you refuse to send my people, behold, I am bringing tomorrow locust upon your territory;
Exo.10.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וכסה: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- יוכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- לראת: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יתר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- הפלטה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הנשארת: PART,qal,prs,f,sg,def
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- הברד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ואכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- העץ: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הצמח: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- מן: PREP
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 10:14-15 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same episode: locusts 'covered the face of the whole earth' and 'ate every herb'—repeats and amplifies the image of consuming the remaining vegetation.
- Exodus 9:22-26 (thematic): Earlier plague of hail that already destroyed crops and trees; verse 10:5 explicitly refers to 'what remained from the hail', linking the two plagues thematically and narratively.
- Joel 1:4 (verbal): Prophetic locust imagery: successive pests devour what the previous left—'what the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten'—echoing the theme of total consumption of vegetation.
- Revelation 9:3-4 (allusion): Apocalyptic vision of locusts coming out of smoke that cover and afflict the earth; New Testament alludes to the destructive locust motif used in Exodus.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it shall cover the eye of the land so that one cannot see the land, and it shall eat the remainder that escaped, that is left to you from the hail, and it shall eat every tree that sprouts for you from the field.
- and it will cover the eye of the land so that the land cannot be seen; and it will eat the remainder that escaped, that remains to you, from the hail; and it will eat every tree that sprouts for you from the field;
Exo.10.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומלאו: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- בתיך: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,poss2ms
- ובתי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כל: DET
- עבדיך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2ms
- ובתי: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כל: DET
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לא: PART_NEG
- ראו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- אבתיך: NOUN,m,pl,poss2ms
- ואבות: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אבתיך: NOUN,m,pl,poss2ms
- מיום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- היותם: NOUN,m,sg,poss3mp
- על: PREP
- האדמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- עד: PREP
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ויפן: VERB,qal,wayq,3,m,sg
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מעם: PREP
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 10:14-15 (verbal): Same locust episode — language about unprecedented swarms and their devastation (‘‘no such locusts… thy fathers saw not’’) and the sweeping, house-filling/land-covering effect.
- Exodus 9:24 (verbal): Hail described as ‘‘such as had not been in Egypt since it was founded’’ — parallels the Exodus formula stressing the plague’s unprecedented severity.
- Joel 1:4 (thematic): Graphic description of locust devastation (‘‘what the locust hath left…’’) — thematically parallels the destructive, house- and land-consuming action of Egypt’s locusts.
- Psalm 78:45 (allusion): Psalm retells the Egyptian plagues (‘‘He sent swarms of flies…’’) and alludes to the sequence and cumulative devastation of God’s judgments against Egypt, echoing Exodus imagery.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt—such as your fathers and your fathers’ fathers have not seen, from the day they were on the earth until this day. Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
- and they will fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt—such as your fathers and your fathers’ fathers have not seen, from the day they were upon the earth until this day.' And he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
Exo.10.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- מתי: ADV,int
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- למוקש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- האנשים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויעבדו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl,m
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- הטרם: ADV
- תדע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אבדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 7:16 (verbal): God's command to Moses uses the same motif — 'Let my people go... that they may serve me' — echoing the demand in 10:7 that the men be sent to serve the LORD their God.
- Exodus 8:27 (thematic): Pharaoh (after earlier plagues) tells Israelites to 'go, sacrifice to your God' — similar language and the recurring request that the people be allowed to go serve/YHWH.
- Exodus 9:34–35 (structural): Reports Pharaoh's repeated hardening and failure to heed advice; parallels 10:7's servants urging release and highlights the pattern of counsel and Pharaoh's resistance.
- Exodus 12:31–32 (structural): After the final plague Pharaoh abruptly summons Moses and orders the people out — the outcome anticipated by the servants in 10:7 ('knowest thou not that Egypt is destroyed?').
- Psalm 105:28–36 (allusion): The psalm retells the plagues and Egypt's devastation; verse 10:7's warning ('Egypt is ruined') is reflected in this poetic recounting of Egypt's suffering and collapse.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, How long will this man be a snare to us? Send the men, that they may serve YHWH their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is ruined?
- And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, 'How long shall this man be a snare to us? Send the men, and let them serve YHWH their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is ruined?'
Exo.10.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויושב: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- עבדו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- ומי: CONJ+PRON,interr
- ההלכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Exod 8:25-28 (verbal): Pharaoh calls for Moses and Aaron and offers to let them sacrifice in the land — a similar summons and conditional permission, with Moses refusing because of the need for livestock.
