What does Exodus 14:7 mean?

Egypt's king has changed his mind about freeing the enslaved nation of Israel (Exodus 14:5–6). He is preparing an enormously powerful force to bring the fleeing Hebrews back. Pharaoh, himself, is commanding these troops. Each chariot would have had at least two men: one to drive the horses and another to wield spear, javelins, or arrows. Egypt is sending at least 1,200 chosen warriors, plus "all the other chariots" of the nation. In that era, this would have been a sizable and intimidating force.

This verse is one of many reasons many biblical scholars believe traditional interpretations of Israel's population are mistranslations. The word for "thousands" in Hebrew is 'eleph, but the term can also refer to clans, groups, or other divisions. If the six hundred 'eleph which left Egypt (Exodus 12:37) were more than a half-million adult men, Israel would have been among the most powerful armies of ancient history. However, the people will fear Egypt's chariots (Exodus 14:10). God will later make a point of saying that Israel is smaller and weaker than the nations they will displace from Canaan (Deuteronomy 7:1, 17; 9:1–2). A more likely case is that Israel has neither the size nor the resources to mount a defense.

Of course, this nation is composed of recently freed slaves. Enormous or not, they would expect to suffer terribly from an attack by chariots with ranged weapons. Regardless of their population, Israel had reasons to dread the oncoming soldiers. They are in no position to flee because the Lord has arranged them against the seashore (Exodus 14:2). Yet this is part of God's plan to seal their release from Egypt permanently (Exodus 14:21–28).