Exodus 14:17 (KJV)

Passage

And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

Nearby Context

Exodus 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

Exodus 14:16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Exodus 14:17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

Exodus 14:18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.

Exodus 14:19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "harden", "hearts", "egyptians", "shall", "follow", "honour", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "harden", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "But lift thou up thy rod and..." into verse 18's "And the Egyptians shall know that I...", so "behold" and "harden" 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 "behold" and "harden" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.