Exodus 14:11
in Exodus 14They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt?
KJV
And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?
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This verse in Exodus 14
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
No graves in Egypt - This bitter taunt was probably suggested by the vast extent of cemeteries in Egypt, which might not improperly be called the land of tombs.
This site's exposition
Because there were no graves in Egypt
on Exodus 14:11-12
This is the first murmuring of the wilderness and it comes before the sea opens, with nothing yet suffered in the desert. Three more follow within four chapters, at Marah in 15:24, in the wilderness of Sin at 16:2, and at Rephidim in 17:2, and Exodus answers every one of them with water, bread, meat or a dry road. Their appeal to what they had said in Egypt has one recorded parallel, the officers of Israel to Moses at 5:21, and the request to be left alone to serve the Egyptians reverses the demand the whole book has been making.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And they said unto Moses,....
(2.) Base ingratitude to Moses, who had been the faithful instrument of their deliverance. They condemn him, as if he had dealt hardly and unkindly with them, whereas it was evident, beyond dispute, that whatever he did, and however it issued, it was by direction from their God, and with design for their good.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
We find that the holy tongue employs two words with one meaning back to back when one would suffice.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Pharaoh drew near, and the B’nei Yisrael looked up, and beheld the Egyptians coming after them.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
16 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֹשֶׁה֒ | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| הַֽמִבְּלִ֤י | hamibeli | ¿ because not | H1097 → | |
| אֵין־ | ʾein- | there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| קְבָרִים֙ | kevarim | [were] graves | H6913 → | |
| בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם | bemitzrayim | in Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
| לְקַחְתָּ֖נוּ | lekachtanu | you brought us | H3947 → | 966 times |
| לָמ֣וּת | lamut | to die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר | bamidbar | in the wilderness | H4057 → | 270 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| זֹּאת֙ | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| עָשִׂ֣יתָ | ʾasita | have you done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| לָּ֔נוּ | lanu | to us | ||
| לְהוֹצִיאָ֖נוּ | lehotzianu | by bringing out us | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃ | mimitzrayim | from Egypt | H4714 → | 641 times |
וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮and they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מֹשֶׁה֒Moses
moshehH4872 →765 times
הַֽמִבְּלִ֤י¿ because not
hamibeliH1097 →
אֵין־there not
ʾein-H369 →789 times
קְבָרִים֙[were] graves
kevarimH6913 →
בְּמִצְרַ֔יִםin Egypt
bemitzrayimH4714 →641 times
לְקַחְתָּ֖נוּyou brought us
lekachtanuH3947 →966 times
לָמ֣וּתto die
lamutH4191 →839 times
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑רin the wilderness
bamidbarH4057 →270 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
זֹּאת֙this
zotH2063 →603 times
עָשִׂ֣יתָhave you done
ʾasitaH6213 →2628 times
לָּ֔נוּto us
lanu
לְהוֹצִיאָ֖נוּby bringing out us
lehotzianuH3318 →1067 times
מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃from Egypt
mimitzrayimH4714 →641 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About Exodus
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.