Exodus lesson 10 - Turning to God's Word

You Shall Have No Other Gods:
The Book of Exodus

Lesson 10 A Plague of Darkness & a Final Warning
the book of Exodus 10:21—12:28

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for the book of Exodus
cross references in the book of Exodus
next lesson: Final Plague: Death of the Firstborn

This material coordinates with Lesson 10 on pages 48–52 in the study book You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”—the book of Exodus 20:1–6

welcome to our in-depth study of the book of Exodus
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 28-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson video overviews, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-study question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the book of Exodus 9:8—10:20
In Lesson 9 Plagues of Boils, Hail & Locusts, the LORD continues to afflict the Egyptians with plagues, and Pharaoh continues to refuse to allow the Israelites leave Egypt. The sixth plague, boils, strikes only the Egyptians, but with the seventh plague of hail, the LORD issues an advance warning that it’s coming so any Egyptians who wish to shelter themselves or their animals have time to do so. The hail destroys crops as well as people and animals, but the area of Goshen, where the Israelites dwell, isn’t affected. At the urging of his people, Pharaoh agrees to let adult male Hebrews leave, but he refuses to allow them to take women, children, or all of their animals. This prompts the LORD to send an eighth plague, swarms of locusts, and the locusts devour all of the crops not previously destroyed by the hail.

why the plagues so far haven’t changed Pharaoh’s mind (01:07:32)
Even with eight plagues, Pharaoh hasn’t seriously considered Moses’ and Aaron’s request that the Israelites be allowed to leave Egypt. Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps explains that at the heart of things, Pharaoh is failing to acknowledge that the God of the Hebrews also is the LORD who rules over life and death. The tenth plague, which doesn’t show up until Scripture for the next lesson, demonstrates God’s awesome power, which exceeds that of any false god. From the time of the Exodus on, every first-born son of animals as well as of people is subject to death. In the book of Exodus the firstborn represent all of humanity, which is the state men and women find ourselves in today. We’re all subject to death through original sin. It’s precisely for this reason that Jesus came to redeem fallen humanity.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study from Turning to God’s Word match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 10, “A Plague of Darkness & a Final Warning,” on pages 48–52 in the study book.

light—you could look it up in our archives
In the ninth plague, the LORD sends darkness over Egypt, once again sparing the region of Goshen where the Israelites live. In Scripture, the word “light” is equated with divinity, especially in the prologue to the New Testament Gospel According to John. Epiphany celebrates God’s gift of light. To learn more about the implications of light shining in darkness, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

who lights the world?
In the book of Exodus 10:21–29, God sends darkness to Egypt—but not to the region where the Israelites dwell. Pharaoh then sends for Moses and agrees to allow all of the Israelites to leave as long as their flocks remain in Egypt. Moses refuses to accept this offer, and in the book of Exodus 10:28 an angry Pharaoh says: “Get away from me; take heed to yourself; never see my face again; for in the day you see my face you shall die.” Moses agrees and leaves. This passage calls attention to the imbalance of power between the LORD—the God of the Hebrew patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (and Moses)—and Pharaoh, who seems to buy into the Egyptian idea that he is himself a divinity. To learn more about the role that Jesus plays in God’s plan for humanity, read the Christian Connection, “Christ Is the Light of the World,” on page 51 in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

read the Catechism—the Passover prefigures Christianity
Paragraph 1150 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that there are a number of Old Covenant liturgical signs that point toward the New Covenant. Among these, Passover is recognized as one of the most significant.

1150 Signs of the covenant. The Chosen People received from God distinctive signs and symbols that marked its liturgical life. These are no longer solely celebrations of cosmic cycles and social gestures, but signs of the covenant, symbols of God’s mighty deeds for his people. Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. The Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the sacraments of the New Covenant.

