ÉxodoCapítulo 10

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Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh. I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, so that I may perform these signs of mine among them,

and so that you may tell your children and grandchildren how harshly I dealt with Egypt and what signs I did among them, and you will know that I am the LORD."

So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may serve me.

If you refuse to let my people go, then tomorrow I will bring locusts into your land.

They will cover the face of the ground so that no one can see the land. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, and they will strip every tree that grows in your fields.

They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and of all the Egyptians—something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they first came to be on the earth until now." Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may serve the LORD their God. Don't you see yet that Egypt is ruined?"

So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. "Go, serve the LORD your God," he said. "But just who is going?"

Moses answered, "We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a festival to the LORD."

Pharaoh said, "The LORD be with you—if I ever let you go along with your children! Clearly you are bent on evil.

No! Let the men go and serve the LORD, since that is what you have been asking for." And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt to bring the locusts. Let them come up over the land of Egypt and devour every plant in the land, everything the hail has left."

So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD sent an east wind across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts.

They swarmed over all the land of Egypt and settled in every part of the country in vast numbers. Never before had there been such a swarm of locusts, nor will there ever be again.

They covered the face of the whole land until it was black. They devoured every plant in the land and all the fruit on the trees that the hail had left. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you.

Now forgive my sin just this once, and pray to the LORD your God to take this deadly plague away from me."

Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.

And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which carried the locusts away and swept them into the Red Sea.[^1] [^1]: Hebrew: the Sea of Reeds.

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, and darkness will come over the land of Egypt—a darkness that can be felt."

So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days.

No one could see anyone else, and no one left his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, "Go, serve the LORD. Only your flocks and herds must stay behind; even your children may go with you."

But Moses said, "You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God.

Our livestock must go with us too; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in serving the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to offer to the LORD."

But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.

Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get away from me! Make sure you never appear before me again, for on the day you see my face you will die."

"Just as you say," Moses replied. "I will never appear before you again."

Consulta

Resumen2

Capítulo 10

Main Theme: God sends the plague of locusts and darkness upon Egypt, but Pharaoh continues to refuse to let the Israelites go.

Content: God sends the eighth plague—an enormous swarm of locusts that covers the land and devours everything that survived the hail. After God removes the locusts, He hardens Pharaoh’s heart again. Then God sends the ninth plague—a thick darkness that lasts for three days and paralyzes the Egyptians, while the Israelites have light. Throughout the chapter, Pharaoh tries to negotiate who may go, but Moses insists that everyone—with all they own—must be allowed to leave. The confrontation ends with Pharaoh threatening Moses’ life.

Key Words/Images:

Locusts (אַרְבֶּה): A swarm without equal, symbolizing God’s power to completely destroy Egypt’s resources.
Darkness (חֹשֶׁךְ): A darkness so thick it could be felt, which struck the Egyptians for three days while Israel had light—a picture of the separation between God’s people and their oppressors.
Hardened Heart: God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart serves a dual purpose: to demonstrate God’s signs and to create a story for future generations (v.1–2).
Negotiations: Pharaoh’s repeated attempts at compromise (only the men, let the livestock stay) show resistance to complete obedience to God.

Contexto histórico

Historical and Cultural Context for Exodus 10

Events and Customs

The chapter describes the eighth and ninth plagues: the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness. Locust swarms (Hebrew: אַרְבֶּה, arbeh) were a well-known and feared disaster in the ancient Middle East. The text notes that an east wind (רוּחַ קָדִים, ruach qadim) brought the locusts (verse 13)—this aligns with natural wind patterns where dry desert winds from the east often carried locust swarms from the Arabian Peninsula and Sinai into the Nile Valley. The strong west wind (רוּחַ־יָם, ruach yam, literally "the sea wind") removed the locusts and drove them into the Sea of Reeds (verse 19). Egyptian texts from various periods mention locusts as one of the threats to Egypt's crops, and administrative documents contain instructions for reporting the movements of locust swarms.

The dialogue between Moses and Pharaoh about who should participate in the wilderness festival (verses 8–11) reflects Egyptian practice where religious festivals were often limited to specific groups. Pharaoh's counterproposal that only the men (הַגְּבָרִים, ha-gevarim) should go (verse 11) may reflect Egyptian cultic practices in which women and children were often excluded from certain rituals. Moses' insistence that the entire people with their livestock must go (verses 9, 26) underscores that Israelite worship was a familial and communal act requiring animals for sacrifices.

The darkness in Egypt has often been compared to khamsin winds, which bring intense sandstorms from the desert and can make the day so dark that one can barely see. However, the text's description of a darkness so thick that people could not see each other or move about for three days (verses 22–23) goes beyond natural explanations and points to divine intervention.

Key Terms

The expression "to cover the face of the earth" (וְכִסָּה אֶת־עֵין הָאָרֶץ, verses 5 and 15) is a Hebrew idiom meaning that something covers the entire land surface so completely that the ground is no longer visible.

The darkness is described as חֹשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה (choshekh afelah)—"thick darkness" or "gripping darkness" (verse 22). The expression וְיָמֵשׁ חֹשֶׁךְ (verse 21) literally means "and the darkness could be felt/touched," suggesting a supernatural darkness far more intense than natural phenomena such as sandstorms. This darkness lasted for three days (verses 22–23)—the number three often marks a complete or concluded period in biblical literature.

Personas2

Aaron3 Moses8

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Palabras clave9

Plagues — Unpleasant and destructive events that God sends over Egypt to get Pharaoh to release the people of Israel.
Pharaoh — The Egyptian king who holds the Israelites in slavery and refuses to let them go.
Moses — The prophet chosen by God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and slavery.
Aaron — Moses' brother, who serves as his spokesperson and helps him in meeting with Pharaoh.
Locust — A type of grasshopper that comes as the eighth plague and destroys the crops in Egypt.
Darkness — The ninth plague, where Egypt is covered by a thick darkness for three days.
The Lord — Another name for God, referring to his sovereignty and authority.
Prayer — Communication with God, often to ask for help, guidance, or gratitude.
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