Pharaoh's army

Pharaoh's army is the Egyptian royal force sent after the Israelites when Pharaoh reverses his decision to let them go. Its pursuit brings the fleeing people to the sea, where the army follows them into the divided waters and is destroyed; the episode turns a military chase into the decisive deliverance of Israel.

Composition and Pursuit

After learning that the Israelites had left, Pharaoh and his servants regretted releasing them. Pharaoh prepared his chariots and took his people with him, including six hundred chosen chariots, the rest of Egypt's chariots, and captains over them. The army caught up with the Israelites as they camped beside the sea, near Pi-hahiroth and opposite Baal-zephon.

The pursuit placed the Israelites between the advancing force and the sea. They were afraid and cried out to the LORD; Moses answered that the LORD would fight for them. The army's approach thus becomes the immediate crisis that precedes the crossing.

The Sea Crossing and Defeat

The angel of God and the pillar of cloud moved behind Israel, separating the Egyptian and Israelite camps through the night. Moses stretched out his hand, and the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind, making dry ground and dividing the waters. The Israelites crossed with water standing like a wall on either side; Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen followed into the sea.

During the morning watch, the LORD threw the Egyptian force into confusion through the pillar of fire and cloud and made its chariot wheels difficult to drive. The Egyptians recognized that the LORD was fighting for Israel and tried to flee. At Moses' outstretched hand, the waters returned as morning appeared, overwhelming Pharaoh's army in the sea. No one of the force that entered after Israel remained.

Aftermath and Narrative Significance

Israel was saved from the Egyptians and saw their dead on the seashore. The people responded with fear of the LORD and belief in the LORD and in Moses, and Moses and the Israelites sang of the chariots and their riders being cast into the sea. The army's destruction therefore ends the immediate threat while also confirming the deliverance in public view.

The book recalls this pattern of overwhelming defeat in its account of later wars: Israel destroys the forces of Sihon and Og, while taking their cities and livestock. In the later description of the land, the Israelites are warned that if they leave its inhabitants in place, those who remain will become thorns and pricks to them. These later passages do not identify those forces as Pharaoh's army, but they repeat the narrative's concern with military danger, territorial possession, and the consequences of what Israel does after victory.