Exodus 15 14

Exodus 15:14 kjv

The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina.

Exodus 15:14 nkjv

"The people will hear and be afraid; Sorrow will take hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.

Exodus 15:14 niv

The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia.

Exodus 15:14 esv

The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

Exodus 15:14 nlt

The peoples hear and tremble;
anguish grips those who live in Philistia.

Exodus 15 verses

Exodus 15 14 Meaning

Exodus 15:14 prophesies the fearful reaction of surrounding nations, specifically mentioning the dwellers of Philistia, upon hearing the news of God's powerful deliverance of Israel through the Red Sea. This verse expresses a deep, visceral terror that will seize these peoples, likening it to the unbearable pangs of childbirth. It foretells that the fame of Yahweh's great act will spread, causing panic among Israel's potential adversaries and paving the way for Israel's future conquest of the Promised Land under divine protection.

Exodus 15 14 Context

Exodus 15:14 is part of the "Song of the Sea," sung by Moses and the Israelites after their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and the destruction of the pursuing Egyptian army (Exo 15:1-18). This song is both a celebration of God's recent triumph and a prophetic declaration of future events. The immediate context (Exo 15:1-13) recounts God's decisive victory over Pharaoh's chariots and horsemen, praising Him as a mighty warrior who triumphed gloriously. Verses 14-16 shift the focus from the past miracle to its anticipated consequences on surrounding nations.

Historically, after escaping Egypt, Israel's journey towards Canaan would take them through territories controlled by various peoples like the Edomites, Moabites, and eventually, the Canaanites and Philistines. The song acts as an assurance to Israel and a forewarning to their enemies, prophesying the divine dread that would incapacitate these nations even before Israel reached them. This fear was not merely a reaction to human strength but a divinely inspired terror caused by the overwhelming display of Yahweh's power. It sets the stage for the narrative of conquest by highlighting God's role in weakening the will of the opposing peoples.

Exodus 15 14 Word analysis

• Heard (שָׁמְעוּ, sham'u):

  • Meaning: From the verb shama, meaning "to hear, listen, obey." Here, it signifies more than just passive hearing; it implies that the news of God's deeds will register deeply and provoke a response.
  • Significance: The widespread dissemination and reception of this powerful report is central to its effect. It suggests that the fame of Yahweh's act would spread by divine intention.

• Peoples (עַמִּים, ammim):

  • Meaning: Plural of am, referring to various nations or ethnic groups.
  • Significance: Indicates that the impact of the Red Sea miracle would not be confined to immediate neighbors but would affect multiple populations, creating widespread fear across the region.

• Tremble (יִרְגָּזוּן, yirgazu):

  • Meaning: From ragaz, to quake, shake, be disturbed, enraged, or afraid. In this context, it primarily conveys shaking from fear or terror.
  • Significance: Describes a physical, involuntary manifestation of intense fear. It implies a destabilizing effect, showing that the nations would be thrown into disarray.

• Pangs (חִיל, chil):

  • Meaning: This powerful noun refers to trembling, anguish, agony, distress, and particularly "birth pangs" or "labor pains."
  • Significance: This metaphor vividly portrays an inescapable, intense, and overwhelming dread. Like a woman in childbirth, these nations would experience a debilitating, inescapable pain and terror, indicating utter helplessness and no means of escape from this divinely inflicted fear. It also hints at the 'new beginning' that Israel is experiencing.

• Seize them (אֲחָזָתַם, achazatam):

  • Meaning: From achaz, "to take hold of, grasp, lay hold of."
  • Significance: The fear is not something they merely feel, but something that violently grips and completely overwhelms them, leaving them helpless and unable to resist or formulate a defense.

• Dwellers in Philistia (יֹשְׁבֵי פְלָשֶׁת, yoshvey Peleshet):

  • Meaning: Specifically refers to the Philistines, inhabitants of the coastal plain, later a major adversary of Israel (e.g., in the time of the Judges and early Monarchy).
  • Significance: Their specific mention underscores their future opposition and highlights that even formidable enemies would not be exempt from this terror. This is a prophetic insight into future conflicts, indicating God's preeminence over any military strength or idol worshipped by the Philistines (like Dagon), making this an implicit polemic against their gods.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "The peoples have heard; they tremble": This emphasizes the direct cause-and-effect relationship between God's mighty acts (implied by "heard") and the nations' fearful reaction. It portrays a scene of widespread recognition and a deeply disturbing effect.
  • "Pangs have seized the dwellers in Philistia": This phrase dramatically escalates the intensity of the fear described. By specifically naming the Philistines, it roots the prophetic promise in concrete geographical and ethnic realities, highlighting the inevitability of this terror even for powerful, future adversaries. The "pangs" metaphor powerfully demonstrates their utter helplessness against Yahweh's revealed power. This is a strong statement of Yahweh's sovereignty over the territorial claims and false gods of these powerful peoples, particularly the Philistines who worshipped deities like Dagon. Their "pangs" symbolize their gods' inability to protect them from Yahweh's reach.

Exodus 15 14 Bonus section

The "pangs" (חִיל, chil) metaphor extends beyond mere fear to suggest a state of vulnerability and helplessness, akin to the profound, consuming process of labor. This signifies that these nations were utterly unprepared for and incapable of dealing with the terror inflicted by the reputation of Yahweh's power. This pre-conditioning of the land's inhabitants through fear would later be confirmed by individuals like Rahab in Jericho (Joshua 2:9-11), showing the prophetic accuracy of the Song of the Sea. This verse underscores a recurring biblical theme: God fights Israel's battles not only with overt power but also through psychological warfare, using His reputation to sow discord and panic among the enemies of His people. The song itself, in this prophetic portion, functioned as an act of faith and a declaration that solidified Israel's identity as a nation under the protective hand of the most High God.

Exodus 15 14 Commentary

Exodus 15:14 serves as a potent prophetic declaration within the Song of the Sea, transitioning from a historical recounting of the Red Sea miracle to a forward-looking assurance of God's continued involvement in Israel's journey. The verse posits that the sheer magnitude of Yahweh's recent act would not only be reported but would infuse widespread, incapacitating terror among the nations inhabiting the future route to Canaan. The use of "pangs" as a descriptor is highly evocative, drawing an analogy to the unavoidable and overwhelming agony of childbirth, signifying that the dread seizing these nations would be profound, natural, and beyond their control. This divinely induced fear was intended to weaken their will to resist, providing an easier path for Israel's conquest.

By specifically mentioning "the dwellers in Philistia," the song pre-emptively names a future, formidable adversary, emphasizing that no nation, however strong, would be immune to God's intimidating presence. This verse implicitly sets God's power over any national deity these peoples might worship, declaring Yahweh as the supreme warrior who fights for Israel and instills terror that goes beyond mere human dread of an army. It assures Israel that their future success in taking the land would largely be attributed to God's preceding actions in spreading fear among their enemies, fulfilling His covenant promise to clear the land for His people.