Exodus 14:27

ESV So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.

NIV Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea.

NASB So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

CSB So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal depth. While the Egyptians were trying to escape from it, the Lord threw them into the sea.

NLT So as the sun began to rise, Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place. The Egyptians tried to escape, but the Lord swept them into the sea.

KJV And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

NKJV And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

What does Exodus 14:27 mean?

Israel (Exodus 12:40–41) has crossed the yam suph, literally the "Sea of Reeds" (Exodus 13:18), often translated as the "Red Sea." They did this in a single night thanks to God's miraculous parting of the waters (Exodus 14:21–22). Now it is early morning, just before dawn. Behind them followed an Egyptian army, led by Pharaoh (Exodus 14:5–9, 23). But God created a panic in the Egyptian ranks as their chariots broke down (Exodus 14:24–25). Then God commanded Moses to gesture so the waters would revert to their natural place.

The soldiers, horsemen, and chariots are caught up in this intense rush of sea water. They have been standing on the seabed; the water is pushed back like walls. Now the entire body of water collapses back on them. The men attempt to run, but there is nowhere to go. The walls of water seem to have broken in a moving line: the soldiers are trying to run, but end up going "li qerāt'," meaning "to meet" or "directly into" the flood.

The army's demise is described with the Hebrew word yenaēr', from a root word referring to how a lion shakes its mane. This is clearly a figure of speech and not easy to translate. One would assume the men are thrown dramatically by the water as it closes over them. But the term could also imply the Lord's "shaking off" the Egyptians in a gesture of contempt and rejection.

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