Why does Moses refuse to leave Israel’s flocks behind when Pharao offers to let the children go?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The flocks are needed for the Lord’s service, and the people will not know what must be offered until they reach the place. Moses says all the flocks must go, with not a hoof left behind.

Chapter breakdown

Why does Moses refuse to leave Israel’s flocks behind when Pharao offers to let the children go? The flocks are needed for the Lord’s service, and the people will not know what must be offered until they reach the place. Moses says all the flocks must go, with not a hoof left behind.

The Lord tells Moses to go to Pharao. He says he has hardened the king’s heart and those of his servants so that he may work his signs in him. Moses is to tell his sons and grandsons how often God has plagued the Egyptians and worked signs among them, so that they may know he is the Lord.

Moses and Aaron go to Pharao with the Lord God of the Hebrews’ question: how long will he refuse to submit? He must let God’s people go to sacrifice. If he resists and will not release them, God will bring locusts into his coasts tomorrow. They will cover the face of the earth so that it cannot be seen, eat what the hail has left and feed on all the trees growing in the fields. They will fill Pharao’s houses, his servants’ houses and all the Egyptians’ houses in numbers unseen by their fathers and grandfathers from their first time on earth until now. Moses turns away and leaves Pharao.

Pharao’s servants ask how long they must endure this scandal. They ask him to let the men sacrifice to their God and ask whether he does not see Egypt is undone. Moses and Aaron are called back. Pharao tells them to go and sacrifice, then asks who will go. Moses answers: young and old, sons and daughters, sheep and herds, because this is the solemnity of the Lord their God. Pharao answers, “So be the Lord with you, as I shall let you and your children go,” and accuses them of intending great evil. He says only the men may go and sacrifice, claiming that this is what they themselves wanted. They are immediately cast out of his presence.

God tells Moses to stretch his hand over Egypt so the locusts may come and devour every plant left after the hail. Moses stretches his rod over Egypt. The Lord brings a burning wind all that day and night, and in the morning it raises the locusts. They come over the whole land and rest throughout its coasts in numbers without equal before or after. They cover the whole face of the earth, wasting everything. They eat the grass and whatever tree fruit the hail left. Nothing green remains on Egypt’s trees or in its plants.

Pharao hastily calls Moses and Aaron. He says he has sinned against the Lord their God and against them, asks forgiveness this time also, and asks them to pray that God take away this death from him. Moses leaves Pharao’s presence and prays. The Lord makes a very strong west wind blow; it takes the locusts and casts them into the Red Sea. Not one remains in all Egypt’s coasts. The Lord hardens Pharao’s heart, and he does not let Israel go.

God tells Moses to stretch his hand towards heaven so that darkness may come upon Egypt, so thick it can be felt. Challoner’s note explains this through “gross exhalations,” which were to cause and accompany the darkness. Moses stretches out his hand, and horrible darkness comes upon all Egypt for three days. No man sees his brother or moves from where he is. Wherever Israel lives, there is light.

Pharao calls Moses and Aaron and permits sacrifice, saying that their children may go but their sheep and herds must remain. Moses says Pharao must also give them sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord their God. All the flocks will go; not a hoof will remain. They are needed for the Lord’s service, especially because the people do not know what must be offered until they reach the place.

The Lord hardens Pharao’s heart, and he will not let them go. Pharao tells Moses to leave and warns him not to see his face again: on whatever day Moses comes into his sight, he will die. Moses answers that it will be as Pharao has spoken, and that he will not see his face again.

The story inside

Two exchanges ask who or what may leave Egypt. After the locust warning, Pharao asks who will go. Moses names young and old, sons and daughters, sheep and herds; Pharao allows men only and has them cast out. After the darkness, Pharao allows the children but says the sheep and herds must stay. Moses answers that the flocks are necessary for God’s service and that the required offering is not yet known. The chapter gives these spoken terms rather than a hidden reason for either restriction. It ends with refusal, a death threat and Moses’ answer. (Exodus 10:7–11, 24–29.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The signs are to be told to later generations. God names sons and grandsons as hearers of how often he plagued Egypt and worked signs, so that they may know he is the Lord. This is the chapter’s stated purpose for the telling. (10:1–2.)
2
Prayer removes the locusts without producing release. The west wind casts them into the Red Sea and not one remains in Egypt’s coasts. The following verse still records a hardened heart and no permission to leave. (10:16–20.)
3
Moses gives a reason for taking every flock. They are needed for the Lord’s service, and the offering will not be known until the people reach the place. His answer preserves that uncertainty rather than inventing a sacrifice already specified. (10:24–26.)

