So Moses stretched forth his rod does not contradict the command in verse 12, but it reflects a different tradition, in which the rod was important. (See the discussion on “Sources” in “Translating Exodus,” page 2.) The rod, or “stick” (New Revised Standard Version “staff”), is discussed at 4.2. Stretched forth his rod may also be expressed as “held out his walking stick.” Over the land of Egypt again suggests a single gesture rather than a prolonged extension of the arm. See the previous verse, where “against” or “toward” are possible translations.

And the LORD brought an east wind means “the LORD caused a wind from the east to blow” (Good News Translation), and in a number of languages the causative will be more natural style. The root meaning of the verb is “to drive,” so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “drove an east wind.” Revised English Bible is more dramatic: “the LORD sent a wind roaring in from the east.” East in a number of languages will be translated in a way similar to “from the direction where the sun rises,” or simply “from where the sun rises.” So brought an east wind may be also expressed as “caused a wind to blow from the direction where the sun rises.” Upon the land suggests the whole “land of Egypt” (New Revised Standard Version). All that day and all that night means the rest of that day and throughout the following night. (The word “tomorrow” in verse 4 is indefinite.)

When it was morning is literally “and the morning was.” The word for morning refers to dawn or daybreak. Other ways to express when it was morning are “when the sun rose again” or “After the sun had risen the next day.” The east wind had brought the locusts is pluperfect in English, meaning that the locusts had been brought in during the night and were already there by daybreak. This interpretation suggests the prolonged effect of the wind and is based on the context rather than on the form of the verb. New American Bible and King James Version use the simple past tense, “the east wind brought the locusts.” The verb brought means to lift, raise, or carry. (See “lifted” and the comment at verse 19.) Another possible way to express this final sentence is “The next morning the locusts were already there in Egypt,” meaning that the wind had brought them during the night.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• So Moses held out his walking stick, and the LORD caused a wind to blow from the east. It blew all that day and night. The next day, when the sun had risen, the locusts were already there in Egypt.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .