Exodus 14:8 (DRB)

Passage

And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao, king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; but they were gone forth in a mighty hand.

Nearby Context

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.

Exodus 14:8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharao, king of Egypt, and he pursued the children of Israel; but they were gone forth in a mighty hand.

Exodus 14:9 And when the Egyptians followed the steps of them who were gone before, they found them encamped at the sea side: all Pharao's horse and chariots and the whole army were in Phihahiroth, before Beelsephon.

Exodus 14:10 And when Pharao drew near, the children of Israel lifting up their eyes, saw the Egyptians behind them: and they feared exceedingly, and cried to the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "hardened", "heart", "pharao", "king", "egypt", "pursued", and "children". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" 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 when the Egyptians followed the steps...", so "lord" 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 "lord" and "hardened" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.