- Exod 10:24-26 (verbal): Later in the same chapter Pharaoh again summons Moses and repeats a conditional grant — 'Go, serve the LORD' while asking that flocks and herds be stayed, echoing the language and bargaining of 10:8.
- Exod 9:27-34 (thematic): After the hail plague Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron, pleads for forgiveness and negotiates terms — part of the recurring pattern of Pharaoh summoning, bargaining, and making temporary concessions.
- Exod 12:31-32 (structural): Following the final plague Pharaoh urgently summons Moses and Aaron and commands the Israelites to depart with their flocks and herds — the decisive reversal and fulfillment of the earlier, more limited permissions.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, Go, serve YHWH your God. Who and who are going?
- So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, 'Go, serve YHWH your God. Who and who are the ones going?'
Exo.10.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנערינו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,1,pl
- ובזקנינו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,1,pl
- נלך: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- בבנינו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,1,pl
- ובבנותנו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,1,pl
- בצאננו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs,1,pl
- ובבקרנו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,1,pl
- נלך: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- כי: CONJ
- חג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 10:24 (verbal): Direct parallel within the same episode — Pharaoh ultimately permits the people to "go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you," echoing the request to take young, old, sons, daughters, flocks and herds.
- Exodus 12:3-4 (thematic): Passover instructions organize worship and sacrifice at the household/congregational level (lambs for households or combined households), reflecting the communal/familial nature of leaving to keep a feast mentioned in Exod 10:9.
- Deuteronomy 16:11-12 (thematic): Law prescribing that pilgrimage feasts be celebrated with family and community — explicitly including "your sons and your daughters" and other household members — paralleling the inclusiveness of Moses’ request to depart with young, old and livestock.
- Numbers 9:2-3 (structural): The Passover is kept by "the whole congregation of the children of Israel," emphasizing that festival observance involved the entire community (men, women, children, households), corresponding to Moses’ appeal to take everyone to worship.
- Nehemiah 8:2-3 (thematic): A postexilic scene where "men and women and all who could hear with understanding" gather together for a public religious observance, echoing the communal, multi-generational character of the worship trip Moses requests.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses said, With our young and with our old we will go; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go, for we hold a festival to YHWH.
- And Moses said, 'With our young and with our old we will go; with our sons and with our daughters; with our flocks and with our herds we will go, for we have a festival to YHWH.'
Exo.10.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- יהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- כן: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- כאשר: CONJ
- אשלח: VERB,qal,imperf,1,_,sg
- אתכם: PRT+PRON,2,m,pl
- ואת: CONJ
- טפכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss,2,m,pl
- ראו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- כי: CONJ
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נגד: PREP
- פניכם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 1:22 (thematic): Both passages show Pharaoh's hostility toward Israelite children—Exod.1:22 orders Hebrew male infants killed, echoing the threat or danger to offspring mentioned in Exod.10:10 ('you and your little ones').
- Exodus 5:2 (thematic): Pharaoh's refusal to acknowledge Yahweh's authority and his defiant response to Moses' demands parallels the confrontational tone and refusal implicit in Exod.10:10.
- Exodus 9:27-35 (structural): Both passages illustrate the recurrent pattern of Pharaoh responding to plague—appearing to relent or negotiate but ultimately resisting—framing the ebb and flow of threat and negotiation seen in Exod.10:10.
- Exodus 12:30-33 (thematic): Contrasts earlier threats against the people and their children with the final outcome when the Egyptians urge the Israelites to depart in haste after the last plague, showing the trajectory from hostility (as in Exod.10:10) to expulsion.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to them, May it be so—may YHWH indeed be with you, when I send you and your little ones! Look, for evil is before your faces.
- And he said to them, 'So be it—YHWH be with you—when I send you and your little ones! Look, evil is before your faces.
Exo.10.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לא: PART_NEG
- כן: ADV
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- נא: PART
- הגברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ועבדו: CONJ+VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- מבקשים: VERB,qal,ptc,3,m,pl
- ויגרש: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- מאת: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exod.12.31-32 (quotation): Pharaoh's identical command after the final plague—'Rise up, get you forth from among my people… and go, serve the LORD'—repeats the same language and action of thrusting Moses and Israel out.
- Exod.8.25 (verbal): Earlier in the plague cycle Pharaoh tells Moses and Aaron, 'Go, sacrifice to your God in the land,' a closely similar formula of permitting worship and sending them away.
