What changes Israel’s fear of the pursuing Egyptians into belief in the Lord and Moses?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord makes a dry way through the sea for Israel and brings the waters back over the pursuing army. Seeing the Egyptians dead on the shore and the Lord’s mighty hand, the people fear the Lord and believe him and Moses.

Chapter breakdown

What changes Israel’s fear of the pursuing Egyptians into belief in the Lord and Moses? The Lord makes a dry way through the sea for Israel and brings the waters back over the pursuing army. Seeing the Egyptians dead on the shore and the Lord’s mighty hand, the people fear the Lord and believe him and Moses.

God tells Moses to have Israel turn and camp opposite Phihahiroth, between Magdal and the sea, opposite Beelsephon, upon the sea. Pharao will say they are confined in the land and shut in by the desert. God will harden his heart, and he will pursue them. God will be glorified in Pharao and all his army, and the Egyptians will know he is the Lord. Israel does as told.

The king is told that the people have fled. The heart of Pharao and his servants changes towards them, and they ask why they let Israel go from serving them. He prepares his chariot and takes all his people with him, including 600 chosen chariots, all Egypt’s chariots and the captains of the whole army. The Lord hardens his heart, and he pursues Israel, who has gone out in a mighty hand. The Egyptians follow and find Israel camped beside the sea: all Pharao’s horse, chariots and whole army come to Phihahiroth before Beelsephon.

As Pharao approaches, Israel looks up, sees the Egyptians behind them, fears greatly and cries to the Lord. They ask Moses whether perhaps there were no graves in Egypt, so he brought them to die in the wilderness, and why he led them out. They recall saying in Egypt to leave them to serve the Egyptians, because serving them was better than dying in the wilderness. Moses tells them not to fear, but to stand and see the Lord’s great wonders that day. The Egyptians they now see will never be seen again. The Lord will fight for them, and they must hold their peace.

God asks Moses why he cries to him and tells him to order Israel forward. Moses must lift his rod and stretch his hand over the sea to divide it, so Israel can pass through on dry ground. God will harden the Egyptians’ heart to pursue, and be glorified in Pharao, all his host, chariots and horsemen. The Egyptians will know he is the Lord when he is glorified in Pharao, his chariots and horsemen.

The angel of God moves from before Israel’s camp to behind it. The pillar of cloud also leaves the front and stands between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. It is a dark cloud and lights the night, keeping them from coming at one another all night. Challoner’s note explains that the cloud is dark to the Egyptians but gives Israel great light.

Moses stretches his hand over the sea. The Lord takes the sea away by a strong and burning wind blowing all night, turns it into dry ground and divides the water. Israel goes through the dried sea, with the water as a wall on their right and left. The Egyptians pursue through it, with all Pharao’s horses, chariots and horsemen.

At the morning watch, the Lord looks upon the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and cloud and kills their host. He overturns the chariot wheels, and they are carried into the deep. The Egyptians say they must flee from Israel because the Lord fights for Israel against them.

The Lord tells Moses to stretch his hand over the sea so the waters may return over the Egyptians, their chariots and horsemen. Moses stretches his hand towards the sea. At the first break of day it returns to its former place. As the Egyptians flee, the water comes upon them and the Lord shuts them in the waves. It covers the chariots and horsemen of all Pharao’s army that entered the sea after Israel; not one of them remains.

Israel marches through the sea on dry land, with water as a wall on each side. That day the Lord delivers Israel from the Egyptians’ hands. They see the Egyptians dead on the seashore and the mighty hand the Lord used against them. The people fear the Lord and believe the Lord and Moses his servant.

The story inside

The chapter’s change in response follows what the people see. First they see the Egyptians behind them and fear greatly, cry to the Lord and question Moses about dying in the wilderness. Moses says the Lord will fight for them. God orders movement and the dividing of the sea, while the cloud separates the camps through the night. Israel crosses dry ground and the Egyptians follow. The Egyptians then say the Lord fights against them; the waters return over the pursuing army. At the end Israel sees the dead Egyptians and the Lord’s mighty hand, and fears and believes the Lord and Moses. The account gives that sequence without adding an inner change beyond the responses it names. (Exodus 14:10–31.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The pursuit is announced before it occurs. God gives the camp location, says what Pharao will say, and announces his pursuit and the purpose that the Egyptians know the Lord. The following account records the changed heart, chariots and pursuit. (14:1–9.)
2
The cloud’s two descriptions are explained by the edition’s note. It stands between the camps all night. Challoner says it is dark to Egypt and gives Israel great light; the verse says the camps cannot come at one another that night. (14:19–20 and note.)
3
The ending names the ground for belief. Israel sees the Egyptians dead and the mighty hand the Lord used. The people then fear the Lord and believe him and Moses. No further doctrine or later military outcome is needed to explain this chapter’s stated response. (14:29–31.)

