Exodus 13:17

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Pharaoh	פַּרְעֹה֮ par.'Oh	H6547	Paroh · noun, masculine singular absolute
people	הָעָם֒ ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
go	בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח be.sha.Lach	H7971	to send away · preposition + verb, piel infinitive construct
God	אֱלֹהִ֗ים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
led	נָחָ֣ם na.Cham	H5148	to guide · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
way	דֶּ֚רֶךְ De.rekh	H1870	a road (as trodden) · noun, common both genders singular construct
land	אֶ֣רֶץ 'E.retz	H776	the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular construct
Philistines	פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים pe.lish.Tim	H6430	a Pelishtite or inhabitant of Pelesheth · noun, gentilic masculine plural absolute
although	כִּ֥י ki	H3588	(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunc… · particle
near	קָר֖וֹב ka.Rov	H7138	near (in place · adjective, masculine singular absolute
God	אֱלֹהִ֗ים 'E.lo.Him	H430	gods in the ordinary sense · noun, common masculine plural absolute
said	אָמַ֣ר 'a.Mar	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
people	הָעָ֛ם ha.'Am	H5971	a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
repent	יִנָּחֵ֥ם yi.na.Chem	H5162	properly · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
see	בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם bir.'o.Tam	H7200	to see · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
war	מִלְחָמָ֖ה mil.cha.Mah	H4421	a battle (i.e. the engagement) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
return	וְשָׁ֥בוּ ve.Sha.vu	H7725	to turn back (hence · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person common plural
Egypt	מִצְרָֽיְמָה mitz.Ra.ye.mah	H4714	Mitsrajim · proper noun, a place name + directional suffix

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Exodus 14:11-12 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…
Numbers 14:1-4 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
Nehemiah 9:17 And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appoin…
Luke 14:27-32 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Deuteronomy 20:8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and…
1 Kings 8:47 Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication unto thee in the land…
Acts 7:39 To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
Exodus 16:2-3 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 13:17–end

Here is, I. The choice God made of their way, Exo 13:17, Exo 13:18. He was their guide. Moses gave them direction but as he received it from the Lord. Note, The way of man is not in himself, Jer 10:23. He may devise his way, and design it; but, after all, it is God that directs his steps, Pro 16:9. Man proposes, but God disposes, and in his disposal we must acquiesce, and set ourselves to follow providence. There were two ways from Egypt to Canaan. One was a short cut from the north of Egypt to the south of Canaan, perhaps about four or five days' journey; the other was much further about, through the wilderness, and that was the way in which God chose to lead his people Israel, Exo 13:18. 1…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 13:17

JOURNEY FROM EGYPT. (Exo 13:17-21) God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near, &c.--The shortest and most direct route from Egypt to Palestine was the usual caravan road that leads by Belbeis, El-Arish, to Ascalon and Gaza. The Philistines, who then possessed the latter, would have been sure to dispute their passage, for between them and the Israelites there was a hereditary feud (Ch1 7:21-22); and so early a commencement of hostilities would have discouraged or dismayed the unwarlike band which Moses led. Their faith was to be exercised and strengthened, and from the commencement of their travels we observe the same careful proportion of burdens…

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Adam Clarke on Exodus 13:17

God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, etc. - Had the Israelites been obliged to commence their journey to the promised land by a military campaign, there is little room to doubt that they would have been discouraged, have rebelled against Moses and Aaron, and have returned back to Egypt. Their long slavery had so degraded their minds that they were incapable of any great or noble exertions; and it is only on the ground of this mental degradation, the infallible consequence of slavery, that we can account for their many dastardly acts, murmurings, and repinings after their escape from Egypt. The reader is requested to bear this in mind, as it will serve to elucidate…

Dictionary and topics

Frontlets — Occurs only in Ex. 13:16; Deut. 6:8, and 11:18. The meaning of the injunction to the Israelites, with regard to the statues and precepts given them, that they should “bind them for a sign upon their…
Frontlets, Or Phylacteries — (Exodus 13:16; 6:8; 11:18; Matthew 23:5) These “frontlets” or “phylacteries” were strips of parchment, on which were written four passages of Scripture, (Exodus 13:2-10,11-17; 6:4-9,13-23) in an ink…
Philistines — (Gen. 10:14, R.V.; but in A.V., “Philistim”), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the…
Desert, Journey Of Israel Through The · By a circuitous route — By a circuitous route
Philistines · Territory of — Territory of

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Exodus 13:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 13:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 13:17

Adam Clarke on Exodus 13:17

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 13:17

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 13:17–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 13:17

Adam Clarke on Exodus 13:17

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Exodus 13:17

John Calvin on Exodus 13:17–end

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 13:17-19

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 13:17–end

Rashi on Exodus 13:17