Exodus 14:1-10

1 Forsooth the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

2 Speak thou to the sons of Israel; turn they again, and set they tents even against Pihahiroth, which is betwixt Migdol and the sea, against Baalzephon; and in the sight thereof ye shall set tents on the sea. (Speak thou to the Israelites; tell them to turn back, and pitch their tents before Pihahiroth, which is between Migdol and the Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds, east of Baalzephon; yea, in the sight of it, ye shall pitch your tents by the sea.)

3 And Pharaoh shall say on the sons of Israel, They be made strait in the land, the desert hath closed them together. (And Pharaoh shall say of the Israelites, The land is too narrow there for all of them, yea, the wilderness hath enclosed them.)

4 And I shall make hard his heart, and he shall pursue you, and I shall be glorified in Pharaoh, and in all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord; and they did so.

5 And it was told to the king of the Egyptians, that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed on the people, and they said, What would we do, that we let go Israel, that it should not serve us? (And it was told to the king of the Egyptians, that the people had fled; and Pharaoh's heart, and the hearts of his servants, were turned against the people, and they said, What have we done? we have let Israel go, and now there is no one here to serve us!)

6 Therefore Pharaoh joined (up) the chariot, and took with him all his people; (And so Pharaoh joined up his chariot, and took all his people with him;)

7 and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and whatever thing of chariots was in Egypt, and [the] dukes of all the host. (and he took six hundred of the choicest chariots, and whatever other chariots were in Egypt, and all the leaders of his army.)

8 And the Lord made hard the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the sons of Israel; and they were gone out in an high hand. (And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites; and they went forth with great defiance.)

9 And when the Egyptians pursued the steps of the sons of Israel before-going, they found them in tents on the sea; (and) all the chivalry, and [the] chariots of Pharaoh, and all the host were in Pihahiroth, against Baalzephon. (And the Egyptians, yea, all the cavalry, and the chariots, and all of Pharaoh's army, pursued the steps of the Israelites who had gone forth before them; and they found them in their tents by the Red Sea, by Pihahiroth, and east of Baalzephon.)

10 And when Pharaoh had nighed, the sons of Israel raised [up] their eyes, and they saw the Egyptians behind them, and they dreaded greatly (and they greatly feared); and they cried to the Lord,

Exodus 14:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 14

This chapter begins with directions of God to Moses, to be given to the children of Israel about the course they were to steer in their journey, with the reason thereof, Ex 14:1-4, which they observing, a report was brought to Pharaoh that they were fled, and this determined him and his servants to get ready and pursue after them, as they did with a great army, Ex 14:5-9, which when the Israelites saw, it put them in great fear, and set them to murmuring and complaining against Moses for bringing them out of Egypt, Ex 14:10,11,12, who desired them to be still and quiet, and they should see the salvation of the Lord, Ex 14:13,14, and he is bid to order the people to go on in their journey, and to take his rod and stretch it over the sea and divide it, that Israel might pass through it on dry ground, and the Egyptians follow them, whereby God would be honoured and glorified, Ex 14:15-18, upon which the Angel of the Lord in a pillar of cloud removed from before there, and went behind them for their protection, Ex 14:19,20, and Moses stretching out his hand over the sea, and a strong east wind blowing upon it, the waters divided and the Israelites went into it, and the Egyptians followed them, but their host being troubled by the Lord, and their chariot wheels taken off, they found themselves in great danger, and were thrown into a panic, Ex 14:20-25 and upon Moses's stretching out his hand again over the sea, the waters returned, and Pharaoh and his host were drowned, but the Israelites passed through safely, as on dry land, Ex 14:26-29, which great work of the Lord being observed by them, influenced their fear of him, their faith in him and his servant Moses, Ex 14:30,31.