Exodus 14 explained: Escape Through the Sea

A strange turn back (vv. 1-4)

The LORD has Israel double back and camp with the sea in front of them, so that Pharaoh will think they are lost and trapped and come after them. To "harden" Pharaoh's heart means to make him stubborn, and the stated aim is that Egypt will know the LORD; the places named cannot be located with certainty today.

Pharaoh gives chase (vv. 5-9)

Pharaoh and his officials regret losing the labor of their slaves, so he sends his chariots, the fastest fighting force of the time. Israel had marched out boldly, but now the army catches them camped by the water.

Panic and a promise (vv. 10-14)

Cornered between the army and the sea, the people cry out to the LORD and turn on Moses, saying slavery would have been better than dying in the desert. Moses answers that they will not need to fight, because the LORD will fight for them.

Cloud, wind and dry ground (vv. 15-22)

The LORD tells Moses to stop crying out and get the people moving, and the pillar of cloud that had led them moves behind them as a shield, dark toward Egypt and light toward Israel. A strong east wind blows all night, a dry path opens with water standing on both sides, and the people cross.

The army is drowned (vv. 23-28)

Before dawn the Egyptian chariots are thrown into confusion and their wheels jam or come off, and the soldiers realize the LORD is fighting against them. The water returns and the whole army dies; the text states this bluntly, presenting it as the LORD gaining glory over Pharaoh so that Egypt would know who he is.

Seeing and trusting (vv. 29-31)

Israel sees the bodies on the shore, and the people are filled with awe and put their trust in the LORD and in Moses. Christians later read this crossing as a picture of baptism, a passage from slavery into new life.

Key verse: Exodus 14:14

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on how to understand the LORD hardening Pharaoh's heart, whether God overrode Pharaoh's will or confirmed a stubbornness Pharaoh had already chosen, and what that says about human freedom.

Something to think about

When have you felt trapped between something behind you and something that looked impossible ahead, and what, if anything, made it possible to move?