Exodus 14:15
New International Version
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

New Living Translation
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving!

English Standard Version
The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.

King James Bible
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

New King James Version
And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

NASB 1995
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

NASB 1977
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Speak to the sons of Israel so that they go forward.

Amplified Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to move forward [toward the sea].

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to break camp.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to break camp.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you keep calling out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward.

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to start moving.

Good News Translation
The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out for help? Tell the people to move forward.

International Standard Version
Then the LORD told Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelis to move out!

Majority Standard Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses, ?Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.

NET Bible
The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

New Heart English Bible
The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to Moses, Why criest thou to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward:

World English Bible
Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the sons of Israel, and they journey;

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'What? thou criest unto Me -- speak unto the sons of Israel, and they journey;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will say to Moses, Why wilt thou cry to me? speak to the sons of Israel and they shall remove.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to Moses: Why criest thou to me? Speak to the children of Israel to go forward.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the Lord said to Moses: “Why cry out to me? Tell the sons of Israel to continue on.

New American Bible
Then the LORD said to Moses: Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to set out.

New Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the LORD said to Moses. Why do you pray before me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH said to Moshe, “Why do you pray before me? Say to the house of Israel, ‘We will pick up camp’:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the Lord said to Moses, Why criest thou to me? speak to the children of Israel, and let them proceed.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Parting the Red Sea
15Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.…

Cross References
Joshua 3:7-8
Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. / Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the waters, stand in the Jordan.’”

Numbers 20:7-8
And the LORD said to Moses, / “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water. You will bring out water from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”

Isaiah 43:16-17
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the surging waters, / who brings out the chariots and horses, the armies and warriors together, to lie down, never to rise again; to be extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:

Psalm 77:16-20
The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You and swirled; even the depths were shaken. / The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth. / Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. ...

Hebrews 11:29
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.

2 Kings 2:8
And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Nehemiah 9:9-11
You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt; You heard their cry at the Red Sea. / You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all his officials, and all the people of his land, for You knew they had acted with arrogance against our fathers. You made a name for Yourself that endures to this day. / You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.

Psalm 106:9-11
He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert. / He saved them from the hand that hated them; He redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. / The waters covered their foes; not one of them remained.

Isaiah 51:10
Was it not You who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a road in the depths of the sea for the redeemed to cross over?

1 Corinthians 10:1-2
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. / They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

Acts 7:36
He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.

Romans 9:17-18
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” / Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.

Deuteronomy 11:4
what He did to the Egyptian army and horses and chariots when He made the waters of the Red Sea engulf them as they pursued you, and how He destroyed them completely, even to this day;

Psalm 114:3-5
The sea observed and fled; the Jordan turned back; / the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. / Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back,

Isaiah 63:12-13
who sent His glorious arm to lead them by the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to gain for Himself everlasting renown, / who led them through the depths like a horse in the wilderness, so that they did not stumble?


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to Moses, Why cry you to me? speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward:

Exodus 17:4
And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

Joshua 7:10
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Ezra 10:4,5
Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it

Jump to Previous
Children Criest Cry Crying Forward Israel Israelites Journey Moses Move Order Speak Wherefore
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Children Criest Cry Crying Forward Israel Israelites Journey Moses Move Order Speak Wherefore
Exodus 14
1. God instructs the Israelites in their journey
5. Pharaoh pursues after them
10. The Israelites murmur
13. Moses comforts them
15. God instructs Moses
19. The cloud removes behind the camp
21. The Israelites pass through the Red sea, which drowns the Egyptians














Then the LORD said to Moses
This phrase indicates a direct communication from God to Moses, emphasizing the personal relationship and divine guidance that Moses received. In the Hebrew text, "LORD" is represented by the Tetragrammaton YHWH, which signifies God's eternal and unchanging nature. This divine name underscores God's sovereignty and His role as the covenant-keeping God of Israel. Historically, this moment occurs as the Israelites are trapped between the Red Sea and the pursuing Egyptian army, highlighting the necessity of divine intervention.

Why are you crying out to Me?
The phrase suggests a moment of crisis and desperation. The Hebrew word for "crying out" (צָעַק, tsa'aq) often conveys a loud call for help or a plea for deliverance. This rhetorical question from God implies that Moses, and perhaps the Israelites, were seeking divine assistance in a moment of fear. It serves as a reminder that faith requires action, not just supplication. The context here is crucial: God had already promised deliverance, and this question challenges Moses to trust in that promise.

Tell the Israelites
This directive places responsibility on Moses as the leader and mediator between God and His people. The Hebrew verb "tell" (דַּבֵּר, daber) is an imperative, indicating a command that requires immediate action. Moses is to convey God's instructions with authority, reinforcing his role as God's chosen leader. This moment is pivotal in the narrative, as it transitions from fear to faith-driven action.

to go forward
The command "to go forward" (וְיִסָּעוּ, veyisa'u) is a call to move ahead despite apparent obstacles. In the Hebrew, the verb suggests a journey or progression, often used in the context of traveling or setting out on a path. This instruction is both literal and metaphorical, urging the Israelites to advance towards the Red Sea, trusting in God's provision and power. Historically, this act of moving forward becomes a defining moment of faith, as God miraculously parts the sea, demonstrating His control over creation and His faithfulness to His promises.

(15-18) Wherefore criest thou unto me?--Like the people (Exodus 14:10), Moses had cried to Jehovah, though he tells us of his cry only thus indirectly. God made answer that it was not a time to cry, but to act: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward," &c. The Israelites were to strike their tents at once, and prepare for a forward movement. Moses was to descend to the edge of the sea, with his rod in his hand, and to stretch it out over the sea, and then await the consequences, which would be a "division" of the waters--the sea-bed would for a certain space become dry, and Israel would be able to cross to the other side (Exodus 14:16); the Egyptians would follow, and then destruction would come upon them, and God would "get himself honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host" (Exodus 14:17-18). The exact mode of the destruction was not announced.

Verses 15-18. - GOD'S ANSWER TO MOSES' PRAYER. To the faithful prayer of Moses, albeit pitched perhaps in too low a key, God made gracious answer. A "cry" had been unnecessary, since his word was already pledged to bring his people safe to Canaan, and to get himself honour upon Pharaoh in connection with the pursuit (ver. 4). But, as the appeal has been made, he responds with a plain statement of what has now to be done: -

1. The Israelites are to make themselves ready for a forward movement (ver. 15);

2. Moses is to stretch oat his rod over the Red Sea, and it will be divided;

3. The Israelites are then to make the passage on dry ground; . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Moses,
מֹשֶׁ֔ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

“Why
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

are you crying out
תִּצְעַ֖ק (tiṣ·‘aq)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6817: To shriek, to proclaim

to Me?
אֵלָ֑י (’ê·lāy)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Tell
דַּבֵּ֥ר (dab·bêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

the Israelites
בְּנֵי־ (bə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

to go forward.
וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃ (wə·yis·sā·‘ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5265: To pull up, the tent-pins, start on a, journey


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OT Law: Exodus 14:15 Yahweh said to Moses Why do you (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 14:14
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