- Ps.105:37 (thematic): The psalm recounts God bringing Israel out of Egypt and their departure with spoils, thematically linking Pharaoh's expulsion here to the broader Exodus motif of release and departure.
- Acts 7:36 (allusion): Stephen's recital of Israel's history summarizes how God 'brought them out' of Egypt after signs and wonders—an NT retelling that alludes to episodes like Pharaoh's ordering the people to go.
Alternative generated candidates
- Not so! Go now, the men, and serve YHWH, for that is what you are seeking. And they were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh.
- 'Not so! Now go, the men, and serve YHWH, for that is what you are seeking.' And he drove them out from Pharaoh’s presence.
Exo.10.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נטה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ידך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,f,sg
- על: PREP
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בארבה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- עשב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- השאיר: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- הברד: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exod.10.13-15 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same plague: Moses stretches out his rod, an east wind brings locusts that cover the land and devour what remains (verbal and narrative continuation).
- Exod.9.31-32 (thematic): The prior plague of hail damaged flax and barley; 10:12 explicitly links the locusts to eating what the hail left, linking the two plagues thematically (destruction of crops).
- Joel 1:4 (verbal): Joel uses near-verbal imagery of successive pests—'what the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten'—echoing the locusts' role in consuming vegetation as divine judgment.
- Joel 2:1-11 (thematic): A vivid prophetic depiction of a locust swarm as an overwhelming, God-sent army; parallels Exodus' portrayal of locusts as a divinely‑sent force that devastates the land.
- Deut.28:38 (thematic): In the covenantal curses locusts are presented as a consequence of disobedience that will consume crops—paralleling Exodus' use of locusts as destructive judgment on the land.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locust, that it may go up over the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, everything that the hail has left.
- And YHWH said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locust, and let it come up upon the land of Egypt and eat all the grass of the land, all that the hail has left.'
Exo.10.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויט: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- מטהו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ויהוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נהג: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קדים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- כל: DET
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- וכל: CONJ+PRON,indef
- הלילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הבקר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ורוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הקדים: VERB,hiph,perf,3,pl
- נשא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הארבה: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 14:21 (verbal): Both verses describe God producing a strong east wind overnight (Moses stretches out his hand/rod and an east wind blows) — similar language and narrative pattern of divine action by wind.
- Jonah 1:4 (thematic): God sends a powerful wind/storm to accomplish his purpose; parallels the motif of wind as an instrument of divine judgment and movement of events.
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 (thematic): God manifests his presence and exerts power through a great wind that breaks mountains — a recurring biblical theme of God controlling winds as agents of his will.
- Joel 2:1-11 (thematic): A prophetic depiction of a devastating locust army acting as God’s instrument of judgment — thematically parallels the plague of locusts sent on Egypt.
- Psalm 104:3-4 (thematic): Portrays God as sovereign over winds ('makes winds his messengers'), echoing the theological idea that God controls winds to carry out his purposes as in Exod 10:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and YHWH drove an east wind in the land all that day and all the night; and when it was morning, the east wind carried the locust.
- And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and YHWH drove an east wind in the land all that day and all the night; when morning came, the east wind carried the locust.
Exo.10.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הארבה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וינח: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כבד: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מאד: ADV
- לפניו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- היה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כן: ADV
- ארבה: VERB,hif,impf,1,c,sg,NA
- כמהו: PRON,sim,3,m,sg
- ואחריו: CONJ,PREP,3,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- כן: ADV
Parallels
- Joel 2:2 (verbal): Describes an unprecedented, devastating locust army with language similar to Exodus' claim that there were none like these before or after (Hebrew phrasing of 'no such' / 'no like it').
- Joel 1:4 (thematic): Imagery of successive waves of locusts consuming the land parallels Exodus' description of a comprehensive locust devastation over all the land of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 28:38 (thematic): Uses locusts as an instrument of divine judgment against the land and crops, thematically linking Exodus' plague as an act of God that devastates Egypt's agriculture.
- Revelation 9:3–10 (allusion): Apocalyptic vision of locust-like creatures released as a judgment echoes the Exodus locust plague imagery—unprecedented, destructive swarms sent as divine punishment.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt—very heavy; before it there had never been such a locust, and after it there will not be such.
- And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt and settled in all the territory of Egypt—very heavy. Before it there had never been such a locust as it, and after it there will not be such.
Exo.10.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכס: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- כל: DET
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ותחשך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,f,sg
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- עשב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הארץ: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- העץ: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הותיר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הברד: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- נותר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- ירק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובעשב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השדה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Joel 1:4 (verbal): Uses the same locust-imagery of total devastation — successive consumption of what remains so that nothing green is left (“what the locust left… the locust has eaten”).
