Study Questions for Exodus 10:1-20

Study Questions for Exodus 10:1-20

Describe the scene you would encounter if you were to pop into Egypt at this time in their history.

What is Pharaoh’s mindset at this point?

Vss. 1-11

v. 1—What does God tell Moses to do?
What has God done to Pharaoh and his servants? (made heavy)
God has hardened Pharaoh’s heart. It is stated as a kind of pronouncement or judgment on Pharaoh for his selfishness.
Why did he do that to them?

v. 2—Why did God want to show all these signs to the Egyptians?
What does “dealt harshly” mean? Judg. 19:25; 1 Sam. 31:4 RSV—“made sport of” NRSV—“made fools of”
What does Moses’ sons and grandchildren have to do with all of this?
“Tell” has the sense of proclamation rather than simply a story told over and over throughout history.
How does telling the story fit into the history of Israel? What is happening here (Psalm 77:11-20; 78:4-6, 43-53; 105:26-38; 106:7-12; 114:1-3; 135:8, 9; 136:10-15)?
Have you ever heard this command before?
How does all of this show that God is the Lord?

v. 3—What did Moses and Aaron do next?
What did they say to Pharaoh and his servants?
What does “humble” mean?
Did it differ from what God had said to say?
How did what they said differ from what they’ve said before?
What does God want Pharaoh to do with respect to his relationship with God and man? Repent—Jas 4:10; 1Pet. 5:6.
What does humility have to do with letting the people go?

v. 4—What will happen if Pharaoh still refuses?
When will it happen?
What is a locust? Joel 1:4-7; Amos 7:103

v. 5, 6—How many locusts will there be?
What will they do when they come?
After Moses made this proclamation, what did he do?

v. 7—How did Pharaoh’s servants respond to these warnings?
How was Moses a snare to them?
What did they say about what had happened to Egypt?
What did the want Pharaoh to do?
Who did he want to let go?
Can you imagine the servants talking like this to Pharaoh in the beginning of the story?
How or why did they think they could get away with it now?
The issue for the servants was worship. They thought one god was as good as another.
“Ruined” is a common word for judgment – destroyed, perished (deut 7:20; Psa 2:12; Ezek. 26:17.
Notice that the servants only wanted to let the men go, not everyone.

v. 8—What does Pharaoh do in response to all of this?
Who does he want to let go?

v. 9—Who is Moses going to take with him?
Why would everyone and everything go to worship the Lord?
God is sovereign over all.

v. 10—How did Pharaoh respond to Moses request?
What did he mean that evil was before them? Niv—you are bent on evil.
This last phrase shows that Pharaoh’s release was highly sarcastic.

v. 11—Who in this verse is he prepared to release?
To whom is he addressing this statement?
If Pharaoh lets the men go, the women and children will have to stay behind and effectively be hostages.
What happened to Moses and Aaron after this brief interchange?
Why were they driven out? Why not thrown into prison?

v. 12—what happened next?

v. 13—How did the locusts come to Egypt?
Judgment Psa 48:7; Jer 18:17; Hos 13 15; Jonah 4:8.

v. 14—How many locusts came?
There were locust plagues all the time, where’s the miracle in this one?
How would God be glorified in this?

v. 15—What did they do when they came? Were they just a little hungry?
How does Joel 2:3 fit into this?

v. 16—What was Pharaoh’s reaction to all of this?
What did he do that was sinful?
What sin was he confessing? Sending Moses and Aaron out so badly? Not recognizing that God was God? Not letting the people go? What?


v. 17—What does Pharaoh want Moses and Aaron to do for him?
How does this plea differ from the one in the last chapter? Does it differ?
He will do anything to assuage the consequences of his sin, but will he repent in his attitude toward God and himself? Will he do what is right? Will he bow the knee to YHWH?

v. 18—What did Moses do next?

v. 19—What did God do in response to Moses prayer?
How did God get rid of the locusts?

v. 20—What was the result with Pharaoh? (made strong)