Exodus 14:5 (DRB)

Passage

And it was told the king of the Egyptians that the people was fled: and the heart of Pharao and of his servants was changed with regard to the people, and they said: What meant we to do, that we let Israel go from serving us?

Nearby Context

Exodus 14:3 And Pharao will say of the children of Israel: They are straitened in the land, the desert hath shut them in.

Exodus 14:4 And I shall harden his heart and he will pursue you: and I shall be glorified in Pharao, and in all his army: and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so.

Exodus 14:5 And it was told the king of the Egyptians that the people was fled: and the heart of Pharao and of his servants was changed with regard to the people, and they said: What meant we to do, that we let Israel go from serving us?

Exodus 14:6 So he made ready his chariot, and took all his people with him.

Exodus 14:7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots that were in Egypt: and the captains of the whole army.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "told", "king", "egyptians", "people", "fled", "heart", "pharao", and "servants". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "told" and "king", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And I shall harden his heart and..." into verse 6's "So he made ready his chariot and...", so "told" and "king" 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 "told" and "king" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.