- Joel 2:2-3 (thematic): Describes a dark, overwhelming swarm that devours all vegetation and appears like an invading army — parallels the darkness and complete consumption in Egypt.
- 2 Chronicles 7:13 (allusion): Speaks of God sending locusts to devour the land as a form of divine judgment, echoing the theological meaning of the Exodus locust plague.
- Revelation 9:3-5 (thematic): Apocalyptic use of locust imagery as a devastating, tormenting plague emerging from smoke — New Testament echo of plague motifs (swarming, darkness, destruction).
- Psalm 78:46 (verbal): Lists ‘a company of destroying locusts’ among God’s judgments against the people, connecting the Exodus plagues motif and the image of locusts consuming the produce.
Alternative generated candidates
- And it covered the eye of all the land, and the land grew dark; and it ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left, and no green was left on tree or on plant of the field in all the land of Egypt.
- And it covered the eye of all the land, and the land grew dark; and it ate all the grass of the land and all the fruit of the tree that the hail had left; and no green thing remained on tree or on the grass of the field in all the land of Egypt.
Exo.10.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וימהר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לקרא: PREP+VERB,qal,infc
- למשה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולאהרן: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חטאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- ולכם: CONJ+PREP+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Exod.9.27 (verbal): Earlier in the plague cycle Pharaoh again summons Moses and Aaron and confesses 'I have sinned' — nearly identical language and admission to God and the envoys.
- Exod.10.17 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Pharaoh asks Moses and Aaron to forgive his sin and plead for relief — shows the same moment of capitulation and request for mercy.
- 2 Sam.12.13 (verbal): David's direct confession to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD,' uses the same formula of admitting wrongdoing primarily toward God.
- Ps.51.4 (verbal): In David's penitential psalm the confession 'Against you, you only, have I sinned' parallels the theological emphasis that sin is ultimately against Yahweh, echoed in Pharaoh's wording.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Pharaoh hurried to call Moses and Aaron, and he said, I have sinned against YHWH your God and against you.
- Then Pharaoh hurried to call for Moses and Aaron and said, 'I have sinned against YHWH your God and against you.
Exo.10.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועתה: CONJ
- שא: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- נא: PART
- חטאתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- אך: PART
- הפעם: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והעתירו: VERB,hiph,imp,2,?,pl
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- ויסר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מעלי: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- רק: PRT
- את: PRT,acc
- המות: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod.9:27-28 (verbal): Pharaoh confesses “I have sinned this time” and asks Moses/Aaron to entreat the LORD to remove the destructive storm—same wording and plea to intercede to end the deadly plague.
- Exod.32:11-14 (thematic): Moses intercedes for Israel asking God to relent from destroying the people; God ‘relents’ — parallels the appeal to avert divine death/doom by entreaty.
- Num.14:19-20 (thematic): Moses petitions God to pardon the people’s sin (“Pardon, I beseech thee…”) and the LORD responds, echoing the motif of intercession averting judgment.
- Jonah 3:9-10 (thematic): The Ninevites plead for mercy and God relents from the threatened destruction—similar dynamic of entreaty and divine removal of a death sentence.
- 1 Sam.12:19-20 (thematic): The people ask Samuel to pray/entreat the LORD for them and Samuel intercedes—another instance of asking a leader to entreat God to avert disaster.
Alternative generated candidates
- And now, please forgive my sin only this once, and plead to YHWH your God that he remove from upon me only this death.
- 'And now, please take away my sin only this time, and plead to YHWH your God that he remove from me only this death.'
Exo.10.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויצא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מעם: PREP
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויעתר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.10:16-17 (structural): Immediate context: Pharaoh admits 'I have sinned' and asks Moses to entreat the LORD on his behalf — essentially the same act of seeking intercession recorded just before v.18.
- Exod.9:27-29 (verbal): Earlier plague narrative where Pharaoh confesses sin and begs Moses to entreat Yahweh to remove the hail — a close verbal and thematic parallel of a ruler requesting Moses' intercession.
- Exod.8:8-9 (allusion): After the plague of frogs Pharaoh calls for Moses and asks him to pray to the LORD to take away the frogs — another instance of Pharaoh seeking Moses' intercession to remove divine judgment.
- Jonah 3:8-10 (thematic): Nineveh's king and people repent and entreat God to relent from impending punishment; God 'repents' and spares the city — a thematic parallel of human entreaty producing divine relief.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded to YHWH.
