וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃

The Lord said to Moses: For what are you crying out to Me? This is no time for lengthy prayers; you need to act. Speak to the children of Israel that they will travel. It seemed as though the Israelites had no means of escape. They could not retreat, since that would send them into the arms of the Egyptian army. Perhaps they could have run to one side or another, but it is nearly certain that the Egyptians would have quickly caught them. God instead ordered them to march forward, into the sea.

וְאַתָּ֞ה הָרֵ֣ם אֶֽת־מַטְּךָ֗ וּנְטֵ֧ה אֶת־יָדְךָ֛ עַל־הַיָּ֖ם וּבְקָעֵ֑הוּ וְיָבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָֽׁה׃

And you, raise your staff, and extend your hand over the sea, and you will thereby split it; and the children of Israel will go into the sea on dry land. That is, they will march into the sea, and it will turn into dry land.

וַאֲנִ֗י הִנְנִ֤י מְחַזֵּק֙ אֶת־לֵ֣ב מִצְרַ֔יִם וְיָבֹ֖אוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם וְאִכָּבְדָ֤ה בְּפַרְעֹה֙ וּבְכָל־חֵיל֔וֹ בְּרִכְבּ֖וֹ וּבְפָרָשָֽׁיו׃

As for me, behold, I am hardening the heart of Egypt, and they will come after them. Were the Egyptians to act rationally, they would not choose to enter the sea in pursuit of the Israelites, since they had already been stricken by plagues that targeted them selectively. But because I am hardening their hearts, they will enter the sea. And I will be exalted through the demise of Pharaoh and through his entire army, through his chariots and through his horsemen.

וְיָדְע֥וּ מִצְרַ֖יִם כִּי־אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֑ה בְּהִכָּבְדִ֣י בְּפַרְעֹ֔ה בְּרִכְבּ֖וֹ וּבְפָרָשָֽׁיו׃

Egypt will know that I am the Lord, when I am exalted through Pharaoh, through his chariots, and through his horsemen. All the power of Egypt is concentrated here. When I break that power, My honor will grow in the eyes of those Egyptians left alive who will hear of these events.

וַיִּסַּ֞ע מַלְאַ֣ךְ הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים הַהֹלֵךְ֙ לִפְנֵי֙ מַחֲנֵ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶ֑ם וַיִּסַּ֞ע עַמּ֤וּד הֶֽעָנָן֙ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיַּֽעֲמֹ֖ד מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶֽם׃

The angel of God, who was going before the camp of Israel, traveled and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud, which during the day embodied the angel of God and was always in front of the camp, traveled from before them and stood behind them, at the back of the camp.

וַיָּבֹ֞א בֵּ֣ין ׀ מַחֲנֵ֣ה מִצְרַ֗יִם וּבֵין֙ מַחֲנֵ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיְהִ֤י הֶֽעָנָן֙ וְהַחֹ֔שֶׁךְ וַיָּ֖אֶר אֶת־הַלָּ֑יְלָה וְלֹא־קָרַ֥ב זֶ֛ה אֶל־זֶ֖ה כָּל־הַלָּֽיְלָה׃

It, the cloud, came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel and there was the cloud and the darkness in the space between the camps, and it illuminated the night. erhaps the pillar of fire shone from within the cloud, or the pillar of cloud turned to fire, and thus lit up the night. On the Egyptian side, the cloud and darkness hid the Israelites from the view of the Egyptians; on the Israelite side, the fire illuminated the night. And one, the Egyptian camp, did not approach the other, the Israelite camp, the entire night, due to the thick fog separating them.

וַיֵּ֨ט מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶת־יָדוֹ֮ עַל־הַיָּם֒ וַיּ֣וֹלֶךְ יְהוָ֣ה ׀ אֶת־הַ֠יָּם בְּר֨וּחַ קָדִ֤ים עַזָּה֙ כָּל־הַלַּ֔יְלָה וַיָּ֥שֶׂם אֶת־הַיָּ֖ם לֶחָרָבָ֑ה וַיִּבָּקְע֖וּ הַמָּֽיִם׃

Moses extended his hand over the sea, and the Lord moved the sea with a powerful east wind the entire night, and it rendered the sea dry land, and the water split.

וַיָּבֹ֧אוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּ֖ם בַּיַּבָּשָׁ֑ה וְהַמַּ֤יִם לָהֶם֙ חֹמָ֔ה מִֽימִינָ֖ם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָֽם׃

The children of Israel came into the sea , but on dry land; and the water was a wall for them on their right and on their left. The sea did not disappear entirely. Rather, a path, or perhaps several paths, took shape, through which the Israelites could pass. Although dry strips of land may naturally appear in the water during low tide, here the water stood up like walls on either side of the Israelites.

וַיִּרְדְּפ֤וּ מִצְרַ֙יִם֙ וַיָּבֹ֣אוּ אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם כֹּ֚ל ס֣וּס פַּרְעֹ֔ה רִכְבּ֖וֹ וּפָרָשָׁ֑יו אֶל־תּ֖וֹךְ הַיָּֽם׃

Egypt pursued and came after them. It is probable that as morning approached, the pillars of fire and cloud disappeared, and the Egyptians caught sight of the Israelites marching into the sea and gave chase. All Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen pursued them into the sea.

וַֽיְהִי֙ בְּאַשְׁמֹ֣רֶת הַבֹּ֔קֶר וַיַּשְׁקֵ֤ף יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מַחֲנֵ֣ה מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּעַמּ֥וּד אֵ֖שׁ וְעָנָ֑ן וַיָּ֕הָם אֵ֖ת מַחֲנֵ֥ה מִצְרָֽיִם׃

It was at the morning watch, the final third of the night, and the Lord looked down at the camp of Egypt and struck at them with a pillar of fire and cloud that approached the camp, and the Lord confounded the camp of Egypt.

וַיָּ֗סַר אֵ֚ת אֹפַ֣ן מַרְכְּבֹתָ֔יו וַֽיְנַהֲגֵ֖הוּ בִּכְבֵדֻ֑ת וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מִצְרַ֗יִם אָנ֙וּסָה֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כִּ֣י יְהוָ֔ה נִלְחָ֥ם לָהֶ֖ם בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃ (פ)

He removed the wheels of its chariots and caused them to drive with difficulty. The pillars of fire and cloud caused the wheels to separate from their chariots. Even if only some of the wheels fell off, it caused the chariots to lose their balance, so that the horses could not pull them. This caused panic in the camp. The Egyptians could not move, let alone fight, so Egypt said: I will flee from before Israel, as the Lord is making war for them against Egypt. Now there can be no doubt that some supreme power is aiding them. This place is strange and dangerous; we would do well to flee.