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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Exodus 14:12 Did we not say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/exodus/14-12.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/13/02_Exo_14_12.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Exodus 14:12 - Pharaoh Pursues the Israelites" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Did we not say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians'? 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It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/exodus/14.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/exodus/14.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/exodus/14.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/exodus/14.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br /><i>Is</i> not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For <i>it had been</i> better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/exodus/14.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br /><i>Is</i> this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For <i>it would have been</i> better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/exodus/14.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/exodus/14.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, &#8216Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians &#8216? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.&#8221<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/exodus/14.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/exodus/14.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than for us to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/exodus/14.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians [as slaves] than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/exodus/14.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/exodus/14.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Isn&#8217t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.&#8221 <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/exodus/14.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Is not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/exodus/14.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />While we were there, didn't we tell you to leave us alone? We'd rather be slaves in Egypt than die in this desert!" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/exodus/14.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Is not this the word that we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/exodus/14.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Didn't we tell you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone! Let us go on serving the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/exodus/14.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Didn't we tell you before we left that this would happen? We told you to leave us alone and let us go on being slaves of the Egyptians. It would be better to be slaves there than to die here in the desert." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/exodus/14.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Is this not what we told you in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone!' and 'Let us serve the Egyptians!'? Indeed, it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/exodus/14.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/exodus/14.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Isn't this what we told you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians, because it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/exodus/14.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Isn't this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/exodus/14.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Is not this the word that we told thee in Egypt, Saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/exodus/14.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Isn’t this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/exodus/14.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Is this not the word which we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, Cease from us, and we serve the Egyptians; for [it is] better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in a wilderness?”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/exodus/14.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Is not this the word which we spake unto thee in Egypt, saying, Cease from us, and we serve the Egyptians; for better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in a wilderness?'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/exodus/14.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Is not this the word which we spake to thee in Egypt, saying, Desist from us, and we will serve the Egyptians? For it is good to us to serve Egypt rather than that we died in the desert.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/exodus/14.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Is not this the word that we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying: Depart from us that we may serve the Egyptians? for it was much better to serve them, than to die in the wilderness. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/exodus/14.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying: Withdraw from us, so that we may serve the Egyptians? For it was much better to serve them, than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/exodus/14.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/exodus/14.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/exodus/14.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Is not this the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/exodus/14.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Was this not the answer we were saying to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us that we may work for the Egyptians’, because it was better for us that we may work for the Egyptians than that we should die in this wilderness?”<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/exodus/14.