Exodus 14:7

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.)

Exodus 14:7 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 14:7

And he took six hundred chosen chariots
The chief and best he had, war chariots, chariots of iron; perhaps such as had iron scythes to them, to cut down men as they drove along; these were taken partly for quickness of dispatch, that they might be able the sooner to overtake the Israelites, who had got several days' marches before them; and partly for their strength and the annoyance of their enemies with them:

and all the chariots of Egypt:
as many as could in so short a time be got together: for the words are not to be taken in the utmost latitude, but to signify a great number, and all that could be conveniently come at: the Greek version is, "all the horse", the cavalry, which better distinguishes them from the former:

and captains over everyone of them:
over everyone of the chariots, so that they must each of them have many in them, to have captains over them: and perhaps the infantry, or foot soldiers, for, quickness of expedition, were put into them; for, besides these, there were horsemen: Josephus ^F16 makes the whole number of his army to be 50,000 horse, and 200,000 foot, and the same number is given by a Jewish chronologer ^F17: but Patricides, an Arabic writer, says ^F18 it consisted of 600,000, and Ezekiel ^F19, the tragic poet, has made it amount to a million of horse and foot: should it be asked where horses could be had to draw the chariots, and horses for the horsemen after mentioned, when all were destroyed by the hail, ( Exodus 9:25 ) it may be replied, that only those in the field were killed, not such as were in stables, where chariot horses and horses for war may be supposed to be: besides, as the Targum of Jonathan intimates, these might belong to these servants of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord, and took their cattle home, ( Exodus 9:20 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Antiqu. l. 2. c. 15. sect. 3.
F17 Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 77. 4.
F18 Apud Hottinger. Smegma, p. 464.
F19 Apud Euseb. ut supra. (Praepar. Evangel. c. 27. p. 436.)

Exodus 14:7 In-Context

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.)