Exodus 14

Then the LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2"Tell the Israelites to turn back and set up camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, facing Baal-zephon. Camp by the sea, right across from that place.

2Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

NotePi-hahiroth, Migdol and Baal-zephon are Egyptian border landmarks whose locations are no longer known; 'Migdol' is a Semitic word for a watchtower or fort, and 'Baal-zephon' means 'Baal of the north', naming a shrine to a Canaanite storm god. 'The sea' is the body of water called in Hebrew yam suph, 'sea of reeds', traditionally rendered 'Red Sea'; which stretch of water is meant is disputed.

3For Pharaoh will say about the Israelites, 'They are wandering around the land with no way out. The desert has closed them in.'

3For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

Note'Pharaoh' is a title, not a personal name. It comes from the Egyptian for 'great house', originally the palace, and came to stand for the king himself. The chapter never names him.

4I will make Pharaoh stubborn, so that he chases after them. I will gain honor through Pharaoh and his whole army, so the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." And the Israelites did what he said.

4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD. And they did so.

NoteIn Hebrew the 'heart' is the seat of thinking and decision, not feeling; to harden or strengthen someone's heart is to make them resolute or unyielding in their intentions. The verb used here means to make firm or strong. 'I will be honoured' translates a verb meaning to be weighty or impressive, to gain public standing at someone's expense, the way a victor's reputation is made by the enemy he defeats.

5The king of Egypt was told that the people had run away. Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let Israel go, so they no longer serve us."

5And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?

6So Pharaoh got his chariot ready and took his people with him.

6And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him:

7He took six hundred of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers in charge of every one of them.

7And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

NoteChariots were the elite arm of an Egyptian army: light, fast, two-wheeled platforms carrying a driver and an archer. Against a crowd traveling on foot with children and livestock they were overwhelming. The word behind 'captains' or 'officers' literally means 'third men', probably the third man riding on a chariot.

8The LORD made Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, stubborn, and he chased after the Israelites. The Israelites were marching out boldly.

8And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand.

Note'With an high hand' is a Hebrew idiom for acting openly and in full confidence, marching out in triumph rather than slipping away. The same phrase can carry the sense of defiance, and both readings fit here.

9The Egyptians chased them. All of Pharaoh's horses and chariots, his horsemen, and his army caught up with them while they were camped by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

9But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.

10As Pharaoh came near, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them. They were terrified, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.

10And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

11They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you took us away to die in the desert? Why have you treated us like this, bringing us out of Egypt?

11And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

12Isn't this exactly what we told you in Egypt? We said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians.' It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert."

12Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

NoteThe Hebrew verb for 'serve' is the same word used for slave labor and for worship. The Israelites' demand of Pharaoh throughout Exodus has been to leave one kind of service for another; here they ask to go back to the first.

13Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and watch the LORD rescue you. He will do it for you today. The Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.

13And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

Note'Salvation' here translates a word meaning rescue or deliverance from physical danger, being got out of a tight spot. It carries no sense of an afterlife.

14The LORD will fight for you, and you only need to keep still."

14The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Note'Hold your peace' in 1611 English means keep silent or stay still, not make peace. The Hebrew verb suggests standing quiet and not intervening.

15The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move forward.

15And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16As for you, lift up your staff, stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it. Then the Israelites will go through the middle of the sea on dry ground.

16But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

NoteThe 'rod' or staff is the shepherd's stick Moses has carried since his call, used earlier in the confrontations with Pharaoh. A staff was also a standard mark of authority.

17And I, yes I, will make the Egyptians stubborn, so that they go in after them. I will gain honor through Pharaoh and his whole army, his chariots and his horsemen.

17And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

18The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I have gained honor through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."

18And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

19The angel of God, who had been going ahead of the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front of them and stood behind them.

19And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

Note'Angel' translates a word that simply means messenger, one sent to act or speak on another's behalf. The word itself says nothing about wings or appearance.

20It came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. It was a cloud and darkness to the one side, but it gave light through the night to the other side. So neither camp came near the other all night long.

20And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

NoteThe Hebrew of this verse is unusually obscure and has been read in opposite ways since ancient times: either the cloud darkened one side while lighting the other, or it brought darkness so that the two camps could not see each other all night. The translations differ because the original does.

21Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind. He turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.

21And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

22The Israelites went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground, with the waters standing like a wall on their right and on their left.

22And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

23The Egyptians chased after them and went in after them into the middle of the sea, all of Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

23And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

24During the morning watch, the LORD looked down at the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw the Egyptian army into confusion.

24And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

NoteThe night was divided into three watches. The 'morning watch' is the last of them, running roughly from two o'clock until sunrise, the darkest, coldest stretch before dawn, and a traditional time for surprise attacks.

25He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with great difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let us get away from Israel, because the LORD is fighting for them against the Egyptians!"

25And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians.

NoteThe Hebrew here is uncertain. It can mean the wheels were removed, or clogged, or made to swerve and wobble; ancient versions differ, some reading 'he bound' or 'he jammed' rather than 'he took off'.

26Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen."

26And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.

27Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its full force. The Egyptians were running away, straight into it, and the LORD swept the Egyptians into the middle of the sea.

27And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

Note'Returned to his strength' translates a phrase meaning the sea went back to its normal, steady flow. 'When the morning appeared' is literally 'at the turning of the morning', the moment night tips over into day.

28The waters came back and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and Pharaoh's whole army that had followed them into the sea. Not even one of them was left.

28And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

29But the Israelites walked on dry land through the middle of the sea, with the waters standing like a wall on their right and on their left.

29But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

30So that day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore.

30Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

Note'The hand of' is a standard Hebrew idiom for power or control, not a body part, to be saved from someone's hand is to be got out of their grip.

31Israel saw the great work the LORD did against the Egyptians. The people feared the LORD, and they believed the LORD and his servant Moses.

31And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Note'Feared the LORD' does not mean they were frightened of him. The Hebrew verb covers the awe and reverence owed to overwhelming power, and shades into obedience. 'Believed' likewise means trusted or relied on, rather than accepting a set of statements as true.