For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
EXODUS 10:15KJVWhat does Exodus 10:15 mean?
Exodus 10:15 describes how a massive swarm of locusts covered the entire land of Egypt, making the land dark and consuming every remaining plant and fruit that had survived the earlier hailstorm, leaving nothing green anywhere in Egypt. This verse emphasizes the total devastation caused by the locusts during one of the plagues God sent upon Egypt.
In this part of Exodus, Moses is recounting the effects of the eighth plague to Pharaoh and his officials. The verse highlights the overwhelming scale of the disaster: the locusts are so numerous that they block out the sunlight and destroy every last bit of vegetation. This sets the stage for Pharaoh’s increasing desperation and shows how each plague builds on the previous ones, leaving Egypt in worse condition each time.
The Hebrew behind Exodus 10:15
- "Covered" (כָּסָה, kasah) means to completely blanket or conceal. The use of this word stresses that the locusts were so thick they hid the ground from view, not just scattered here and there.
- "Face" (עַיִן, ayin) literally means "eye" but is often used for "surface" or "appearance." Here, it refers to the visible surface of the land, showing that nothing could be seen except locusts.
- "Darkened" (חָשַׁךְ, chashakh) means to become dark or obscure. The verse uses this word to show that the swarm was so dense it blocked out the daylight, not just figuratively but in a real, physical sense.
- "Remained" / "left" (יָתַר, yatar) is used twice to stress that after the locusts, nothing green was left—total destruction, not just partial damage.
Why Exodus 10:15 matters
- This verse clears up any idea that the plague was minor or localized; the language makes it clear that the devastation was total and affected all of Egypt.
- The verse emphasizes the cumulative effect of the plagues: whatever little was left after the hail was now completely destroyed by the locusts, showing a worsening of Egypt’s situation.
- By describing the darkness and the complete loss of vegetation, the verse sets up the tension for Pharaoh’s next response and the continuing conflict between Moses and Pharaoh.