Exodus 14 · Verse 22

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.
Exodus 14:22, King James Version

Exodus 14:22 in other translations

BSBand the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.
WEBThe children of Israel went into the middle of the sea on the dry ground; and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTand the sons of Israel go into the midst of the sea, on dry land, and the waters are to them a wall, on their right and on their left.
DARBYAnd the children of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry ground; and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
BBEAnd the children of Israel went through the sea on dry land: and the waters were a wall on their right side and on their left.
WebsterAnd the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.

What does Exodus 14:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
22. the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea, &c.--It is highly probable that Moses, along with Aaron, first planted his footsteps on the untrodden sand, encouraging the people to follow him without fear of the treacherous walls; and when we take into account the multitudes that followed him, the immense number who through infancy and old age were incapable of hastening their movements, together with all the appurtenances of the camp, the strong and steadfast character of the leaders' faith was strikingly manifested (Jos 2:10; 4:23; Psa 66:6; 74:13; 106:9; 136:13; Is 63:11-13; 1Co 10:1; He 11:29).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 And the waters were a wall unto them on their right and on their left - This verse demonstrates that the passage was miraculous. Some have supposed that the Israelites had passed through, favored by an extraordinary ebb, which happened at that time to be produced by a strong wind, which happened just then to blow! Had this been the case, there could not have been waters standing on the right hand and on the left; much less could those waters, contrary to every law of fluids, have stood as a wall on either side while the Israelites passed through, and then happen to become obedient to the laws of gravitation when the Egyptians entered in! An infidel may deny the revelation in toto, and from such we expect nothing better; but to hear those who profess to believe this to be a Divine revelation endeavoring to prove that the passage of the Red Sea had nothing miraculous in it, is really intolerable. Such a mode of interpretation requires a miracle to make itself credible. Poor infidelity! how miserable and despicable are thy shifts!

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…

Read the full comment on Exodus 14:21-31 →

Exodus 14:22 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.

וַיָּבֹ֧אוּvai.ya.Vo.'uand they wentH935
בְנֵֽי\־ve.nei-[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
בְּת֥וֹךְbe.Tokhin [the] middle ofH8432
הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220
בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑הbai.ya.ba.Shahon the dry groundH3004
וְהַמַּ֤יִםve.ha.Ma.yimand the waterH4325
לָהֶם֙la.Hemfor them
חֹמָ֔הcho.Mah[was] a wallH2346
מִֽימִינָ֖םmi.mi.Namfrom right theirH3225
וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם\׃u.mi.se.mo.Lamand from left theirH8040

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

Cross references for Exodus 14:22

  • Hebrews 11:29

    By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

  • Exodus 15:19

    For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry land in the midst of the sea.

  • Psalms 66:6

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

  • Psalms 78:13

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

  • Exodus 14:29

    But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

  • 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.

  • Isaiah 63:13

    That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?

  • 1 Corinthians 10:1

    Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

  • Numbers 33:8

    And they departed from before Pi–hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, and went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham, and pitched in Marah.

  • Zechariah 2:5

    For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.

  • Habakkuk 3:8-10

    Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the children.
29; 15:19; Nu 33:8; Ps 66:6; 78:13; Isa 63:13; 1Co 10:1; Heb 11:29
and the waters.This verse demonstrates that this event was wholly miraculous, and cannot be ascribed, as some have supposed, to an extraordinary ebb, which happened just then to be produced by a strong east wind: for this would not have caused the waters, contrary to every law of fluids, to stand as a wall on the right hand and the left.
a wall.
15:8; Hab 3:8-10; Zec 2:5

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Exodus 14:23

    And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.

Read all of Exodus 14

Exodus 14:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces los hijos de Israel entraron por medio de la mar en seco, teniendo las aguas como muro á su diestra y á su siniestra:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et les fils d’Israël entrèrent au milieu de la mer à sec; et les eaux étaient pour eux un mur à leur droite et à leur gauche.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Kinder Israel gingen mitten in das Meer hinein auf dem Trockenen, und die Wasser waren ihnen eine Mauer zur Rechten und zur Linken.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ingressi sunt filii Israël per medium sicci maris: erat enim aqua quasi murus a dextra eorum et læva.