Exodus 14:3
New International Version
Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’

New Living Translation
Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’

English Standard Version
For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

Berean Standard Bible
For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.’

King James Bible
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

New King James Version
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.’

New American Standard Bible
For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

NASB 1995
“For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

NASB 1977
“For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

Legacy Standard Bible
And Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering in confusion in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

Amplified Bible
For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’

Christian Standard Bible
Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.

American Standard Version
And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

Contemporary English Version
The king will think you were afraid to cross the desert and that you are wandering around, trying to find another way to leave the country.

English Revised Version
And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are [just] wandering around. The desert is blocking their escape.'

Good News Translation
The king will think that the Israelites are wandering around in the country and are closed in by the desert.

International Standard Version
Pharaoh will say about the Israelis, 'They're wandering aimlessly in the land, and the desert has closed in on them.'

Majority Standard Bible
For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.’

NET Bible
Pharaoh will think regarding the Israelites, 'They are wandering around confused in the land--the desert has closed in on them.'

New Heart English Bible
Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land. The wilderness has boxed them in.'

Webster's Bible Translation
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

World English Bible
Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Pharaoh has said of the sons of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut on them;

Young's Literal Translation
and Pharaoh hath said of the sons of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut upon them;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Pharaoh will say concerning the sons of Israel, They are wandering in perplexity in the land; the desert closed upon them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Pharao will say of the children of Israel: They are straitened in the land, the desert hath shut them in.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And Pharaoh will say about the sons of Israel, ‘They have been confined by the land; the desert has enclosed them.’

New American Bible
Pharaoh will then say, “The Israelites are wandering about aimlessly in the land. The wilderness has closed in on them.”

New Revised Standard Version
Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, “They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are strangers in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Pharaoh said about the children of Israel: “They are strangers in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Pharao will say to his people, As for these children of Israel, they are wandering in the land, for the wilderness has shut them in.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Pharaoh Pursues the Israelites
2“Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon. 3For Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in.’ 4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So this is what the Israelites did.…

Cross References
Numbers 33:7-8
They set out from Etham and turned back to Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon, and they camped near Migdol. / They set out from Pi-hahiroth and crossed through the sea, into the wilderness, and they journeyed three days into the Wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.

Joshua 24:6-7
When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. / So your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, over whom He brought the sea and engulfed them. Your very eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

Nehemiah 9:9-11
You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea. / You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day. / You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

Psalm 106:7-12
Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea. / Yet He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known. / He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert. ...

Isaiah 51:9-10
Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon? / Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

Isaiah 63:11-13
Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them, / who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown, / who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?

Acts 7:36
He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.

Hebrews 11:29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.

1 Corinthians 10:1-2
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Psalm 77:16-20
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. / The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. / Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. ...

Psalm 136:13-15
He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever. / and led Israel through the midst, His loving devotion endures forever. / but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea. His loving devotion endures forever.

Romans 9:17-18
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” / Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

Exodus 15:4-5
Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea. / The depths have covered them; they sank there like a stone.

Deuteronomy 11:4
what He did to the Egyptian army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them completely, even to this day;

Joshua 2:10
For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.


Treasury of Scripture

For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut them in.

Pharaoh

Exodus 7:3,4
And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt…

Deuteronomy 31:21
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.

Psalm 139:2,4
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off…

they are entangled

Judges 16:2
And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson is come hither. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.

1 Samuel 23:7,23
And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars…

Psalm 3:2
Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.

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Aimlessly Children Confusion Desert Direction Entangled Hemmed Israel Israelites Pharaoh Shut They Think Wandering Waste Wilderness
Exodus 14
1. God instructs the Israelites in their journey
5. Pharaoh pursues after them
10. The Israelites murmur
13. Moses comforts them
15. God instructs Moses
19. The cloud removes behind the camp
21. The Israelites pass through the Red sea, which drowns the Egyptians














For Pharaoh will say
This phrase introduces the foreknowledge of God regarding Pharaoh's thoughts and intentions. The Hebrew root for "say" is "אָמַר" (amar), which often implies not just speaking but also thinking or intending. This highlights God's omniscience, knowing the plans of even the most powerful earthly rulers. Historically, Pharaohs were seen as divine or semi-divine figures in Egyptian culture, yet here, God demonstrates His supreme authority over them.

of the Israelites
The term "Israelites" refers to the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel. In Hebrew, "בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" (B'nei Yisrael) emphasizes their identity as God's chosen people. This identity is crucial throughout the Exodus narrative, as it underscores the covenant relationship between God and His people. The Israelites' journey is not just a physical exodus but a spiritual journey towards fulfilling God's promises.

They are wandering the land in confusion
"Wandering" comes from the Hebrew "נָבַךְ" (navek), which can imply aimlessness or being lost. Pharaoh perceives the Israelites' movements as disorganized, reflecting a lack of understanding of God's divine guidance. The "land" here refers to the wilderness, a place of testing and reliance on God. "Confusion" suggests a state of disorder, yet from a divine perspective, it is a strategic positioning by God to demonstrate His power and deliverance.

the wilderness has boxed them in
The "wilderness" (מִדְבָּר, midbar) is often seen as a place of desolation and danger, yet it is also where God reveals His presence and provision. The phrase "boxed them in" uses the Hebrew "סָגַר" (sagar), meaning to shut in or enclose. This imagery suggests entrapment, but it is a divine setup for a miraculous deliverance. Historically, the wilderness was a formidable barrier, reinforcing the Israelites' need for divine intervention. This setting becomes the backdrop for one of the most significant demonstrations of God's power in the parting of the Red Sea.

(3) Entangled in the land.--Literally, confused, perplexed. (Comp. Esther 3:15.) Pharaoh, seeing that the Israelites had placed the Bitter Lakes on their left, and were marching southward, in a direction which would soon put the Red Sea on one side of them and a desert region--that about the Jebel Atakah--on the other, thought that they must be quite ignorant of the geography, and have, as it were, "lost their way." He observed, moreover, that "the wilderness had shut them in." The desert tract between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea lay upon their left and in their front: they would soon be unable to proceed, and would not know which way to turn.

Verse 3. - They are entangled in the land. Or "they are confused," "perplexed" - i.e.. "they have lost their way." Pharaoh could not conceive that they would have taken the route to the west of the Bitter Lakes, which conducted to no tolerable territory, unless they were hopelessly at sea with respect to the geography of the country. In this "perplexity" of theirs he thought he saw his own opportunity. The wilderness hath shut them in. Pharaoh is thinking of his own "wilderness," the desert country between the Nile valley and the Red Sea. This desert, he says, "blocks their way, and shuts them in " - they cannot escape if he follows in their steps, for they will have the sea on one hand, the desert on the other, and in their front, while he himself presses upon their rear.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For Pharaoh
פַּרְעֹה֙ (par·‘ōh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6547: Pharaoh -- a title of Egypt kings

will say
וְאָמַ֤ר (wə·’ā·mar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

of the Israelites,
לִבְנֵ֣י (liḇ·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

‘They
הֵ֖ם (hêm)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

are wandering the land
בָּאָ֑רֶץ (bā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

in confusion;
נְבֻכִ֥ים (nə·ḇu·ḵîm)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 943: To perplex, confuse

the wilderness
הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃ (ham·miḏ·bār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

has boxed them
סָגַ֥ר (sā·ḡar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5462: To shut up, to surrender

in.’
עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם (‘ă·lê·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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