Exodus 10:5-6
and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This plague isn't just about locusts eating plants; it's about an overwhelming, consuming darkness. The Hebrew phrasing hints that they'll "cover the eye of the earth," suggesting a literal blotting out of the sun and the land itself, leaving nothing visible but the swarm. This highlights how God's judgment can obscure everything familiar, leaving a terrifying void where sustenance and light once were.
This is the eighth plague God is sending on Egypt, and it's a swarm of locusts described with terrifying intensity. Pharaoh had just refused to let the Israelites go after the plague of hail, and now God warns Moses that the locusts will devour everything the hail missed—all remaining crops and all the trees in the field, leaving nothing green behind. This devastation is so complete that it will cover the land and be unlike anything ever seen before.
Imagine a darkness so thick it blots out the sun, not from storm clouds, but from a living, crawling tide. This plague wasn't just destructive; it was terrifyingly pervasive.
The description of the locusts in Exodus 10:5 is designed to shock us with its sheer scale.
An Unseen Landscape
"They shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land." This wasn't just a few insects; it was an invasion so dense that the very ground disappeared beneath them. Travelers and ancient commentators describe locust swarms that literally darkened the sky, miles wide and deep, obscuring the sun and turning day into night. The earth itself was no longer visible.
Complete Annihilation
This plague leaves nothing untouched. After the hail destroyed much of the crops, the locusts consume "what is left... and they shall eat every tree." This means the remaining grain, the fruits, the leaves, and even the bark of trees were devoured. It was a total stripping of the land, leaving behind utter devastation.
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Even after God's previous plagues, Pharaoh's stubbornness invited a judgment that consumed what was left. This plague wasn't a fresh start; it was the final consumption.
The locust plague is described as specifically targeting what the hail left behind. This highlights the escalating nature of God's judgment and its precision.
Escalating Retribution
The hail had already destroyed crops like wheat and rye (Exodus 9:32). The locusts then came to devour this "residue." This shows that God's judgment wasn't random; it systematically removed every last bit of sustenance that Pharaoh and Egypt had tried to hold onto.
God's Sovereign Hand
Pharaoh's refusal to let Israel go meant facing repeated and worsening judgments. The locusts weren't just a natural disaster; they were a divine sentence. God commanded them (Psalm 105:34), implying He directed their path and their destructive appetite. This plague served as a final warning, stripping away any remaining resources and demonstrating that Egypt could not escape God's reach or His justice.
This plague wasn't just about insects; it was a strategic follow-up to the hail, designed to utterly destroy what little the Egyptians had left, emphasizing God's control over nature and His relentless judgment on Pharaoh's defiance.
~1446 BC
Israel's Slavery in Egypt
The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for generations, building cities and suffering under harsh labor. God had raised Moses to confront Pharaoh and demand their release.
~1446 BC
The First Nine Plagues
God sent a series of devastating plagues upon Egypt to force Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. These included turning the Nile to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail, and locusts.
~1446 BC
The Plague of Hail
This plague destroyed much of Egypt's crops and vegetation that had not already been ruined by earlier plagues. It was a significant blow to the nation's food supply, but some crops survived.
~1446 BC— this verse
The Plague of Locusts
This plague involved an unimaginably vast swarm of locusts that covered the land, devouring all remaining vegetation, including trees, that had survived the hail.
~1446 BC
The Plague of Darkness
Following the locusts, a thick, palpable darkness descended upon Egypt for three days, so intense that people could not see or move. This plague specifically spared the Israelites.
~1446 BC
The Death of the Firstborn
As the final plague, God struck down every firstborn male in Egypt, from Pharaoh's son to the firstborn of captives and livestock. This led Pharaoh to finally allow the Israelites to leave.
~1446 BC
The Exodus from Egypt
Led by Moses, the Israelites departed Egypt after 430 years of dwelling there, beginning their journey towards the Promised Land.
This passage describes locusts as a devastating force, directly paralleling the complete destruction of crops and trees mentioned in Exodus 10:5. It echoes the theme of complete annihilation through insect swarms.
Joel 2:2-3This passage paints a vivid picture of locusts darkening the sun and consuming everything, much like the description in Exodus 10:5 where the land is covered and nothing green is left. It emphasizes the overwhelming and total nature of the plague.
Deuteronomy 28:38This verse from the blessings and curses section of Deuteronomy directly predicts that locusts would consume the crops that the Israelites would plant. It shows this plague as a fulfillment of a divinely ordained consequence for disobedience.
Psalm 105:34This psalm recounts God's mighty acts for Israel, mentioning that God 'commanded locusts to devour their crops and eat the produce of their fields.' This passage serves as a historical and theological reflection on the very plague described in Exodus.
clarkeExodus 10:5: "And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:"
They shall cover the face of the earth - They sometimes cover the whole ground to the depth of six or eight inches. See the preceding accounts.
bensonExodus 10:5: "And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field:"
Exodus 10:5 . They shall cover the face — Hebrew, the eye; of the earth — That is, of its inhabitants; that one cannot be able to see the earth — It is observable that no living creature multiplies so fast as the locust. It is almost in…
This plague isn't just about locusts eating plants; it's about an overwhelming, consuming darkness. The Hebrew phrasing hints that they'll "cover the eye of the earth," suggesting a literal blotting out of the sun and the land itself, leaving nothing visible but the swarm. This highlights how God's judgment can obscure everything familiar, leaving a terrifying void where sustenance and light once were.
This is the eighth plague God is sending on Egypt, and it's a swarm of locusts described with terrifying intensity. Pharaoh had just refused to let the Israelites go after the plague of hail, and now God warns Moses that the locusts will devour everything the hail missed—all remaining crops and all the trees in the field, leaving nothing green behind. This devastation is so complete that it will cover the land and be unlike anything ever seen before.
This is the eighth plague God is sending on Egypt, and it's a swarm of locusts described with terrifying intensity. Pharaoh had just refused to let the Israelites go after the plague of hail, and now God warns Moses that the locusts will devour everything the hail missed—all remaining crops and all the trees in the field, leaving nothing green behind. This devastation is so complete that it will cover the land and be unlike anything ever seen before.
"and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, and they shall fill your houses and the hous…" — This plague isn't just about locusts eating plants; it's about an overwhelming, consuming darkness. The Hebrew phrasing hints that they'll "cover the eye of the earth," suggesting a literal blotting…
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