Exodus 14:3

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

NIV Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’

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

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

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

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

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

What does Exodus 14:3 mean?

Pharaoh, Egypt's king, released the entire nation of enslaved Israelites (Exodus 1:11–14) after the terrible death of the firstborn at Passover (Exodus 12:29–32). Previously, he had promised to free the people, only to change his mind when those plagues faded (Exodus 8:15, 31–32; 9:34–35; 10:19–20). The same will happen yet again (Exodus 14:5–7). God has arranged Israel at the seashore, after taking them southeast rather than north (Exodus 13:17–18). To the Egyptians, this would appear to be a blunder—giving the appearance that the Hebrews are just walking around randomly. In fact, now they are "shut in" by the wilderness and an impassable sea.

This is part of God's plan to prove to Israel that only He has power (Exodus 14:4). Egypt will pursue with its military (Exodus 14:9), but Israel will escape and none of the attacking soldiers will survive (Exodus 14:21–28).

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