Exodus 14:9 kjv
But 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 Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon.
Exodus 14:9 nkjv
So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon.
Exodus 14:9 niv
The Egyptians?all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops?pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
Exodus 14:9 esv
The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
Exodus 14:9 nlt
The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh's army ? all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.
Exodus 14 9 Cross References
h2Verse|Text|Reference---|---|---Exod 14:4|For I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them...|God's deliberate plan for Pharaoh to pursue IsraelExod 14:8|The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt...|Reiteration of God hardening Pharaoh's heart for pursuitRom 9:17|For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up... that My name may be proclaimed in all the earth."|God's sovereignty over Pharaoh's heart for a greater purposeExod 9:16|But for this purpose I have allowed you to remain, that I may show you My power...|God's purpose in Pharaoh's existence to display divine powerExod 14:10|As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them...|The Israelites' fear upon seeing the Egyptian armyExod 14:14|The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.|God's promise to fight for His people against overwhelming oddsDeut 3:22|Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.|Reassurance of God's protective fighting for Israel2 Chron 20:15|Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.|Trusting God in seemingly overwhelming situationsExod 15:1|Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and said: "I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea."|Celebration of God's triumph over the Egyptian armyPs 78:12-13|He performed wonders before their fathers... He divided the sea and made them pass through...|Remembering God's miracles at the Red SeaPs 106:7-8|Our fathers... rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Nevertheless, He saved them for the sake of His name...|God's deliverance despite Israel's lack of faith, for His name's sakePs 77:16-19|The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish... You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.|God's powerful dominion over creation for His peopleIsa 43:16-17|Thus says the Lord, Who makes a way through the sea and a path through the mighty waters, Who brings forth the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man...|God's future promise to perform similar mighty acts of salvationHeb 11:29|By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though by dry land, and when the Egyptians tried to do the same, they were drowned.|The act of faith in crossing the Red Sea and the Egyptians' destructionExod 12:12|For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn... and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments...|God's judgments against Egyptian gods, extended to Pharaoh and his armyNum 33:4|While the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck among them. The Lord had also executed judgments on their gods.|Further confirmation of judgments on Egyptian gods, linking to Israel's departure1 Sam 5:3-4|When Dagon fell, broken before the ark, showing God's superiority over pagan gods.|God's sovereignty over pagan deitiesExod 13:21|The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way...|God's visible leading of Israel, which put them in this precise locationDeut 4:34|Or has a god ever tried to go and take for himself a nation... as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt... with great displays of power...|God's unique intervention for His chosen nation through power displaysJudg 4:15|And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots...|Examples of God's routing armies/chariots throughout ScriptureRev 15:3|And they sang the song of Moses... "Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty; Just and true are Your ways, King of the nations!"|Echoes the triumph over Egypt, representing ultimate victory of God
Exodus 14 verses
Exodus 14 9 Meaning
Exodus 14:9 describes the critical moment when Pharaoh, with his vast military might, finally overtakes the fleeing Israelites. It sets the scene for the dramatic confrontation at the edge of the Red Sea, emphasizing Israel's humanly inescapable predicament as they are hemmed in by the Egyptians, the sea, and the wilderness, illustrating the perfect setup for divine intervention and revelation of God's power.
Exodus 14 9 Context
Exodus 14 records Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea, a pivotal moment in their exodus from Egypt. Immediately preceding verse 9, God explicitly instructed Moses (Exod 14:1-4) to lead the Israelites to encamp in a seemingly vulnerable position by the sea, between Migdol and Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. This was a deliberate divine strategy to harden Pharaoh's heart and entice him to pursue Israel, creating a perfect snare where God could display His glory and judgment upon Pharaoh and his entire army. Verse 9 then describes the culmination of Pharaoh's change of heart (Exod 14:5), as his immense military machine—convinced of Israel's entrapment—closes in, setting the stage for one of the most powerful demonstrations of divine intervention in the Bible.
Exodus 14 9 Word analysis
- So the Egyptians pursued them: The Hebrew vayirdepu Mitsrayim (וַיִּרְדְּפוּ מִצְרַיִם). Yaradaph (רדף) means to pursue, chase, or persecute. Here it conveys the urgency and determination of the Egyptian army in hot pursuit, signaling their intent to reclaim or destroy the fleeing Israelites. This pursuit fulfills God's plan stated in Exod 14:4.
