14:13 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! 1 Stand firm 2 and see 3 the salvation 4 of the Lord that he will provide 5 for you today; for the Egyptians that you see today you will never, ever see again. 6 14:14 The Lord 7 will fight for you, and you can be still.” 8
1 tn The use of אַל (’al) with the jussive has the force of “stop fearing.” It is a more immediate negative command than לֹא (lo’) with the imperfect (as in the Decalogue).
2 tn The force of this verb in the Hitpael is “to station oneself” or “stand firm” without fleeing.
3 tn The form is an imperative with a vav (ו). It could also be rendered “stand firm and you will see” meaning the result, or “stand firm that you may see” meaning the purpose.
4 tn Or “victory” (NAB) or “deliverance” (NIV, NRSV).
5 tn Heb “do,” i.e., perform or accomplish.
6 tn The construction uses a verbal hendiadys consisting of a Hiphil imperfect (“you will not add”) and a Qal infinitive construct with a suffix (“to see them”) – “you will no longer see them.” Then the clause adds “again, for ever.”
7 tn The word order places emphasis on “the
8 tn The imperfect tense needs to be interpreted in contrast to all that Yahweh will be doing. It may be given a potential imperfect nuance (as here), or it may be obligatory to follow the command to stand firm: “you must be still.”
9 tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive introduces a clause that is subordinate to the main points that the verse is making.
10 tn Heb “the great hand,” with “hand” being a metonymy for work or power. The word play using “hand” contrasts the Lord’s hand/power at work on behalf of the Israelites with the hand/power of Egypt that would have killed them.
11 tn Heb “did, made.”
12 tn Heb “and the people feared.”
13 tn The verb is the Hiphil preterite of אָמַן (’aman).
14 sn Here the title of “servant” is given to Moses. This is the highest title a mortal can have in the OT – the “servant of Yahweh.” It signifies more than a believer; it describes the individual as acting on behalf of God. For example, when Moses stretched out his hand, God used it as his own (Isa 63:12). Moses was God’s personal representative. The chapter records both a message of salvation and of judgment. Like the earlier account of deliverance at the Passover, this chapter can be a lesson on deliverance from present troubles – if God could do this for Israel, there is no trouble too great for him to overcome. The passage can also be understood as a picture (at least) of the deliverance at the final judgment on the world. But the Israelites used this account for a paradigm of the power of God: namely, God is able to deliver his people from danger because he is the sovereign Lord of creation. His people must learn to trust him, even in desperate situations; they must fear him and not the situation. God can bring any threat to an end by bringing his power to bear in judgment on the wicked.