Exodus 14

This chapter belongs to the Exodus narrative in the first half of the book of Exodus. In Exodus 13, Israel left Egypt, encamped at Etham, and was led by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. Chapter 14 continues the account as the march reaches a crisis at the edge of the sea.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 The LORD has Israel turn back and encamp by the sea before Pi-hahiroth. He declares that He will harden Pharaoh's heart (make it stubborn and obstinate) and gain honor over him.
• Verses 5–9 Pharaoh and his servants change their minds. With six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt, they pursue Israel and overtake the camp.
• Verses 10–14 The people cry out in fear and complain against Moses, saying it would have been better to serve the Egyptians. Moses answers that they should stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.
• Verses 15–18 The LORD commands the people to go forward and tells Moses to lift up his rod and stretch out his hand over the sea.
• Verses 19–20 The angel of God and the pillar of cloud move behind Israel, coming between the two camps.
• Verses 21–22 A strong east wind blows all night, the sea becomes dry land, and the waters form a wall on the right and on the left.
• Verses 23–25 The Egyptian army follows them in. In the morning watch the LORD troubles the army and takes off their chariot wheels.
• Verses 26–28 When Moses stretches out his hand again, the waters return and cover Pharaoh's army, and not one of them remains.
• Verses 29–31 Israel sees the deliverance, fears the LORD, and believes the LORD and His servant Moses.

Key Verses

• Exodus 14:13–14 "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day… The LORD shall fight for you" — the central declaration of the chapter and its most frequently quoted passage.
• Exodus 14:31 "[They] believed the LORD, and his servant Moses" — indicates that the people's faith arose as a result of the event.

People and Places

• Moses: The leader of Israel, who stretches out his hand, holding the rod, over the sea.
• Pharaoh: The king of Egypt, who regrets letting Israel go and leads his army in pursuit.
• Pi-hahiroth, Migdol, and Baal-zephon: Place names near the sea where Israel encamped. Their exact locations are unknown.
• Red Sea: The text of this chapter refers to it only as "the sea"; it is called the Red Sea in chapters 13 and 15.

Points for Reflection

• The statement that God hardened Pharaoh's heart (verses 4, 8, and 17) is often discussed in debates over predestination and free will. The Calvinist tradition reads it as a text displaying God's sovereignty and considers it together with Romans 9:17–18. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions tend to read it as judgment on Pharaoh for having previously hardened his own heart.
• The Hebrew phrase yam suph can be rendered "Sea of Reeds." For this reason, there are various views about where the crossing took place.
• Some have attempted to explain the "strong east wind" of verse 21 as a natural phenomenon. Traditional interpretation, by contrast, reads the event as a miracle performed directly by God.
• In the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 10:1–2 interprets this event as being "baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." Hebrews 11:29 cites it as an example of passing through the Red Sea by faith.

In the Korean Church

Verses 13–14 are widely used as a sermon text urging believers to trust God in times of crisis. In Sunday schools, the story of the crossing of the Red Sea is taught as the defining scene of the Exodus. This chapter is immediately followed by the Song of Moses in Exodus 15.