- all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh: The Hebrew kol-hasus rekhev Par'oh (כָּל־הַסּוּס רֶכֶב פַּרְעֹה). "Horses" (sus) and "chariots" (rekhev) denote the primary instruments of Egyptian military dominance. Pharaoh's army was renowned for its highly mobile and destructive chariot divisions. The phrase "all the horses and chariots" emphasizes the entirety and formidable nature of Pharaoh's force, reflecting his full commitment to capture Israel.
- and his horsemen and his army: The Hebrew uparashav vekhayilo (וּפָרָשָׁיו וְחֵילוֹ). "Horsemen" (parash) refers to mounted troops, perhaps the drivers and warriors in the chariots, or separate cavalry (though true cavalry was less common than chariotry at this time, it refers broadly to the armed personnel associated with the chariots). "His army" (khayil) is a comprehensive term for the military force, emphasizing the numerical strength and organizational power of the Egyptian military. This listing ensures no part of Pharaoh's formidable might is left unmentioned, stressing the seemingly impossible odds against the unarmed Israelites.
- and overtook them: The Hebrew vayassigu khonim (וַיַּשִּׂיגוּ). Nasag (נשׂג) means to reach, overtake, attain, or catch up to. The verb here is causative, "they caused themselves to reach." It highlights that the Egyptians successfully achieved their objective of catching up to the Israelites, trapping them against the sea.
- encamped by the sea: The Hebrew khōnı̄m al-hayam (חֹנִים עַל־הַיָּם). "Encamped" (khōneh) describes Israel's static, vulnerable position. "By the sea" (al-hayam) refers to the "Sea of Reeds" (Red Sea), providing the physical boundary that completed their apparent entrapment. From a human perspective, they were cornered with nowhere to go.
- beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon: The Hebrew lifne Pe Hakhhiroth ben migdol uven hayam lifne Ba'al Tsefon (לִפְנֵי פִּי הַחִירֹת בֵּין מִגְדֹּל וּבֵין הַיָּם לִפְנֵי בַּעַל צְפֹון). Pi Hahiroth (lit. "mouth of the gorges" or "mouth of the canals") and Baal Zephon ("Lord of the North" or "Lord of Zephon") are specific geographical markers. Baal Zephon was likely a pagan deity, possibly associated with maritime activity or storms. The placement of the Israelites "before Baal Zephon" serves a polemical purpose: God is about to demonstrate His power not only over Pharaoh but over all Egyptian deities, proving His supremacy to both Israel and Egypt. The deliberate, God-ordained choice of this location magnifies the subsequent divine victory over human might and false gods.
Exodus 14 9 Bonus section
The specificity of the Egyptian forces, mentioning "horses," "chariots," "horsemen," and "army," shows the biblical writer's detailed understanding of military power and the full extent of Pharaoh's retaliatory move. This also provides the scale of God's later victory – it wasn't just a skirmish, but the defeat of an entire, well-equipped imperial force. This serves as a significant precursor to the Song of the Sea in Exodus 15, where the full extent of God's triumph is sung and celebrated, making the seemingly invincible Egyptian war machine "no more." Furthermore, the setting "before Baal Zephon" emphasizes Yahweh's victory over cosmic, pagan forces, not just political ones, a consistent theme in the Exodus narrative (Exod 12:12). This moment is a powerful lesson in God's faithfulness, reminding us that He uses seemingly impossible situations to display His glory and ensure His people recognize that salvation comes from Him alone.
Exodus 14 9 Commentary
Exodus 14:9 serves as the climax of the narrative build-up, detailing the overwhelming convergence of Pharaoh's formidable military upon the trapped Israelites. Every element—the relentless pursuit, the comprehensive description of Egyptian military might (horses, chariots, horsemen, and the entire army), and the specific geographic location where Israel is "cornered"—works to heighten the sense of Israel's utter desperation and expose the raw power of their oppressors. This verse is not merely a geographic or military report; it is a profound theological statement. It intentionally creates an impossible scenario from a human standpoint, highlighting that Israel's deliverance would necessitate a truly miraculous act of God. It's the moment God sets the stage to declare His absolute sovereignty over human kings, military power, and pagan deities (Baal Zephon). The scene depicts the ultimate confrontation between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world, making the subsequent divine victory all the more spectacular and undeniable. This event, much like our own life challenges, teaches us that God often permits or even orchestrates circumstances that corner us, not to destroy us, but to reveal His magnificent power and provide a way where there is no human way.