Scripture Helps

Exodus 14–18

Following the tenth plague, Pharaoh allowed Moses and Aaron to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. But after their departure, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sent his army after the Israelites, who were camped near the Red Sea. The Lord parted the Red Sea, and the children of Israel passed through on dry ground while the army of Pharaoh was drowned. The people of Israel sang songs of praise and thanks to the Lord. Later, as they journeyed toward Mount Sinai, the Israelites complained to Moses of their hunger and thirst. The Lord miraculously provided food and water in the wilderness. The Israelites prevailed in battle against the Amalekites. While the Israelites camped near Mount Sinai, Jethro counseled Moses to delegate some of his responsibilities to others.

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Background and Context

Exodus 14:1–9

Where did the Israelites go after they left Egypt?

After Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt, God led them “through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea.” The exact location where the Israelites camped after their departure from Egypt is unclear.

The Hebrew phrase translated as “Red Sea” can also be translated as “Reed Sea” or “Sea of Reeds.” Because of this, some believe that the Israelites may have camped near some other body of water. However, other evidence suggests that the text is indeed referring to the Red Sea. Regardless of where the Israelites were, the scriptures suggest that the sea they crossed was a large body of water.

a map of Israel’s route from Egypt to Canaan — Bible Maps no. 2, “Israel’s Exodus from Egypt and Entry into Canaan”

Exodus 14:19–20, 24

What was the purpose of the pillar of cloud and fire?

The pillar of cloud and fire was a symbol of Jehovah’s presence. It came between the Egyptians and the Israelites at the Red Sea. It was a source of light and protection for the Israelites, but “ a cloud and darkness to the Egyptians.” Afterward, the pillar guided the Israelites throughout their journey in the wilderness. When the cloud moved, the Israelites followed it to their next destination. At night, the pillar of fire provided light to guide the Israelites to where they should go.

Exodus 14:4, 8

Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?

See “Exodus 4:21. Did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?”

Exodus 14:13–14

What did Moses mean when he said, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord”?

The Hebrew word translated as “salvation” is often used in the Old Testament to refer to help or assistance from God—almost always some form of rescue in the physical sense. The phrase “stand still” comes from a Hebrew word that can also mean “to take one’s proper or assigned position.” With Pharaoh and his armies fast approaching, the Israelites faced an overwhelming challenge. When Moses said, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,” he may have been inviting the Israelites to shift their focus away from their own limited strength and instead place their trust in God’s power to deliver them.

Exodus 14:19–22

What was symbolic about Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea?

The Apostle Paul taught that the Israelites’ passage through the Red Sea, along with the pillar of cloud and fire that overshadowed them, symbolized baptism by water and fire. By passing through the Red Sea, the Israelites left behind their lives of slavery in Egypt and began a new life as the Lord’s covenant people.

Exodus 14:21–29

What can we learn about revelation from the miracle at the Red Sea?

In a revelation Joseph Smith received, directed to Oliver Cowdery, the Lord used Moses’s experience at the Red Sea as an example of revelation through the Holy Ghost. The Lord promised that He would speak to Oliver’s mind and heart through the Holy Ghost. He then explained, “This is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.”

Regarding this comparison, President Jeffrey R. Holland taught:

“Why would the Lord use the example of crossing the Red Sea as the classic example of ‘the spirit of revelation’ [Doctrine and Covenants 8:3]? …

“… Moses’ challenge was how to get himself and the children of Israel out of this horrible predicament they were in. There were chariots behind them, sand dunes on every side, and a lot of water immediately ahead. He needed information to know what to do, but it wasn’t a casual thing he was asking. In this case it was literally a matter of life and death. …

“… The Red Sea will open to the honest seeker of revelation.”

Moses holding a staff and parting the Red Sea — Moses Parting the Red Sea, by Robert T. Barrett

Exodus 15:6

What does the Lord’s right hand symbolize?