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Is not this the word that we spoke unto thee in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.'<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/exodus/14.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Is not this the word which we spoke to thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? for it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in this wilderness.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/exodus/14-12.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kVae3PiKqhs?start=3499" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/exodus/14.htm">Pharaoh Pursues the Israelites</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">11</span>They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? <span class="reftext">12</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: hă·lō- (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">Did we not</a> <a href="/hebrew/2088.htm" title="2088: zeh (Pro-ms) -- This, here. A primitive word; the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or that."></a> <a href="/hebrew/1697.htm" title="1697: had·dā·ḇār (Art:: N-ms) -- Speech, word. From dabar; a word; by implication, a matter or thing; adverbially, a cause."></a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: ’ă·šer (Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc."></a> <a href="/hebrew/1696.htm" title="1696: dib·bar·nū (V-Piel-Perf-1cp) -- To speak. A primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively, to speak; rarely to subdue.">say</a> <a href="/hebrew/413.htm" title="413: ’ê·le·ḵā (Prep:: 2ms) -- To, into, towards. ">to you</a> <a href="/hebrew/4714.htm" title="4714: ḇə·miṣ·ra·yim (Prep-b:: N-proper-fs) -- A son of Ham, also his desc. and their country in N.W. Africa. Dual of matsowr; Mitsrajim, i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt.">in Egypt,</a> <a href="/hebrew/559.htm" title="559: lê·mōr (Prep-l:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To utter, say. A primitive root; to say."></a> <a href="/hebrew/2308.htm" title="2308: ḥă·ḏal (V-Qal-Imp-ms) -- To cease. A primitive root; properly, to be flabby, i.e. desist; be lacking or idle.">‘Leave us alone</a> <a href="/hebrew/4480.htm" title="4480: mim·men·nū (Prep:: 1cp) -- From. Or minniy; or minney; for men; properly, a part of; hence, from or out of in many senses."></a> <a href="/hebrew/5647.htm" title="5647: wə·na·‘aḇ·ḏāh (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConjImperf.Cohort-1cp) -- To work, serve. A primitive root; to work; by implication, to serve, till, enslave, etc.">so that we may serve</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’eṯ- (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/4713.htm" title="4713: miṣ·rā·yim (N-proper-fs) -- Inhab. of Eg. From Mitsrayim; a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of Mitsrajim.">the Egyptians’?</a> <a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kî (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">For</a> <a href="/hebrew/2896.htm" title="2896: ṭō·wḇ (Adj-ms) -- Pleasant, agreeable, good.">it would have been better</a> <a href="/hebrew/lā·nū (Prep:: 1cp) -- ">for us</a> <a href="/hebrew/5647.htm" title="5647: ‘ă·ḇōḏ (V-Qal-Inf) -- To work, serve. A primitive root; to work; by implication, to serve, till, enslave, etc.">to serve</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’eṯ- (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/4713.htm" title="4713: miṣ·ra·yim (N-proper-fs) -- Inhab. of Eg. From Mitsrayim; a Mitsrite, or inhabitant of Mitsrajim.">the Egyptians</a> <a href="/hebrew/4191.htm" title="4191: mim·mu·ṯê·nū (Prep-m:: V-Qal-Inf:: 1cp) -- To die. A primitive root: to die; causatively, to kill.">than to die</a> <a href="/hebrew/4057.htm" title="4057: bam·miḏ·bār (Prep-b, Art:: N-ms) -- A pasture, a desert, speech. From dabar in the sense of driving; a pasture; by implication, a desert; also speech.">in the wilderness.”</a> </span><span class="reftext">13</span>But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/14-3.htm">Numbers 14:3-4</a></span><br />Why is the LORD bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” / So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/7-39.htm">Acts 7:39</a></span><br />But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/11-5.htm">Numbers 11:5</a></span><br />We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nehemiah/9-17.htm">Nehemiah 9:17</a></span><br />They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/106-7.htm">Psalm 106:7</a></span><br />Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/21-5.htm">Numbers 21:5</a></span><br />and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/1-27.htm">Deuteronomy 1:27</a></span><br />You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/78-17.htm">Psalm 78:17-19</a></span><br />But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. / They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved. / They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/14-11.htm">Numbers 14:11</a></span><br />And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/7-51.htm">Acts 7:51</a></span><br />You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/20-3.htm">Numbers 20:3-5</a></span><br />The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! / Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? / Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/3-7.htm">Hebrews 3:7-9</a></span><br />Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, / do not harden your hearts, as you did in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, / where your fathers tested and tried Me, and for forty years saw My works.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/16-13.htm">Numbers 16:13-14</a></span><br />Is it not enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness? Must you also appoint yourself as ruler over us? / Moreover, you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/10-10.htm">1 Corinthians 10:10</a></span><br />And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/numbers/14-22.htm">Numbers 14:22</a></span><br />not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times—</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Is not this the word that we did tell you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.