what is the importance of the first Passover?
This section of the book of Exodus describes the tenth plague against the Egyptians, but the plague itself doesn’t actually occur until the book of Exodus 12:29, which will be covered in Lesson 11 Final Plague: Death of the Firstborn. In the Gospel According to John 1:29, the testimony of John (Jesus’ cousin, referred to the in synoptic Gospels as John the Baptist) that Jesus is the Lamb of God associates Jesus with the sacrifice of the Passover lamb: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The book of Exodus 12:1–28 recounts that this lamb’s blood was to be used to protect the Israelites during the tenth plague, an event in which the angel of death would pass over their homes but strike the firstborn of the Egyptians. The book of Exodus 14:5–31 will go on to describe the way in which the Israelites passed unharmed through the Red Sea—seen by Christians as a type of Baptism in which the Israelites are granted safe passage through death. It is noteworthy that in the Fourth Gospel, the baptisms performed by Jesus’ cousin John are the way in which he prepares for the Messiah to be revealed. Jesus’ own baptism (on the cross and not in the Jordan River—the baptism in the Jordan is symbolic rather than sacramental) will change the state of humanity. For more information about the significance of John’s ability to recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God, see Lesson 2 And This Is the Testimony of John in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

an injunction against using any type of leaven
After telling Moses how the Israelites are to prepare for the Passover, in the book of Exodus 12:14–20 the LORD gives further instructions for continuing to observe the anniversary of the Passover in future years. These instructions primarily have to do with avoiding any use of leaven. This reference to leaven in the Old Testament relies on the understanding that when the original Passover occurred, the Israelites left Egypt with no time to prepare anything baked using leaven. As a memorial of the Passover, the LORD asks that they refrain from using leaven for a period of seven days as an aid to remembering how God rescued them from bondage in Egypt. This Old Testament emphasis on leaven is closely tied to the time that it takes for leaven to cause a batch of bread dough to rise.

the meaning of leaven in the New Testament
In both the Gospel According to Matthew 13:33 and the Gospel According to Luke 13:20–21, Jesus uses the idea of leaven to make a point about how the kingdom of heaven grows. These parables about leaven follow Jesus’ parable about the mustard seed. The emphasis in the New Testament is less about how long it takes leaven to work and more about the idea that a small amount of leaven can create a much larger amount of dough (given the proper conditions, which include time). Often overlooked in Jesus’ examples of leaven and mustard seeds is that there’s a limit to the growth they bring about.

another New Testament connection to leaven & the Passover
In his First Letter to the Corinthians 5:7, Paul writes: “Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed.” In this passage, Paul focuses on the Old Testament idea of leaven as something undesirable that must be eliminated in order to move forward and achieve salvation.

what are some types of leaven?
Leavening agents fall into one of three categories—chemical, mechanical, and natural. Leaveners help to create a softer, more tender crumb in baked goods, and they can affect color and flavor.

chemical—Common chemical leavens include baking soda and baking powder.
mechanical—These leavens create air or steam that causes dough to rise. Examples are whipped egg whites and sourdough starters that produce carbon dioxide when they ferment.
natural—Also called wild yeasts, these microorganisms are present in the environment and can be used to leaven baked goods. They often are used in artisanal bread-making.

ex libris—God’s revelation is essential to liturgy
In The Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI discusses what he calls “a fundamental law of all liturgy.” This book, considered by many to be among the former pope’s finest works, looks at the essence of worship, the Jewish roots of Christian prayer, and the relationship of the liturgy to time and space. The section on the place of the liturgy in reality contains insights into worship based on Scripture. At ex libris—main bookshelf, you can learn more about The Spirit of the Liturgy and other works related to Catholic Bible study.

“…Man himself cannot simply ‘make’ worship. If God does not reveal himself, man is clutching empty space. Moses says to Pharaoh: ‘We do not know with what we must serve the LORD’ (the book of Exodus 10:26). These words display a fundamental law of all liturgy. When God does not reveal himself, man can, of course, from the sense of God within him, build altars ‘to the unknown god’ (Acts of the Apostles 17:23). He can reach out toward God in his thinking and try to feel his way toward him. But real liturgy implies that God responds and reveals how we can worship him. In any form, liturgy includes some kind of ‘institution.’ It cannot spring from imagination, our own creativity—then it would remain just a cry in the dark or mere self-affirmation. Liturgy implies a real relationship with Another, who reveals himself to us and gives our existence a new direction.”

a look at what the plagues suggest about Egyptian gods
Although not the only or even the most important detail about the 10 plagues against Egypt, it’s noteworthy that each one appears to be a direct attack on one of the many gods and goddesses worshiped by the Egyptians.

