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| 1 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, |
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| 2 'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and they turn back and encamp before Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-Zephon; over-against it ye do encamp by the sea, |
That they turn – This turn was perhaps necessary because of the great wall of Egypt, somewhat similar to the great wall of China, and the route taken was more favorable for pasturage, etc. R2919:2
From northeast to south; mis-interpreted by the Egyptians as becoming entangled in the land. R3997:4
And the sea – The Bitter Lakes, which lengthen out the northernmost tongue of the Red Sea. R3997:4
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| 3 and Pharaoh hath said of the sons of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut upon them; |
They are entangled – They are lost. R3997:4
Shut them In – Having passed between two mountain ranges, up against the northern arm of the Red Sea, they had gone into a pen from which there was no escape. R5277:5
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| 4 and I have strengthened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hath pursued after them, and I am honoured on Pharaoh, and on all his force, and the Egyptians have known that I [am] Jehovah;' and they do so. |
Harden Pharaoh's heart – See comment on Exodus 4:21
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| 5 And it is declared to the king of Egypt that the people hath fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants is turned against the people, and they say, 'What [is] this we have done that we have sent Israel away from our service.' |
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| 6 And he harnesseth his chariot, and his people he hath taken with him, |
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| 7 and he taketh six hundred chosen chariots, even all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over them all; |
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| 8 and Jehovah strengtheneth the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursueth after the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel are going out with a high hand, |
Of Pharaoh – Type of Satan. R5273:2, R5419:5; F458
Of Egypt – Satan's dominion of sin and death. R5643:1, R5273:1; F458
And he pursued – The powers that be may possibly concede for a time the demands of the weak and helpless and then attempt their recapture under selfishness, and through a Red Sea of trouble the Lord will administer a final chastisement. R2920:1
Children of Israel – Type of all who ultimately become God's people. F458; R5641:1, R5870:1
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| 9 and the Egyptians pursue after them, and all the chariot horses of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his force, overtake them, encamping by the sea, by Pi-Hahiroth, before Baal-Zephon. |
But the Egyptians – Typifying Satan's servants who have oppressed God's people. R5273:2, R5641:3; F458
All the horses – Symbolic of false doctrines. C316
And chariots – Symbolic of worldly organizations. C316
And his horsemen – Symbolic of the great leaders in false doctrines. C316
Symbolic of fallen angels and men. F458
By the sea – The Red Sea, representing the Second Death. F459
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| 10 And Pharaoh hath drawn near, and the sons of Israel lift up their eyes, and lo, the Egyptians are journeying after them, and they fear exceedingly, and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah. |
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| 11 And they say unto Moses, 'Because there are no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in a wilderness what is this thou hast done to us to bring us out from Egypt |
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| 12 Is not this the word which we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Cease from us, and we serve the Egyptians; for better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in a wilderness ' |
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| 13 And Moses saith unto the people, 'Fear not, station yourselves, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which He doth for you to-day; for, as ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye add no more to see them to the age; |
Stand still and see – The duty of God's people toward the perplexing questions of the present time. A342
Sometimes we come to the very end of all human possibilities. Then, and not till then, should we apply these words of Moses to ourselves. R5278:4
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| 14 Jehovah doth fight for you, and ye keep silent.' |
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| 15 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'What thou criest unto Me speak unto the sons of Israel, and they journey; |
Go forward – There is a time to pray and also a time to act. R2919:4
In giving and obeying this command faith was demonstrated. Does not the Lord sometimes allow adversities and oppositions to hedge us in? This is the time to hearken to his voice and, in faith, go forward. R3997:6
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| 16 and thou, lift up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand towards the sea, and cleave it, and the sons of Israel go into the midst of the sea on dry land. |
Go on dry ground – On a sand bar. R3998:2, R4623:5, R5277:6, R2919:5
