Exodus 14:20 (DBY)

Passage

And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and was a cloud and darkness, and lit up the night; and the one did not come near the other all the night.

Nearby Context

Exodus 14:18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have glorified myself in Pharaoh, in his chariots and in his horsemen.

Exodus 14:19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before them, and stood behind them.

Exodus 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and was a cloud and darkness, and lit up the night; and the one did not come near the other all the night.

Exodus 14:21 And 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.

Exodus 14:22 And 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "came", "between", "camp", "egyptians", "israel", and "cloud". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "came", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And the Angel of God who went..." into verse 21's "And Moses stretched out his hand over...", so "darkness" and "came" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "darkness" and "came" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.