Exodus 10:12
“Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail has left.””
What does Exodus 10:12 mean?
God is instructing Moses to bring the eighth plague upon Egypt: a massive locust swarm that will devour whatever crops survived the previous hailstorm. This moment shows Moses acting as God's instrument, stretching out his hand as a signal for divine judgment to unfold. The locusts represent both the escalating consequences of Pharaoh's refusal to let the Israelites go and God's power over all creation, even the smallest creatures. By this point in the story, the plagues have grown progressively more severe, and this one would have devastated Egypt's food supply and economy, creating real pressure on Pharaoh to finally relent.