</p><p class="hdg">is not this</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/5-21.htm">Exodus 5:21</a></b></br> And they said unto them, The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/exodus/3-9.htm">Exodus 3:9</a></b></br> Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.</p><p class="hdg">let us alone</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/hosea/4-17.htm">Hosea 4:17</a></b></br> Ephraim <i>is</i> joined to idols: let him alone.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/mark/1-24.htm">Mark 1:24</a></b></br> Saying, Let <i>us</i> alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/mark/5-7.htm">Mark 5:7,17,18</a></b></br> And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, <i>thou</i> Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not… </p><p class="hdg">for it had</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jonah/4-3.htm">Jonah 4:3,8</a></b></br> Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for <i>it is</i> better for me to die than to live… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/exodus/12-16.htm">Alone</a> <a href="/genesis/29-19.htm">Better</a> <a href="/exodus/9-33.htm">Cease</a> <a href="/exodus/14-11.htm">Death</a> <a href="/exodus/14-11.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/exodus/14-11.htm">Die</a> <a href="/exodus/14-11.htm">Egypt</a> <a href="/exodus/14-10.htm">Egyptians</a> <a href="/exodus/12-33.htm">Leave</a> <a href="/exodus/14-5.htm">Servants</a> <a href="/exodus/13-16.htm">Serve</a> <a href="/exodus/14-11.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/exodus/14-11.htm">Wilderness</a> <a href="/exodus/14-5.htm">Word</a> <a href="/exodus/12-45.htm">Working</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/exodus/18-14.htm">Alone</a> <a href="/numbers/14-3.htm">Better</a> <a href="/exodus/23-12.htm">Cease</a> <a href="/exodus/17-3.htm">Death</a> <a href="/exodus/15-22.htm">Desert</a> <a href="/exodus/17-3.htm">Die</a> <a href="/exodus/14-20.htm">Egypt</a> <a href="/exodus/14-13.htm">Egyptians</a> <a href="/exodus/16-19.htm">Leave</a> <a href="/exodus/20-2.htm">Servants</a> <a href="/exodus/18-13.htm">Serve</a> <a href="/exodus/15-22.htm">Waste</a> <a href="/exodus/15-22.htm">Wilderness</a> <a href="/exodus/16-22.htm">Word</a> <a href="/exodus/15-11.htm">Working</a><div class="vheading2">Exodus 14</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-1.htm">God instructs the Israelites in their journey</a></span><br><span class="reftext">5. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-5.htm">Pharaoh pursues after them</a></span><br><span class="reftext">10. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-10.htm">The Israelites murmur</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-13.htm">Moses comforts them</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-15.htm">God instructs Moses</a></span><br><span class="reftext">19. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-19.htm">The cloud removes behind the camp</a></span><br><span class="reftext">21. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/exodus/14-21.htm">The Israelites pass through the Red sea, which drowns the Egyptians</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading"><a href="/study/exodus/14.htm">Berean Study Bible</a></div><b>Did we not say to you in Egypt</b><br />This phrase reflects the Israelites' mindset while they were still in Egypt. The Hebrew word for "say" is "אָמַר" (amar), which can also mean to command or declare. This indicates that the Israelites had previously expressed their fears and reluctance to Moses. Historically, Egypt was a place of bondage, yet it was also a place of familiarity. The Israelites' statement reveals a common human tendency to prefer the known, even if it is oppressive, over the uncertainty of freedom. This reflects a lack of faith and trust in God's promises and deliverance.<p><b>Leave us alone</b><br />The plea to be left alone underscores a desire for comfort and stability, even at the cost of freedom. The Hebrew root "נ֫וּחַ" (nuach) implies rest or quietness. Ironically, the Israelites sought rest in servitude rather than in the freedom God was offering. This highlights a spiritual lesson: true rest and peace come from trusting in God's plan, not in clinging to past securities.<p><b>so that we may serve the Egyptians</b><br />The word "serve" comes from the Hebrew "עָבַד" (avad), which means to work or be enslaved. This phrase reveals the Israelites' skewed perspective, where they equate servitude with survival. Historically, the Egyptians were known for their harsh treatment of the Israelites, yet fear distorted their memory. This serves as a reminder of how fear can cloud judgment and lead to a preference for bondage over the challenges of faith and freedom.<p><b>For it would have been better for us</b><br />This expression of regret and doubt reflects a lack of faith in God's deliverance. The Hebrew word "טוֹב" (tov) means good or better, indicating a misguided belief that their past suffering was preferable to their current uncertainty. This highlights a spiritual struggle where the Israelites failed to see the goodness of God's plan amidst their trials.<p><b>to serve the Egyptians</b><br />Reiterating their willingness to serve the Egyptians emphasizes their fear-driven mindset. The repetition of "serve" (עָבַד, avad) underscores their internal conflict between the known oppression and the unknown promise of freedom. This serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of spiritual complacency and the importance of trusting in God's deliverance.<p><b>than to die in the wilderness</b><br />The wilderness represents a place of testing and transformation. The Hebrew word for wilderness, "מִדְבָּר" (midbar), can also mean a place of speaking, where God communicates with His people. The Israelites' fear of dying in the wilderness reveals their lack of understanding of God's purpose for their journey. Historically, the wilderness was a place where God provided and guided, yet the Israelites saw it as a place of death. This reflects a spiritual truth: the wilderness experiences in life are opportunities for growth and deeper reliance on God.