Exodus 10:18
ESV
So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord.
NIV
Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.
NASB
Then he left Pharaoh and pleaded with the Lord.
CSB
Moses left Pharaoh’s presence and appealed to the Lord.
NLT
So Moses left Pharaoh’s court and pleaded with the Lord.
KJV
And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord.
NKJV
So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the Lord.
What does Exodus 10:18 mean?
This refers to Moses, who has just left Egypt's king. That king—the pharaoh—begged for an end to a catastrophic plague of locusts (Exodus 10:14–17). The catastrophe came because Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites (Exodus 10:3) who had been enslaved (Exodus 1:11–14). This is the fourth time the king has been forced to turn to Moses in humility, asking for relief (Exodus 8:8, 28; 9:28).The overall emphasis of this series of events is the power of the Lord. His name, Yahweh (Exodus 3:15), is typically presented in English using small capitals as "Lord." That word appears fifteen times in connection to this plague, alone. God predicted the plague (Exodus 10:4–6), brought it (Exodus 10:13), and He alone could end it.
As with prior disasters, Pharaoh's mind will change (Exodus 8:15, 31–32; 9:34–35) as soon as the locusts are gone (Exodus 10:19–20). After so many choices to defy God, Pharaoh is now being used as an example of judgment (Exodus 4:21). The stubbornness now comes by God's choice, not Pharaoh's, and is meant to further prove the power of the God of Israel (Exodus 10:1–2).
