They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
This darkness was not merely dark but palpable, felt by the fingers themselves, thick as fog. The Egyptians could not see one another, could not kindle a flame, and were terrified by the horrors of their own consciences and the dreadful sounds around them. Hell itself is utter darkness.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 10:21-29
And Moses said, thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings,.... Sheep, rams, and goats for sacrifices, and oxen for burnt offerings; and that of his own, as Jarchi interprets it; but rather the meaning is, that besides having their little ones with them, they must be allowed also to take their cattle for sacrifices and burnt offerings: that we may sacrifice unto the...
This was no ordinary gloom but darkness the Egyptians could almost perceive by touch, lasting three days. The Lord struck at the very heart of Egyptian religion, their sun-god, and in a land where clear skies were never marred by clouds. He made a sharp distinction between Goshen and the rest of Egypt.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 10:21-29