Exodus 14:3

14:3 Pharaoh will think ¹  regarding the Israelites, ‘They are wandering around confused ²  in the land – the desert has closed in on them.’ ³ 

Exodus 14:5

14:5 When it was reported ⁴  to the king of Egypt that the people had fled, ⁵  the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people, and the king and his servants said, ⁶  “What in the world have we done? ⁷  For we have released the people of Israel ⁸  from serving us!”

[14:3]  ¹ tn Heb “and Pharaoh will say.”

[14:3]  ² sn The word translated “wandering around confused” indicates that Pharaoh thought the Israelites would be so perplexed and confused that they would not know which way to turn in order to escape – and they would never dream of crossing the sea (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 115).

[14:3]  ³ tn The expression has also been translated “the desert has shut [the way] for them,” and more freely “[the Israelites are] hemmed in by the desert.”

[14:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “and it was told.” The present translation uses “reported,” since this involves information given to a superior.

[14:5]  ⁵ tn The verb must be given a past perfect translation because the fleeing occurred before the telling.

[14:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they said.” The referent (the king and his servants) is supplied for clarity.

[14:5]  ⁷ tn The question literally is “What is this we have done?” The demonstrative pronoun is used as an enclitic particle for emphasis (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 24, §118).

[14:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “released Israel.” By metonymy the name of the nation is used collectively for the people who constitute it (the Israelites).