Exodus 14:17 (WEB)

Passage

Behold, I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.

Nearby Context

Exodus 14:15 Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.

Exodus 14:16 Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the middle of the sea on dry ground.

Exodus 14:17 Behold, I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.

Exodus 14:18 The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have gotten myself honor over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.”

Exodus 14:19 The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Lift up your rod and stretch out..." into verse 18's "The Egyptians shall know that I am...", so "behold" and "myself" 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 "myself" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.