The scriptures often speak of the right hand of God with symbolic significance. For example, God’s right hand is associated with righteousness, power, and making covenants. The Lord is also described as executing judgment and saving His people with His right hand. Jesus Christ is often described as being at the right hand of God, and the righteous will also dwell eternally at God’s right hand.

Exodus 15:22–26

How can the tree cast into the waters of Marah remind us of Jesus Christ?

When Moses obeyed the Lord’s command to cast a tree into the waters of Marah, the water, which had once been bitter and unfit to drink, became healed and pure. Like the tree that brought healing to Marah’s waters, Jesus Christ offers His healing power to cleanse us and remove bitterness from our lives. After the miracle at Marah, the Lord proclaimed, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”

Exodus 16:14–15

What was manna?

In Hebrew, the word manna means “what is it?” This was the Israelites’ response when they first encountered the miraculous food that appeared on the ground in the wilderness. The Lord provided the Israelites with manna throughout the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness. Manna was described as “a small, round food substance with the taste of honey wafers … or of fresh oil.” The Israelites prepared it in a variety of ways. The book of Numbers records that they “ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it.”

Manna was a symbol of Jesus Christ. After miraculously feeding the 5,000 during His mortal ministry, the Savior reminded the Jews of the bread from heaven that their ancestors had eaten. He then identified Himself as “the true bread from heaven.” He testified, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst,” and “if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.”

Exodus 16:16–30

What did gathering manna teach the Israelites?

Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught: “By providing a daily sustenance, one day at a time, Jehovah was trying to teach faith to a nation that over a period of some 400 years had lost much of the faith of their fathers. He was teaching them to trust Him, to ‘look unto [Him] in every thought; doubt not, fear not’ [Doctrine and Covenants 6:36]. He was providing enough for one day at a time. Except for the sixth day, they could not store manna for use in any succeeding day or days. In essence, the children of Israel had to walk with Him today and trust that He would grant a sufficient amount of food for the next day on the next day, and so on. In that way He could never be too far from their minds and hearts.”

Shortly before the Israelites entered the promised land, Moses admonished them to remember all that the Lord had done for them in the wilderness. He taught that one of the purposes of the Lord providing manna was to help them know “that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord.”

a hand reaching out to pick up manna from the ground

Exodus 16:16

What is an omer?

The Lord instructed the Israelites to gather an omer of manna for each person in their tent daily. An omer is a unit of measurement that is equivalent to about two quarts, or half a gallon.

Exodus 17:1–6

How can the water flowing from the rock remind us of Jesus Christ?

The scriptures refer to Jesus Christ as both “the rock” and the source of living water. Speaking of the Israelites drinking water from the rock, the Apostle Paul said that they “did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Exodus 17:8–13

Why might Moses have kept his hands raised during Israel’s battle?

During Israel’s battle with the Amalekites, Moses stated that he would stand atop the hill with “the rod of God in my hand.” Israel prevailed against the Amalekites only while Moses’s hands were raised. It is possible that Moses’s uplifted hands were a gesture of prayer. Regardless of the reason for Moses’s actions, it is clear that the Lord was the source of the Israelites’ power in this battle. The actions of Aaron and Hur in this account have been used by Church leaders to teach the importance of sustaining the Lord’s prophet.

Aaron and Hur helping Moses raise his arms — One before God, by Joseph Brickey

Exodus 17:14–16

Why did the Lord command Moses to destroy the Amalekites?

The Amalekites were a wandering tribe that often clashed with the Israelites. They were believed to have been descended from Amalek, a grandson of Esau. While the Exodus account indicates that the Amalekites provoked the war against Israel, the book of Deuteronomy adds the important detail that the Amalekites attacked the rear of the camp, killing the most vulnerable. Because of this, the Lord swore to oppose them. The Amalekites would continue to attack Israel in the generations to come.

Learn More

The spirit of revelation

Jeffrey R. Holland, “Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence,” Ensign, Mar. 2000, 6–11
David A. Bednar, “The Spirit of Revelation,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 87–90