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The NET Bible®

Exodus 14:5

When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, "What in the world have we done? For we have released the people of Israel from serving us!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Character;   Egypt;   Egyptians;   Government;   Impenitence;   Instability;   Israel;   Readings, Select;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Egypt;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Pharaoh;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Heart;   Moses;   Red Sea;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Migdol;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ouches;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Red Sea;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Exodus, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Moses;   Pi-Hahiroth;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Moses;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 20;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
It was told the king of Mitzrayim that the people had fled; and the heart of Par`oh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Yisra'el go from serving us?"
King James Version
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Lexham English Bible
And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh was changed and that of his servants toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us!"
New Century Version
When the king of Egypt was told that the Israelites had left, he and his officers changed their minds about them. They said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites leave. We have lost our slaves!"
Amplified Bible
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, "What is this that we have done? We have let Israel go from serving us!"
New American Standard Bible
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, "What is this that we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then it was told the King of Egypt, that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his seruants was turned against the people, and they sayde, Why haue we this done, and haue let Israel go out of our seruice?
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
Contemporary English Version
When the king of Egypt heard that the Israelites had finally left, he and his officials changed their minds and said, "Look what we have done! We let them get away, and they will no longer be our slaves."
Complete Jewish Bible
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people. They said, "What have we done, letting Isra'el stop being our slaves?"
Darby Translation
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his bondmen was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from our service?
Easy-to-Read Version
Pharaoh received a report that the Israelites had escaped. When he heard this, he and his officials changed their minds about what they had done. Pharaoh said, "Why did we let the Israelites leave? Why did we let them run away? Now we have lost our slaves!"
English Standard Version
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
George Lamsa Translation
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people had gone away; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants changed against the people, and they said, What have we done that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Good News Translation
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had escaped, he and his officials changed their minds and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites escape, and we have lost them as our slaves!"
Christian Standard Bible®
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people and said: “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”
Literal Translation
And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned as to the people. And they said, What is this we have done? For we have sent away Israel from serving us.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan it was tolde ye kinge of Egipte, yt ye people fled, his hert & his seruauntes were turned agaynst ye people, & saide: Why haue we done this, that we haue let Israel go, yt they shulde not serue vs?
American Standard Version
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Bible in Basic English
And word came to Pharaoh of the flight of the people: and the feeling of Pharaoh and of his servants about the people was changed, and they said, Why have we let Israel go, so that they will do no more work for us?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it was tolde the kyng of Egypt that the people fledde. And the heart of Pharao and of his seruauntes turned agaynst the people, and they said: Why haue we done this, that we haue let Israel go out of our seruice?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned towards the people, and they said: 'What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
King James Version (1611)
And it was told the King of Egypt, that the people fled: And the heart of Pharaoh and of his seruants was turned against the people, and they said, Why haue wee done this, that we haue let Israel goe from seruing vs?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it was reported to the king of the Egyptians that the people had fled: and the heart of Pharao was turned, and that of his servants against the people; and they said, What is this that we have done, to let the children of Israel go, so that they should not serve us?
English Revised Version
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Berean Standard Bible
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it was teld to the kyng of Egipcians, that the puple hadde fled; and the herte of Farao and of hise seruauntis was chaungid on the puple, and thei seiden, What wolden we do, that we leften Israel, that it schulde not serue us?
Young's Literal Translation
And it is declared to the king of Egypt that the people hath fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants is turned against the people, and they say, `What [is] this we have done? that we have sent Israel away from our service.'
Update Bible Version
And it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his slaves was changed toward the people, and they said, What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Webster's Bible Translation
And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
World English Bible
It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
New King James Version
Now it was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, "Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
New Living Translation
When word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds. "What have we done, letting all those Israelite slaves get away?" they asked.
New Life Bible
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had left, Pharaoh and his servants changed their minds about the people. They said, "What is this we have done? We have let Israel go from working for us."
New Revised Standard
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, "What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it was told the king of Egypt, that the people had fled, - and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and they said - What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And it was told the king of the Egyptians that the people was fled: and the heart of Pharao and of his servants was changed with regard to the people, and they said: What meant we to do, that we let Israel go from serving us?
Revised Standard Version
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"
THE MESSAGE
When the king of Egypt was told that the people were gone, he and his servants changed their minds. They said, "What have we done, letting Israel, our slave labor, go free?" So he had his chariots harnessed up and got his army together. He took six hundred of his best chariots, with the rest of the Egyptian chariots and their drivers coming along.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?"

