And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.
Pharaoh's terror at the darkness moved him to call for Moses himself, though we must ask: how could messengers reach him if no one rose from his place? The answer is that the prohibition against rising speaks hyperbolically of ceasing from their daily work, not of literal immobility. Yet even now, though shaken, Pharaoh still shuffles and will not yield entirely.
AI summary
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
They could not know beforehand which animals or how many they must offer, for the laws governing sacrifices were given only after their deliverance in the wilderness. This was no mere pretext to retrieve their cattle, but the true and pressing difficulty they faced.
AI summary