Exodus 14:8 (DBY)

Passage

And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; and the children of Israel had gone out with a high hand.

Nearby Context

Exodus 14:6 And he yoked his chariot, and took his people with him.

Exodus 14:7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them.

Exodus 14:8 And Jehovah hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; and the children of Israel had gone out with a high hand.

Exodus 14:9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them where they had encamped by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, opposite to Baal-Zephon.

Exodus 14:10 And Pharaoh approached; and the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and the children of Israel were much afraid, and cried out to Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "hardened", "heart", "pharaoh", "king", "egypt", "pursued", and "after". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "hardened", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "And he took six hundred chosen chariots..." into verse 9's "And the Egyptians pursued after them all...", so "jehovah" and "hardened" 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 "jehovah" and "hardened" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.