Psalm 105:35

Psalm 105:35, in plain English

The locusts ate every plant that was left and consumed all the produce of the soil. After the hail, this was the final blow—Egypt's agriculture was completely destroyed.

Why it's here

By this point, there was nothing left. The vegetables, the grain, the fruit trees, the remaining livestock—all gone. The land itself looked barren. People who had depended on Egypt's agricultural wealth found themselves facing starvation.

Who's speaking

The psalmist, describing the complete devastation caused by the locusts

Where it sits in the story

This is the cumulative effect of God's judgment. It's not just about one plague being inconvenient. It's about a systematic dismantling of everything Egypt thought it could depend on. The message is clear: resist God's will, and everything falls apart.

The scholarly reading

The locust swarm consumed every remaining plant—there was nothing left for Egypt to subsist on; the ecological collapse was total.

Language and setting

Exodus 10:15 emphasizes that after the locusts, 'nothing green remained on any tree or plant in the fields throughout all the land of Egypt.' This represents complete agricultural failure—no grain, no fruit, no vegetation for human or animal consumption.

Voice

The psalmist, emphasizing the totality and finality of ecological destruction.

Significance

This verse describes the nadir of Egypt's condition before the final plague. The progression from individual plagues to a state of complete resource deprivation creates a theological crescendo—God is systematically dismantling the material conditions that enable Pharaoh to maintain resistance.

33He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.

34He spoke, and the locusts came— young locusts without number.

35They devoured every plant in their land and consumed the produce of their soil.

36Then He struck all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their vigor.

37He brought Israel out with silver and gold, and none among His tribes stumbled.

Read all of Psalm 105 — From Abraham to the exodus, God's faithfulness is retold as a song. He remembered His holy promise and brought His people out with joy.