Test your recall

Why do the people first cry to the Lord? They see the Egyptians behind them and fear greatly. What prevents the camps from coming at one another overnight? The angel and cloud move behind Israel, and the cloud stands between the camps. What do the Egyptians say when the chariot wheels are overturned? They urge flight because the Lord fights for Israel against them. What does Israel see before its belief is recorded?

Show answer

Dead Egyptians on the shore and the Lord’s mighty hand. (14:10, 19–20, 25, 31.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 7435–7440
Exodus Chapter 14 Pharao pursueth the children of Israel. They murmur against Moses, but are encouraged by him, and pass through the Red Sea. Pharao and his army following them are drowned.
Lines 7441–7453
14:1. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 14:2. Speak to the children of Israel: Let them turn and encamp over against Phihahiroth, which is between Magdal and the sea over against Beelsephon: you shall encamp before it upon the sea. 14:3. And Pharao will say of the children of Israel: They are straitened in the land, the desert hath shut them in. 14:4. And I shall harden his heart and he will pursue you: and I shall be glorified in Pharao, and in all his army: and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so.
Lines 7454–7471
14:5. And it was told the king of the Egyptians that the people was fled: and the heart of Pharao and of his servants was changed with regard to the people, and they said: What meant we to do, that we let Israel go from serving us? 14:6. So he made ready his chariot, and took all his people with him. 14:7. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots that were in Egypt: and the captains of the whole army. 14:8. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao, king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; but they were gone forth in a mighty hand. 14:9. And when the Egyptians followed the steps of them who were gone before, they found them encamped at the sea side: all Pharao’s horse and chariots and the whole army were in Phihahiroth, before Beelsephon.
Lines 7472–7489
14:10. And when Pharao drew near, the children of Israel lifting up their eyes, saw the Egyptians behind them: and they feared exceedingly, and cried to the Lord. 14:11. And they said to Moses: Perhaps there were no graves in Egypt, therefore thou hast brought us to die in the wilderness: why wouldst thou do this, to lead us out of Egypt? 14:12. Is not this the word that we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying: Depart from us, that we may serve the Egyptians? for it was much better to serve them, than to die in the wilderness. 14:13. And Moses said to the people: Fear not: stand, and see the great wonders of the Lord, which he will do this day; for the Egyptians, whom you see now, you shall see no more for ever. 14:14. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
Lines 7490–7503
14:15. And the Lord said to Moses: Why criest thou to me? Speak to the children of Israel to go forward. 14:16. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch forth thy hand over the sea, and divide it: that the children of Israel may go through the midst of the sea on dry ground. 14:17. And I will harden the heart of the Egyptians to pursue you: and I will be glorified in Pharao, and in all his host, and in his chariots and in his horsemen. 14:18. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall be glorified in Pharao, and in his chariots, and in his horsemen.
Lines 7504–7515
14:19. And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removing, went behind them: and together with him the pillar of the cloud, leaving the forepart, 14:20. Stood behind, between the Egyptians’ camp and the camp of Israel: and it was a dark cloud, and enlightening the night, so that they could not come at one another all the night. A dark cloud, and enlightening the night.... It was a dark cloud to the Egyptians; but enlightened the night to the Israelites by giving them a great light.
Lines 7516–7526
14:21. And when Moses had stretched forth his hand over the sea, the Lord took it away by a strong and burning wind blowing all the night, and turned it into dry ground: and the water was divided. 14:22. And the children of Israel went in through the midst of the sea dried up; for the water was as a wall on their right hand and on their left. 14:23. And the Egyptians pursuing went in after them, and all Pharao’s horses, his chariots and horsemen, through the midst of the sea.
Lines 7527–7534
14:24. And now the morning watch was come, and behold the Lord looking upon the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, slew their host. 14:25. And overthrew the wheels of the chariots, and they were carried into the deep. And the Egyptians said: Let us flee from Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against us.
Lines 7535–7547
14:26. And the Lord said to Moses: Stretch forth thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and horsemen. 14:27. And when Moses had stretched forth his hand towards the sea, it returned at the first break of day to the former place: and as the Egyptians were fleeing away, the waters came upon them, and the Lord shut them up in the middle of the waves. 14:28. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen of all the army of Pharao, who had come into the sea after them, neither did there so much as one of them remain.
Lines 7548–7559
14:29. But the children of Israel marched through the midst of the sea upon dry land, and the waters were to them as a wall on the right hand and on the left: 14:30. And the Lord delivered Israel in that day out of the hands of the Egyptians. 14:31. And they saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore, and the mighty hand that the Lord had used against them: and the people feared the Lord, and they believed the Lord, and Moses his servant.