the first plague (the seventh chapter in the book of Exodus)—The LORD turning the Nile River to blood is a judgment against Hapi (also sometimes called Apis), the god of the Nile, and against Isis, goddess of the Nile, and Khnum, guardian of the Nile. The Egyptians also believed the Nile River to be the bloodstream of Osiris, who was thought to be reborn each year when the river flooded.
the second plague (the book of Exodus 8:1–15)—In this plague, God brings a judgment against Heqet, the frog-headed goddess of birth. Frogs were thought to be sacred and therefore not to be killed. During this plague, frogs invaded the homes of the Egyptians. When the frogs died, their stinking bodies were heaped up in piles throughout Egypt.
the third plague (the book of Exodus 8:16–19)—The infestation of gnats is a judgment against Set, the god of the desert. The magicians of Egypt are unable to duplicate this plague, so they declare to Pharaoh that “the finger of God” was responsible.
the fourth plague (the book of Exodus 8:20–32)—The LORD uses swarms of flies to bring judgment against Uatchit, the fly god. In this plague, God clearly distinguished between the Israelites and the Egyptians, as no swarms of flies were seen in Goshen, the area of Egypt where the Israelites lived.
the fifth plague (the book of Exodus 9:1–7)—The death of livestock serves as judgment against the Egyptian goddess Hathor and god Apis, both of whom were depicted as cattle. While many cattle of the Egyptians died during this plague, cattle belonging to the Israelites were protected.
the sixth plague (the book of Exodus 9:8–12)—The plague of boils is a judgment against the Egyptian gods Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis, all of which were thought to control health and disease .
the seventh plague (the book of Exodus 9:13–33)—For this plague, the LORD uses severe hail and fire to attack Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, the crop fertility god; and Set, the storm god. God also warns Pharaoh to gather whatever cattle and crops remained from the previous plagues and shelter them from the coming storm. Once again, no hail or fire damages anything belonging to the Israelites.
the eighth plague (the book of Exodus 10:1–20)—The Egyptian gods Nut, Osiris, and Set are again the focus of the LORD’s judgment. In this plague, God sends swarms of locusts to destroy any crops of wheat and rye that had survived the hail.
the ninth plague ( the book of Exodus 10:21–29)—God aims the plague of darkness against the sun god, Re. The Egyptians believed that Re was the first pharaoh, and Re was the patron of their current Pharaoh. The plague of darkness lasts three days.
the tenth and final plague (the book of Exodus 11:1—12:28)—With the death of all of the Egyptian first-born males, the LORD is done sending plagues. This plague is seen as a judgment against Isis, the protector of children.

a translation discrepancy in the biblical text
A sharp-eyed reader has pointed out that the Book of Jonah 1:17 (RSVCE and RSV2CE), cited in Question 1 for this lesson, appears as the Book of Jonah 2:1 (NABRE and some other translations). Printed studies from Turning to God’s Word reprint and reference the RSV2CE*, but we note discrepancies in chapter and verse numbering as they occur and in the Scripture Index in the back of our books. We apologize for missing this one; future printings will include a footnote on page 50 and will correct the index.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this Catholic study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

the book of Exodus 12:13–14—paragraph 608

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out when a person or place is mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a particular passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

eex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the book of Exodus 10:21—12:28 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can use the following short prayer based on this lesson’s text from the book of Exodus.

O God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ
to be the light of the world.
Enable us to turn away from darkness and sin
and avoid the inevitable death it brings.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lesson 11 Final Plague: Death of the Firstborn, the book of Exodus 12:29—13:16
Lesson 9 Plagues of Boils, Hail & Locusts, the book of Exodus 9:8—10:20

you also may like our study of the book of Revelation
The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness, a 23-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines ways in which our traditional Christian view of heaven is built on Hebrew apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old Testament. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary and takes a close look at the role of the prophets in present-day Christianity. Illustrations by Tami Palladino depict the often-misunderstood images in the book of Revelation. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and to offer support. You may use this email to contact us directly if you’re interested in starting a Turning to God study or in having your study schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus—but the same books aren’t found in existing Hebrew manuscripts, which aren’t as old as the oldest version of the Septuagint. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces those with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.