Exodus 14:1

Study note

Setting — The LORD addresses Moses at the moment the Israelites are positioned near the sea, immediately preceding the command to turn back and encamp. This divine initiation marks the transition into the next phase of the Exodus journey.

The words — The Hebrew verb וַיְדַבֵּר (va/y.da.Ber) literally means "and he spoke," establishing Yahweh as the active speaker to Moses. The marker לֵאמֹר (le./Mor) functions as a technical introduction to the command that follows in the next verse.

The thread — This formulaic divine address recurs in Exodus 12:1 and Exodus 13:1, where Yahweh similarly speaks to Moses to initiate new phases of the Exodus narrative.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that the following instructions originate from divine authority rather than human strategy. It demands immediate attention to the command that follows without embellishment.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.