<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/exodus/14.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(12) <span class= "bld">Is not this the word that we did tell thee . . .</span>?--At one time they had refused to listen to Moses (<a href="/exodus/6-9.htm" title="And Moses spoke so to the children of Israel: but they listened not to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.">Exodus 6:9</a>) but in the main they had acquiesced in his proceedings, and allowed him to act in their name. The reproach was therefore unjust and undeserved; but it is in human nature to make such reproaches in times of danger and difficulty.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/exodus/14.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 12.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Is not this the word that we did tell thee?</span> The reference was probably to that time of depression, after their burdens had been increased, and before the series of miracles began, when the Israelites had addressed reproaches to Moses and Aaron (<a href="/exodus/5-21.htm">Exodus 5:21</a>), and refused to listen to words of encouragement (<a href="/exodus/6-9.htm">Exodus 6:9</a>). It was not true that they had uniformly held the same language, and desired Moses and Aaron to cease their efforts. It had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die. The spirit to prefer death to slavery, where they are the only alternatives, is not a common one; and we must not be surprised that a people which had grown up in servitude and had no traditions of national independence did not rise to the heroic height attained under other circumstances by Greeks, by Switzers. and by Poles. It would have been most extraordinary had they done so. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/exodus/14-12.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">{Did we} not</span><br /><span class="heb">הֲלֹא־</span> <span class="translit">(hă·lō-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">say</span><br /><span class="heb">דִּבַּ֨רְנוּ</span> <span class="translit">(dib·bar·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1696.htm">Strong's 1696: </a> </span><span class="str2">To arrange, to speak, to subdue</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to you</span><br /><span class="heb">אֵלֶ֤יךָ</span> <span class="translit">(’ê·le·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_413.htm">Strong's 413: </a> </span><span class="str2">Near, with, among, to</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in Egypt,</span><br /><span class="heb">בְמִצְרַ֙יִם֙</span> <span class="translit">(ḇə·miṣ·ra·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4714.htm">Strong's 4714: </a> </span><span class="str2">Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa</span><br /><br /><span class="word">‘Leave us alone</span><br /><span class="heb">חֲדַ֥ל</span> <span class="translit">(ḥă·ḏal)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2308.htm">Strong's 2308: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be flabby, desist, be lacking, idle</span><br /><br /><span class="word">so that we may serve</span><br /><span class="heb">וְנַֽעַבְדָ֣ה</span> <span class="translit">(wə·na·‘aḇ·ḏāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5647.htm">Strong's 5647: </a> </span><span class="str2">To work, to serve, till, enslave</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the Egyptians’?</span><br /><span class="heb">מִצְרָ֑יִם</span> <span class="translit">(miṣ·rā·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4713.htm">Strong's 4713: </a> </span><span class="str2">Egyptian -- inhabitant of Egypt</span><br /><br /><span class="word">For</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(kî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">it would have been better</span><br /><span class="heb">ט֥וֹב</span> <span class="translit">(ṭō·wḇ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2896.htm">Strong's 2896: </a> </span><span class="str2">Pleasant, agreeable, good</span><br /><br /><span class="word">for us</span><br /><span class="heb">לָ֙נוּ֙</span> <span class="translit">(lā·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/.htm">Strong's Hebrew</a> </span><span class="str2"></span><br /><br /><span class="word">to serve</span><br /><span class="heb">עֲבֹ֣ד</span> <span class="translit">(‘ă·ḇōḏ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5647.htm">Strong's 5647: </a> </span><span class="str2">To work, to serve, till, enslave</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the Egyptians</span><br /><span class="heb">מִצְרַ֔יִם</span> <span class="translit">(miṣ·ra·yim)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4713.htm">Strong's 4713: </a> </span><span class="str2">Egyptian -- inhabitant of Egypt</span><br /><br /><span class="word">than to die</span><br /><span class="heb">מִמֻּתֵ֖נוּ</span> <span class="translit">(mim·mu·ṯê·nū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | first person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4191.htm">Strong's 4191: </a> </span><span class="str2">To die, to kill</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in the wilderness.”</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃</span> <span class="translit">(bam·miḏ·bār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4057.htm">Strong's 4057: </a> </span><span class="str2">A pasture, a desert, speech</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/exodus/14-12.htm">Exodus 14:12 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/exodus/14-12.htm">OT Law: Exodus 14:12 Isn't this the word that we spoke (Exo. Ex) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/exodus/14-11.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Exodus 14:11"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Exodus 14:11" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/exodus/14-13.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Exodus 14:13"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Exodus 14:13" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>