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The Torah · Old Testament

Exodus 14

Israel crosses the sea and the pursuing army is overwhelmed

General context

The Lord directs Israel to camp by the sea and announces that Pharaoh will pursue them. Pharaoh and his servants regret releasing Israel from service, and he gathers his chariots and army. The Lord hardens his heart, and the Egyptians overtake Israel's camp. The frightened people cry to the Lord and accuse Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die. Moses tells them to watch for the Lord's rescue, while the Lord commands them to move forward and tells Moses to stretch his hand over the sea. The angel of God and the cloud move behind Israel, separating the camps through the night. Moses stretches out his hand, and the Lord drives the sea back with a strong east wind. Israel crosses on dry ground with water on either side. The Egyptians follow. Their chariots are hindered, and they recognize that the Lord fights for Israel. At the Lord's command, Moses stretches his hand out again; the returning waters cover the pursuing force. Israel sees the Egyptians dead on the shore. The chapter ends with the people fearing and believing the Lord and believing his servant Moses.

Cited passages: Exodus 14:1, Exodus 14:2, Exodus 14:3, Exodus 14:4, Exodus 14:5, Exodus 14:6, Exodus 14:7, Exodus 14:8, Exodus 14:9, Exodus 14:10, Exodus 14:11, Exodus 14:12, Exodus 14:13, Exodus 14:14, Exodus 14:15, Exodus 14:16, Exodus 14:17, Exodus 14:18, Exodus 14:19, Exodus 14:20, Exodus 14:21, Exodus 14:22, Exodus 14:23, Exodus 14:24, Exodus 14:25, Exodus 14:26, Exodus 14:27, Exodus 14:28, Exodus 14:29, Exodus 14:30, Exodus 14:31

Exodus 14 (KJV)

1And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

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

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.

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?

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

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

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.

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 Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-zephon.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The camp is located by named places: Pi-hahiroth, Migdol and Baal-zephon. The guide does not assign modern coordinates to them. Pharaoh takes six hundred chosen chariots as well as the broader chariot force described by the account. A strong east wind blows through the night before the waters return in the morning. The King James text describes chariot wheels being taken off; Bible in Basic English describes them becoming stiff. Both describe difficulty driving, without providing an engineering explanation. The destruction statement concerns the army that entered the sea after Israel. The chapter does not separately narrate Pharaoh's personal death.

Cited passages: Exodus 14:2, Exodus 14:6, Exodus 14:7, Exodus 14:9, Exodus 14:19, Exodus 14:20, Exodus 14:21, Exodus 14:22, Exodus 14:23, Exodus 14:24, Exodus 14:25, Exodus 14:26, Exodus 14:27, Exodus 14:28, Exodus 14:29, Exodus 14:30

Literary context

The sight of the approaching Egyptians first produces fear and accusation; the sight of the Lord's work at the end produces fear of the Lord and belief. Moses' assurance that the Lord will fight is later echoed by the Egyptians themselves. The cloud separates the camps before the sea becomes a path for Israel and then covers its pursuers. Commands to stretch out Moses' hand occur before both movements of the water. The ending explicitly contrasts Israel's passage on dry ground with the destruction of the pursuing force.

Cited passages: Exodus 14:10, Exodus 14:11, Exodus 14:12, Exodus 14:13, Exodus 14:14, Exodus 14:15, Exodus 14:16, Exodus 14:19, Exodus 14:20, Exodus 14:21, Exodus 14:22, Exodus 14:23, Exodus 14:25, Exodus 14:26, Exodus 14:27, Exodus 14:28, Exodus 14:29, Exodus 14:30, Exodus 14:31

Key moments

  1. Moses promises that the Lord will fight (Exodus 14:14). Moses tells the people that the Lord will fight for them and that they are to hold their peace.
  2. The sea is driven back (Exodus 14:21). Moses stretches out his hand, and the Lord drives the sea back with a strong east wind through the night.
  3. The waters cover the pursuing force (Exodus 14:28). The returning waters cover the chariots, horsemen and army that followed Israel into the sea.
  4. The people respond with fear and belief (Exodus 14:31). Israel sees the Lord’s great work and believes the Lord and his servant Moses.

For reflection

What changes between the people's response to the approaching army and their response at the end of the chapter?

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