Exodus 14:24

ESV And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

NIV During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion.

NASB But at the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion.

CSB During the morning watch, the Lord looked down at the Egyptian forces from the pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian forces into confusion.

NLT But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion.

KJV And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,

NKJV Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.

What does Exodus 14:24 mean?

As Israel left Egyptian slavery (Exodus 12:40–41), God used a pillar of cloud and fire (Exodus 13:21–22) to bring them to the shore (Exodus 14:1–2) of the "Red Sea" (Exodus 13:17–18). The Hebrew text calls this yam suph, meaning "Sea of Reeds." So, this is not the precise body of water the modern world calls the Red Sea. Rather, this is either the northern tip of the Gulf of Suez or one of the large lakes in the area. Israel can pass to the other side overnight.

Egypt has pursued (Exodus 14:5–9). While protecting their rear (Exodus 14:19–20), God has split the waters like walls, so Israel can cross safely (Exodus 14:21–22). At some point, the Egyptians felt there was enough room to advance, so they follow (Exodus 14:23). This was a major blunder, caused by God's punishment on Egypt for their constant defiance of His will (Exodus 10:1–2; 14:8, 17).

It's not clear from this verse what the Lord did to cause panic among the Egyptians. It might have been by using the column of clouds and fire. Or, through a gradual dampening of the seabed (Exodus 14:29) that caused their chariot wheels to clog (Exodus 14:25). In any case, the attacking army is realizing too late (Exodus 14:27–28) that it was not wise to pursue Israel into the sea.

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