Midst of the sea – The water at the upper end of the Red Sea is at no great depth, so that at times, when the tide is low, cavalry have forded it--for instance, Napoleon. R3998:1, R2919:6
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| 17 'And I lo, I am strengthening the heart of the Egyptians, and they go in after them, and I am honoured on Pharaoh, and on all his force, on his chariots, and on his horsemen; |
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| 18 and the Egyptians have known that I [am] Jehovah, in My being honoured on Pharaoh, on his chariots, and on his horsemen.' |
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| 19 And the messenger of God, who is going before the camp of Israel, journeyeth and goeth at their rear; and the pillar of the cloud journeyeth from their front, and standeth at their rear, |
The angel of God – Not always a being; sometimes signifying the exercise of divine power in connection with human affairs. R5278:1
Cloud -An evidence of the Lord's special care over them, a great aid to their faith, discontinued when they crossed Jordan into Canaan. R3997:2
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| 20 and cometh in between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the cloud and the darkness are, and he enlighteneth the night, and the one hath not drawn near unto the other all the night. |
A cloud – From the world's standpoint, very dark; from our standpoint, the healing rays of the sun. R577:2
And darkness – Josephus and other outside narratives declare that it rained, thundered and lightened appallingly. R2919:5
But it gave light – Matters appear differently from different standpoints. Since the storm is to scatter the powers of darkness, the sooner it comes the better. R577:2
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| 21 And Moses stretcheth out his hand towards the sea, and Jehovah causeth the sea to go on by a strong east wind all the night, and maketh the sea become dry ground, and the waters are cleaved, |
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| 22 and the sons of Israel go into the midst of the sea, on dry land, and the waters [are] to them a wall, on their right and on their left. |
Children of Israel – Type of all who ultimately become God's people. F458, R5641:1, R5870:1
A wall – A barricade, protection, shield. R3998:3, R4623:5, R5278:1
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| 23 And the Egyptians pursue, and go in after them (all the horses of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen) unto the midst of the sea, |
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| 24 and it cometh to pass, in the morning watch, that Jehovah looketh unto the camp of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubleth the camp of the Egyptians, |
Host of the Egyptians – Typifying Satan's servants who have oppressed God's people. R5273:2, R5641:2; F458
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| 25 and turneth aside the wheels of their chariots, and they lead them with difficulty, and the Egyptians say, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for Jehovah is fighting for them against the Egyptians.' |
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| 26 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Stretch out thy hand toward the sea, and the waters turn back on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.' |
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| 27 And Moses stretcheth out his hand towards the sea, and the sea turneth back, at the turning of the morning, to its perennial flow, and the Egyptians are fleeing at its coming, and Jehovah shaketh off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea, |
Overthrew the Egyptians – At the end of the Millennial age Satan and all who are on his side will be forever destroyed. R3999:4
Midst of the sea – A reversal of the wind would cause the return of the waters. R4623:5
The present enslaving agencies will be overthrown by anarchy, in the great time of trouble, now near. R1657:5
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| 28 and the waters turn back, and cover the chariots and the horsemen, even all the force of Pharaoh, who are coming in after them into the sea there hath not been left of them even one. |
The waters returned – Opposite Suez, the tide rises eight to nine feet when aided by strong winds, returning with unusual suddenness and power after the ebb. R3998:3*
The host of Pharaoh – Representing all who eventually will go into Second Death. R5870:1
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| 29 And the sons of Israel have gone on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters [are] to them a wall, on their right and on their left; |
Children of Israel – Type of all who ultimately become God's people. F458, R5641:1, R5870:1
Dry land – On a sand bar. R3998:2, R4623:5
Midst of the sea – Possibly two miles across. R3998:2
Were a wall – In its broadest sense merely signifies a barricade, protection, shield. R3998:3, R4623:5, R5278:1
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| 30 and Jehovah saveth Israel in that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel seeth the Egyptians dead on the sea-shore, |
The LORD saved – Picturing the deliverance of all the obedient after the plagues. (Rev. 16) R1657:3
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| 31 and Israel seeth the great hand with which Jehovah hath wrought against the Egyptians, and the people fear Jehovah, and remain stedfast in Jehovah, and in Moses His servant. |
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