Test your recall

Why does Moses say not a hoof can remain? All the flocks are needed for the Lord’s service, and what must be offered is not known until they reach the place. How do the locusts leave? After Moses prays, a very strong west wind carries them into the Red Sea, leaving none in Egypt’s coasts. What difference is recorded during the three days of darkness?

Show answer

No man sees his brother or moves from his place, but there is light wherever Israel lives. (10:18–26.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 6966–6970
Exodus Chapter 10 The eighth plague of the locusts. The ninth, of darkness: Pharao is still hardened.
Lines 6971–6978
10:1. And the Lord said to Moses: Go in to Pharao; for I have hardened his heart, and the heart of his servants: that I may work these my signs in him, 10:2. And thou mayst tell in the ears of thy sons, and of thy grandsons, how often I have plagued the Egyptians, and wrought my signs amongst them: and you may know that I am the Lord.
Lines 6979–6995
10:3. Therefore Moses and Aaron went in to Pharao, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews: How long refusest thou to submit to me? let my people go, to sacrifice to me. 10:4. But if thou resist, and wilt not let them go, behold I will bring in to-morrow the locusts into thy coasts; 10:5. To cover the face of the earth, that nothing thereof may appear, but that which the hail hath left may be eaten: for they shall feed upon all the trees that spring in the fields. 10:6. And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of thy servants, and of all the Egyptians: such a number as thy fathers have not seen, nor thy grandfathers, from the time they were first upon the earth, until this present day. And he turned himself away, and went forth from Pharao.
Lines 6996–7014
10:7. And Pharao’s servants said to him: How long shall we endure this scandal? Iet the men go to sacrifice to the Lord their God. Dost thou not see that Egypt is undone? 10:8. And they called back Moses, and Aaron, to Pharao; and he said to them: Go, sacrifice to the Lord your God: who are they that shall go? 10:9. Moses said: We will go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, with our sheep and herds: for it is the solemnity of the Lord our God. 10:10. And Pharao answered: So be the Lord with you, as I shall let you and your children go: who can doubt but that you intend some great evil? 10:11. It shall not be so, but go ye men only, and sacrifice to the Lord: for this yourselves also desired. And immediately they were cast out from Pharao’s presence.
Lines 7015–7032
10:12. And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand upon the land of Egypt unto the locust, that it come upon it, and devour every herb that is left after the hail. 10:13. And Moses stretched forth his rod upon the land of Egypt: and the Lord brought a burning wind all that day, and night; and when it was morning, the burning wind raised the locusts. 10:14. And they came up over the whole land of Egypt; and rested in all the coasts of the Egyptians, innumerable, the like as had not been before that time, nor shall be hereafter. 10:15. And they covered the whole face of the earth, wasting all things. And the grass of the earth was devoured, and what fruits soever were on the trees, which the hail had left; and there remained not any thing that was green on the trees, or in the herbs of the earth, in all Egypt.
Lines 7033–7048
10:16. Wherefore Pharao in haste called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you. 10:17. But now forgive me my sin this time also, and pray to the Lord your God, that he take away from me this death. 10:18. And Moses going forth from the presence of Pharao, prayed to the Lord: 10:19. And he made a very strong wind to blow from the west, and it took the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea: there remained not so much as one in all the coasts of Egypt. 10:20. And the Lord hardened Pharao’s heart, neither did he let the children of Israel go.
Lines 7049–7062
10:21. And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch out thy hand towards heaven: and may there be darkness upon the land of Egypt so thick that it may be felt. Darkness upon the land of Egypt, so thick that it may be felt.... By means of the gross exhalations, which were to cause and accompany the darkness. 10:22. And Moses stretched forth his hand towards heaven: and there came horrible darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. 10:23. No man saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was: but wheresoever the children of Israel dwelt, there was light.
Lines 7063–7074
10:24. And Pharao called Moses and Aaron, and said to them: Go, sacrifice to the Lord: let your sheep only, and herds remain, let your children go with you. 10:25. Moses said: Thou shalt give us also sacrifices and burnt-offerings, to the Lord our God. 10:26. All the flocks shall go with us; there shall not a hoof remain of them: for they are necessary for the service of the Lord our God: especially as we know not what must be offered, till we come to the very place.
Lines 7075–7085
10:27. And the Lord hardened Pharao’s heart, and he would not let them go. 10:28. And Pharao said to Moses: Get thee from me, and beware thou see not my face any more: in what day soever thou shalt come in my sight, thou shalt die. 10:29. Moses answered: So shall it be as thou hast spoken, I will not see thy face anymore.