The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights not just the destruction of Pharaoh's army, but the completeness of it, stating "not one of them remained." This emphatic finality underscores God's absolute power, leaving no room for escape or survival for those who pursued His people into defiance.
The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Having just witnessed the miraculous parting of the sea and crossing on dry ground, the Israelites now watch as the returning waters engulf Pharaoh's pursuing army. Every chariot, horseman, and soldier who dared to follow them into the sea is swept away and utterly destroyed, leaving no survivors to tell the tale. This decisive act of divine power marks the complete deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and serves as a profound moment of awe and belief.
God's power isn't limited to parting seas; He commands the very elements to enact His judgment.
Exodus 14:28 isn't just about a natural disaster. It's about the sea, which had miraculously parted for Israel, now acting as God's obedient weapon against Pharaoh's army.
Nature Under Command
Calvin points out that the sea obeyed God's command in both directions: parting for Israel and returning to engulf the Egyptians. The same rod of Moses that held the waters back was the signal for their return. This highlights that the 'natural' forces we see are, in fact, under divine authority.
A Swift and Total End
The text emphasizes the completeness of the destruction: "not one of them remained." This wasn't a partial defeat but an absolute obliteration. Gill notes the sea returned "to its place, and so... was restored to its place again." This swift, decisive action shows God's power to bring about judgment without exception.
Pharaoh's pursuit wasn't just driven by tyranny, but by a fundamental misunderstanding of who God is.
Pharaoh's decision to pursue Israel wasn't a rash mistake; it stemmed from a deeply flawed theological assumption. He believed God's power was limited, a dangerous error that led to his utter destruction.
A Limited God?
Commentators like Expositrs suggest Pharaoh thought God was 'a god of the hills but not of the valleys' – a god whose power might be situational or localized. This echoes the modern tendency to compartmentalize God, acknowledging Him in worship but not in the practicalities of daily life, politics, or global events.
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The Consequence of Ignorance
Pharaoh's fatal flaw was his underestimation of Jehovah's universal might. He saw Israel's escape as an opportunity for conquest, not as an act of divine intervention. His army, the pride of Egypt, was ultimately defeated not by human strategy, but by a God who commands the seas and dictates the rise and fall of empires. His hardened heart refused to acknowledge the divine power already displayed, sealing his doom.
This dramatic event served as a 'baptism' for both Egypt's destruction and Israel's new life.
The crossing of the Red Sea, and its catastrophic aftermath for the Egyptians, is described with profound theological weight. It marks a definitive turning point for both nations.
Egypt's Final Plunge
For Pharaoh and his army, the waters returning were a baptism of judgment. Barnes notes that this event signifies their final separation from any possibility of reclaiming Israel. Their end was absolute, a complete erasure from the stage of history as a threat to God's people. The sheer totality of the destruction underscores the gravity of opposing God's purposes.
Israel's New Beginning
Simultaneously, for Israel, passing through the sea was a transformative experience, a 'baptism unto Moses' as 1 Corinthians 10 describes. It was their initiation into nationhood, their definitive break from Egyptian idolatry and servitude. They walked on dry land, protected by God, emerging on the other side as a people bound to Yahweh and His covenant. This event sealed their independence and launched their life as a nation defined by faith.
Understand the original words
chayil · Hebrew Noun
A collective term for a military force, army, or organized multitude. It can also refer to the heavenly hosts (angels) who serve God's purposes.
Par`oh · Hebrew Noun
A royal title for the monarch of Egypt. In the biblical narrative, Pharaoh represents worldly power in opposition to the kingdom of God and the oppression of His people.
This event marks a decisive, miraculous intervention by God, severing the Israelites' ties to Egypt and demonstrating His power over nature and human might, birthing their life as a distinct nation.
c. 1446 BC
Israel's Exodus from Egypt
Following the ten plagues, Moses leads the Israelites out of Egypt after centuries of enslavement. Pharaoh, initially letting them go, soon regrets it.
c. 1446 BC
Pharaoh's Pursuit
Pharaoh gathers his army, including chariots and horsemen, to pursue the fleeing Israelites, determined to bring them back into bondage.
c. 1446 BC
The Parting of the Sea
God causes a strong east wind to blow all night, parting the waters of the sea to create a dry path for the Israelites to escape.
c. 1446 BC— this verse
The Destruction of Pharaoh's Army
As the Israelites safely cross, God commands Moses to return the waters, which crash down, utterly destroying Pharaoh's pursuing army.
c. 1446 BC
Israel's Deliverance and Fear
The Israelites witness the devastating power of God and the complete annihilation of their enemies, leading them to fear the Lord and believe in Him and Moses.
This psalm recounts God's mighty acts, including how He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, echoing the complete destruction described in Exodus.
1 Corinthians 10:2Paul uses the crossing of the Red Sea as a spiritual metaphor, describing the Israelites as being 'baptized into Moses' in the cloud and in the sea, highlighting the event's transformative significance.
Hebrews 11:29This passage in the 'hall of faith' highlights the Israelites' faith in crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, contrasting with the Egyptians' destruction when they attempted the same.
Matthew 8:27Jesus' disciples marvel at His power over the storm, with Jesus asking them, 'What sort of man are you, that even winds and sea obey him?' This echoes the divine power demonstrated when the sea obeyed God's command to destroy the Egyptians.
calvinExodus 14:26-31: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."
And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared, and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
Et extendit Moses manum suam super mare, et reversum est mare quum mane illuxisset, secundum vim…
gillExodus 14:28: "And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them."
And the waters returned,.... To their place, and so in the above tradition related by Diodorus Siculus, it is said that the sea returning with a mighty force was restored to its place again; See Gill on Exodus 14:22 . and covered the chariots and the horsemen; the wall they made being much higher than a man…
The verse highlights not just the destruction of Pharaoh's army, but the completeness of it, stating "not one of them remained." This emphatic finality underscores God's absolute power, leaving no room for escape or survival for those who pursued His people into defiance.
Having just witnessed the miraculous parting of the sea and crossing on dry ground, the Israelites now watch as the returning waters engulf Pharaoh's pursuing army. Every chariot, horseman, and soldier who dared to follow them into the sea is swept away and utterly destroyed, leaving no survivors to tell the tale. This decisive act of divine power marks the complete deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and serves as a profound moment of awe and belief.
Having just witnessed the miraculous parting of the sea and crossing on dry ground, the Israelites now watch as the returning waters engulf Pharaoh's pursuing army. Every chariot, horseman, and soldier who dared to follow them into the sea is swept away and utterly destroyed, leaving no survivors to tell the tale. This decisive act of divine power marks the complete deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and serves as a profound moment of awe and belief.
"The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained." — The verse highlights not just the destruction of Pharaoh's army, but the completeness of it, stating "not one of them remained." This emphatic finality underscores God's absolute power, leaving no ro…
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Last reviewed October 2026