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 "Tell the Israelites that they must turn and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you are to camp by the sea before Baal Zephon opposite it. 3 Pharaoh will think regarding the Israelites, ‘They are wandering around confused in the land—the desert has closed in on them.' 4 I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them. I will gain honor because of Pharaoh and because of all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord ." So this is what they did. 5 When it was reported to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, "What in the world have we done? For we have released the people of Israel from serving us!" 6 Then he prepared his chariots and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred select chariots, and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt, and officers on all of them. 8 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he chased after the Israelites. Now the Israelites were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians chased after them, and all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and his army overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-Zephon.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

and the heart: Exodus 12:33, Psalms 105:25

Why have we: Jeremiah 34:10-17, Luke 11:24-26, 2 Peter 2:20-22

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:22 - General Exodus 7:16 - Let my Exodus 8:8 - and I will Exodus 8:15 - saw Exodus 15:9 - destroy Judges 15:14 - the Philistines Proverbs 27:22 - General Ecclesiastes 8:9 - there is Habakkuk 3:14 - they Romans 3:7 - if the truth

Cross-References

Genesis 14:10
Now the Valley of Siddim was full of tar pits. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, they fell into them, but some survivors fled to the hills.
Genesis 14:11
The four victorious kings took all the possessions and food of Sodom and Gomorrah and left.
Genesis 14:20
Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.
Genesis 14:23
that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.'
Genesis 15:20
Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,
Deuteronomy 1:4
This took place after the defeat of King Sihon of the Amorites, whose capital was in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, whose capital was in Ashtaroth, specifically in Edrei.
Deuteronomy 3:11
Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide according to standard measure.)
Deuteronomy 3:20
You must fight until the Lord gives your countrymen victory as he did you and they take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory that I have given you."
Deuteronomy 3:22
Do not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God will personally fight for you."
Joshua 12:4
The territory of King Og of Bashan, one of the few remaining Rephaites, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it was told the king of Egypt,.... By some of the Egyptians, or mixed multitude that went out with Israel, but returned upon their encampment at the Red sea, or by some spies Pharaoh sent with them to observe their motions: the Targums of Jonathan and Jarchi make use of a word which Buxtorf translates military officers: and the latter says, they went out with them the three days' journey, but the Israelites not returning to Egypt (as expected), they tell Pharaoh of it the fourth day; and on the fifth and sixth he pursued them, and in the night of the seventh went into the sea after them, and on the morning they (the Israelites) sung the song, which was the seventh of the passover: these reported to Pharaoh:

that the people fled; that under a pretence of going three days' journey into the wilderness, to serve and sacrifice to the Lord, they were about to make their escape out of the land:

and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants were turned against the people; who had so much favour in their sight, not only to give them leave to go, and to hasten their departure, but to lend and give them things of great value; but now their hearts were filled with hatred of them, and with malice and revenge:

and they said, why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? not Pharaoh only, but his servants said so, even those who had entreated him to let them go, Exodus 10:7 yet now repent of it, and cannot think what reason they had to do it, when at that time they saw reason, and gave a very sufficient one, namely, the destruction of Egypt; but now the judgments and plagues of God being no more upon them, they recollect the great service of the Israelites to them and the benefits and advantages they had reaped by it, and the loss they had sustained by parting with them, and therefore reflect upon themselves for such a piece of conduct.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The people fled - This was a natural inference from the change of direction, which indicated a determination to escape from Egypt. Up to the time when that information reached Pharaoh both he and his people understood that the Israelites would return after keeping a festival in the district adjoining Etham. From Etham the intelligence would be forwarded by the commander of the garrison to Rameses in less than a day, and the cavalry, a highly-disciplined force, would be ready for immediate departure.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 14:5. And it was told the king - that the people fled — Of their departure he could not be ignorant, because himself had given them liberty to depart: but the word fled here may be understood as implying that they had utterly left Egypt without any intention to return, which is probably what he did not expect, for he had only given them permission to go three days' journey into the wilderness, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah; but from the circumstances of their departure, and the property they had got from the Egyptians, it was taken for granted that they had no design to return; and this was in all likelihood the consideration that weighed most with this avaricious king, and determined him to pursue, and either recover the spoil or bring them back, or both. Thus the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we let Israel go from serving us? Here was the grand incentive to pursuit; their service was profitable to the state, and they were determined not to give it up.


 
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