Exodus 14 · Verse 21

Exodus 14:21

And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
Exodus 14:21, King James Version

Exodus 14:21 in other translations

BSBThen Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
WEBMoses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
ASVAnd Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
YLTAnd Moses stretcheth out his hand towards the sea, and Jehovah causeth the sea to go on by a strong east wind all the night, and maketh the sea become dry ground, and the waters are cleaved,
DARBYAnd Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah made the sea go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
BBEAnd when Moses' hand was stretched out over the sea, the Lord with a strong east wind made the sea go back all night, and the waters were parted in two and the sea became dry land.
WebsterAnd Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

What does Exodus 14:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. Moses stretched out his hand, &c.--The waving of the rod was of great importance on this occasion to give public attestation in the presence of the assembled Israelites, both to the character of Moses and the divine mission with which he was charged. the Lord caused ... a strong east wind all that night--Suppose a mere ebb tide caused by the wind, raising the water to a great height on one side, still as there was not only "dry land," but, according to the tenor of the sacred narrative, a wall on the right hand and on the left [Ex 14:22], it would be impossible on the hypothesis of such a natural cause to rear the wall on the other. The idea of divine interposition, therefore, is imperative; and, assuming the passage to have been made at Mount Attakah, or at the mouth of Wady Tawarik, an east wind would cut the sea in that line. The Hebrew word kedem, however, rendered in our translation, "east," means, in its primary signification, previous; so that this verse might, perhaps, be rendered, "the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong previous wind all that night"; a rendering which would remove the difficulty of supposing the host of Israel marched over on the sand, in the teeth of a rushing column of wind, strong enough to heap up the waters as a wall on each side of a dry path, and give the intelligible narrative of divine interference.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 The Lord caused the sea to go back - That part of the sea over which the Israelites passed was, according to Mr. Bruce and other travelers, about four leagues across, and therefore might easily be crossed in one night. In the dividing of the sea two agents appear to be employed, though the effect produced can be attributed to neither. By stretching out the rod the waters were divided; by the blowing of the vehement, ardent, east wind, the bed of the sea was dried. It has been observed, that in the place where the Israelites are supposed to have passed, the water is about fourteen fathoms or twenty-eight yards deep: had the wind mentioned here been strong enough, naturally speaking, to have divided the waters, it must have blown in one narrow track, and continued blowing in the direction in which the Israelites passed; and a wind sufficient to have raised a mass of water twenty-eight yards deep and twelve miles in length, out of its bed, would necessarily have blown the whole six hundred thousand men away, and utterly destroyed them and their cattle. I therefore conclude that the east wind, which was ever remarked as a parching, burning wind, was used after the division of the waters, merely to dry the bottom, and render it passable. For an account of the hot drying winds in the east, See Clarke's note on Gen 8:1. God ever puts the highest honor on his instrument, Nature; and where it can act, he ever employs it. No natural agent could divide these waters, and cause them to stand as a wall upon the right hand and upon the left; therefore God did it by his own sovereign power. When the waters were thus divided, there was no need of a miracle to dry the bed of the sea and make it passable; therefore the strong desiccating east wind was brought, which soon accomplished this object. In this light I suppose the text should be understood.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 14:21-31
The dividing the Red sea was the terror of the Canaanites, Jos 2:9; the praise and triumph of the Israelites, Psa 114:3; 106:9; 136:13. It was a type of baptism, 1Co 10:1, 2. Israel's passage through it was typical of the conversion of souls, Is 11:15; and the Egyptians being drowned in it was typical of the final ruin of all unrepenting sinners. God showed his almighty power, by opening a passage through the waters, some miles over. God can bring his people through the greatest difficulties, and force a way where he does not find it. It was an instance of his wonderful favour to his Israel. They went through the sea, they walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea. This was done, in order to encourage God's people in all ages to trust him in the greatest straits. What cannot he do who did this? What will not he do for those that fear and love him, who did this for these murmuring, unbelieving Israelites? Then followed the just and righteous wrath of God upon his and his people's enemies. The ruin of sinners is brought on by their own rage and presumption. They might have let Israel alone, and would not; now they would flee from the face of Israel, and cannot. Men will not be convinced, till it is too late, that those who meddle with God's people, meddle to their own hurt. Moses was ordered to stretch out his hand over the sea; the waters returned, and overwhelmed all the host of the Egyptians. Pharaoh and his servants, who had hardened one another in sin, now fell together, not one escaped. The Israelites saw the Egyptians dead upon the sands. The sight very much affected them. While men see God's works, and feel the benefit, they fear him and trust in him. How well were it for us, if we were always in as good a frame as sometimes! Behold the end to which a Christian may look forward. His enemies rage, and are mighty; but while he holds fast by God, he shall pass the waves in safety guarded by that very power of his Saviour, which shall come down on every spiritual foe. The enemies of his soul whom he hath seen to-day, he shall see no more for ever.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Exodus 14:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֵּ֨טvai.Yetand he stretched outH5186
מֹשֶׁ֣הmo.ShehMosesH4872
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יָדוֹ֮ya.Dohand hisH3027
עַל\־'al-overH5921
הַיָּם֒hai.Yamthe seaH3220
וַיּ֣וֹלֶךְvai.Yo.lekhand he droveH1980
יְהוָ֣ה\׀Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַ֠יָּםHai.yomthe seaH3220
בְּר֨וּחַbe.Ru.achby a windH7307
קָדִ֤יםka.Diman east windH6921
עַזָּה֙'a.ZahstrongH5794
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
הַלַּ֔יְלָהha.Lay.lahthe nightH3915
וַיָּ֥שֶׂםvai.Ya.semand he madeH7760
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
לֶחָרָבָ֑הle.cha.ra.Vahinto <the> dry groundH2724
וַיִּבָּקְע֖וּvai.yi.ba.ke.'Uand they were dividedH1234
הַמָּֽיִם\׃ha.Ma.yimthe watersH4325

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 14:21

  • Isaiah 63:12

    That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?

  • Psalms 66:6

    He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.

  • Exodus 15:8

    And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.

  • Nehemiah 9:11

    And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.

  • Psalms 78:13

    He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters to stand as an heap.

  • Psalms 74:13

    Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

  • Joshua 4:23

    For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

  • Isaiah 51:10

    Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

  • Exodus 14:16

    But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

  • Psalms 136:13

    To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

  • Job 26:12

    He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.

  • Isaiah 51:15

    But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is his name.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
stretched.
16
the Lord.
15:8; Jos 3:13-16; 4:23; Ne 9:11; Job 26:12; Ps 66:6; 74:13
Ps 78:13; 106:7-10; 114:3-5; 136:13; Isa 51:10,15; 63:12

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 14:20

    And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

  • Exodus 14:21

    And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

  • Exodus 14:22

    And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Read all of Exodus 14

Exodus 14:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y extendió Moisés su mano sobre la mar, é hizo Jehová que la mar se retirase por recio viento oriental toda aquella noche; y tornó la mar en seco, y las aguas quedaron divididas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Moïse étendit sa main sur la mer: et l’ Éternel fit aller la mer toute la nuit par un fort vent d’orient, et mit la mer à sec, et les eaux se fendirent;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Mose streckte seine Hand aus über das Meer, und Jehova trieb das Meer durch einen starken Ostwind hinweg, die ganze Nacht, und machte das Meer trocken, und die Wasser wurden gespalten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cumque extendisset Moyses manum super mare, abstulit illud Dominus flante vento vehementi et urente tota nocte, et vertit in siccum: divisaque est aqua.