- And he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with YHWH.
Exo.10.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהפך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חזק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מאד: ADV
- וישא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הארבה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויתקעהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ימה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- סוף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- נשאר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ארבה: VERB,hif,impf,1,c,sg,NA
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- בכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Exod.14:21-22 (structural): Both scenes depict God using a strong wind to control the Sea (a wind that acts miraculously over the water), linking divine mastery of wind/sea in deliverance/judgment contexts.
- Jonah 1:4 (verbal): God 'hurled a great wind' that raised a violent sea—parallel language of God sending a mighty wind to affect events at sea (storm/judgment enacted via wind).
- 2 Chron.7:13 (thematic): Speaks of God sending locusts to devour the land as a form of divine judgment, thematically paralleling the locust plague in Exodus as an instrument of God’s punishment.
- Joel 2:25 (thematic): Uses locusts as emblematic agents of devastation and loss (and subsequent restoration), connecting to Exodus’ depiction of locusts as a devastating plague under divine sovereignty.
- Rev.9:3-5 (allusion): Apocalyptic vision of locust-like creatures unleashed as divine judgment echoes and reinterprets Old Testament locust-plague imagery (Exodus) in later biblical tradition.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH turned a very strong west wind, and it carried the locust and thrust it into the Sea of Reeds; not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
- And YHWH turned a very strong west wind, and it lifted the locust and drove it into the Sea of Reeds; not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt.
Exo.10.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחזק: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולא: CONJ
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.9.12 (verbal): Direct repetition earlier in the plague narrative: “And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart,” same wording and action.
- Exod.4.21 (thematic): God tells Moses beforehand that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart—introduces the motif of divine hardening behind the confrontation.
- Exod.7.3 (allusion): An earlier statement that God will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that signs and wonders may be multiplied—same theological purpose.
- Exod.14.4 (structural): God declares He will harden Pharaoh’s heart so he will pursue Israel, which sets up the climactic deliverance at the sea—continuation of the hardening theme.
- Rom.9:17-18 (thematic): Paul cites Pharaoh’s hardening to illustrate divine sovereignty in election—interprets the Exodus hardening as purposeful divine action.
Alternative generated candidates
- And YHWH strengthened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not send the sons of Israel.
- And YHWH strengthened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not send the sons of Israel.
And YHWH said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh, for I have made heavy his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may set these signs of mine in his midst.'
'And in order that you may recount in the ears of your son and your son’s son how I dealt severely with Egypt, and my signs which I set among them, and you shall know that I am YHWH.' And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and said to him, 'Thus says YHWH, the God of the Hebrews: Until when will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Send my people, that they may serve me.'
'For if you refuse to send my people, behold, I am bringing tomorrow locusts into your territory.'
'And it shall cover the eye of the land, so that one cannot see the land, and it shall eat the remainder that is left to you from the hail, and it shall eat every tree that grows for you from the field.'
'And they will fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all Egypt—such as your fathers and your fathers’ fathers have not seen from the day they were upon the earth until this day.' And he turned and went out from Pharaoh. And Pharaoh’s servants said to him, 'Until when will this be a snare to us? Send the men, and let them serve YHWH their God. Do you not yet know that Egypt is ruined?' So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, 'Go, serve YHWH your God. Who are the ones going?' And Moses said, 'With our young and with our old we will go; with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we will go, for we have a festival to YHWH.' And he said to them, 'May it be so! May YHWH be with you—when I send you and your little ones! Look—evil is before your faces.'
'Not so! Go now, the men, and serve YHWH, for that is what you are seeking.' And he drove them out from the presence of Pharaoh. And YHWH said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locust, that it may come up over the land of Egypt and eat every plant of the land, all that the hail has left.' And Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and YHWH drove an east wind in the land all that day and all the night; it was morning, and the east wind had carried the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt and rested in all the territory of Egypt—a very heavy swarm; before it there had never been locusts like it, and after it there will not be like it. And it covered the eye of all the land, and the land was darkened; and it ate every plant of the land and all the fruit of the tree that the hail had left, and no green thing remained on a tree or in the plant of the field in all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh hastened to call for Moses and Aaron and said, 'I have sinned against YHWH your God and against you.'
'And now, please forgive my sin just this once, and plead to YHWH your God that he would remove from me only this death.' And he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded to YHWH. And YHWH turned a very strong west wind, and it carried the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds; not one locust remained in all the territory of Egypt. And YHWH hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not send the sons of Israel.