Exodus 14:11

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 14:10-14

We have here, I. The fright that the children of Israel were in when they perceived that Pharaoh pursued them, Exod. 14:10. They knew very well the strength and rage of the enemy, and their own weakness; numerous indeed they were, but all on foot, unarmed, undisciplined, disquieted by long servitude, and (which was worst of all) now penned up by the situation of their camp, so that they could not make their escape. On the one hand was Pi-hahiroth, a range of craggy rocks impassable; on the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 14:11

And they said unto Moses ,.... The Targum of Jonathan is,"the ungodly of that generation said unto Moses;'but it seems rather to be understood of the body of the people in general, and is not to be limited to some particular persons of the worse characters among them: because there were no graves in Egypt ; as if there had been none, when there were so many; the Egyptians being more solicitous about their graves than their houses, as Diodorus Siculus reports F21 Bibliothec. l. 1. p.... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 14:11

Verse 11 11.Because there were no graves. This (155) is the more proper sense; for the double negative is put for a single one. It is a bitter and biting taunt; for, not contented with preferring the graves of Egypt to the death which they feared, they scoffingly inquire how he could have thought of bringing them into the wilderness, as if the land of Egypt was not large enough to bury them in. But God had openly and clearly proved Himself to be the leader of their departing; and, again, it was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 14:1-12

Israel stricken with terror by reason of a deliverance not yet completed. It is plain that the Israelites, going out of Egypt. in such circumstances as they did, must have gone out in a state of great exhilaration, almost beside themselves with joy at such a complete reversal of all their past experiences at the hands of Pharaoh. Moreover we are assured in Exodus 14:8 that they went out with a high hand. The power of God for the deliverance of Israel was manifested in great fulness. What... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 14:10-14

THE TERROR OF ISRAEL AND THE COURAGE OF MOSES . It has been argued that the Israelites, if they were so numerous as stated ( Exodus 12:37 ), must have been wretched cowards, if they were afraid to risk an engagement with such an army as that hastily levied one which Pharaoh had brought with him. But the difference between an army of trained soldiers, thoroughly equipped for war, with helmets, shields, breastplates, swords and spears, and an undisciplined multitude,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 14:10-14

Divine trial a touchstone to distinguish faith from unfaithfulness. The Israelites had almost as much ground as Moses to believe in God, and trust his providential care of them. They had seen the whole series of miracles which Moses had wrought. They had found themselves exempt from visitations which fell with the utmost severity on their near neighbours. They had heard from Moses God's positive promise to bring them into Canaan ( Exodus 13:5 , Exodus 13:11 ). Yet at the first... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 14:10-23

The deliverance. Consider on this section:— I. THE CRITICAL SITUATION OF THE ISRAELITES . 1 . Their position. "Encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal Zephon" ( Exodus 14:9 ). The first view of the sea would probably be attractive to them. Its breeze, after the tedious travel of the desert, would be deliciously refreshing. They would look with a child's wonder and delight on the novel spectacle it presented. They would crowd to the beach to watch its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 14:11

And they said to Moses . It was not unnatural that, while flying to God as their only refuge, they should be angry with Moses. Moses, they would argue, ought to have known better than to have brought them into a situation of such peril. He, the leader, should have known the geography of the country—he, the courtier, should have known the temper of the court. It is always a satisfaction to men to vent their anger upon some one when they are in a difficulty. No graves in Egypt. Egypt, with a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 14:11

Cruel words out of cowardly hearts. There was much, as we have seen, to excuse the terror of Israel; but there is one thing not so easy to excuse, and that is the sarcastic, unjust spirit in which these terrified Israelites treat their visible leader. Formerly ( Exodus 5:21 ) they had turned on him with bitter reproaches; but their conduct then was the effect of ignorance and hasty expectations, and their language, however strong, was simply the language of reproach. But now to reproach... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 14:11

No graves in Egypt - This bitter taunt was probably suggested by the vast extent of cemeteries in Egypt, which might not improperly be called the land of tombs. read more

Group of Brands