Exodus 13:18
New International Version
So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

New Living Translation
So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.

English Standard Version
But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.

Berean Standard Bible
So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.

King James Bible
But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

New King James Version
So God led the people around by way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in battle formation from the land of Egypt.

NASB 1995
Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.

NASB 1977
Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.

Legacy Standard Bible
Hence God turned the people to the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in battle array from the land of Egypt.

Amplified Bible
But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea; the sons of Israel went up in battle array (orderly ranks, marching formation) out of the land of Egypt.

Christian Standard Bible
So he led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.

American Standard Version
but God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And God led the people in the way of the wilderness of the Sea of Reeds, and they were armed; the house of Israel came up from the land of Egypt.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And God led the people round by the way to the wilderness, to the Red Sea: and in the fifth generation the children of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt.

Contemporary English Version
So he led them around through the desert and toward the Red Sea. The Israelites left Egypt, prepared for battle.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But he led them about by the way of the desert, which is by the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

English Revised Version
but God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So God led the people around the other way, on the road through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were ready for battle when they left Egypt.

Good News Translation
Instead, he led them in a roundabout way through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites were armed for battle.

International Standard Version
So God led the people the roundabout way of the desert toward the Reed Sea. The Israelis went up from the land of Egypt in military formation.

JPS Tanakh 1917
But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

Literal Standard Version
and God turns around the people the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the sons of Israel have gone up by fifties from the land of Egypt.

Majority Standard Bible
So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.

New American Bible
Instead, God rerouted them toward the Red Sea by way of the wilderness road, and the Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt arrayed for battle.

NET Bible
So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea, and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.

New Revised Standard Version
So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle.

New Heart English Bible
but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Sea at the End; and the children of Israel went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.

Webster's Bible Translation
But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea: and the children of Israel went up harnassed from the land of Egypt.

World English Bible
but God led the people around by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

Young's Literal Translation
and God turneth round the people the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and by fifties have the sons of Israel gone up from the land of Egypt.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Pillars of Cloud and Fire
17When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road through the land of the Philistines, though it was shorter. For God said, “If the people face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt arrayed for battle. 19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath when he said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones with you from this place.”…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 17:16
But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, 'You are never to go back that way again.'

Joshua 1:14
Your wives, your young children, and your livestock may remain in the land that Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But all your mighty men of valor must be armed for battle to cross over ahead of your brothers and help them,

Joshua 4:12
The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over before the Israelites, armed for battle as Moses had instructed them.

Joshua 4:13
About 40,000 troops armed for battle crossed over before the LORD into the plains of Jericho.

Psalm 136:16
He led His people through the wilderness. His loving devotion endures forever.


Treasury of Scripture

But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

led the

Exodus 14:2
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.

Numbers 33:6-8
And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness…

Deuteronomy 32:10
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

harnessed.

Exodus 12:51
And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the LORD did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their armies.

Jump to Previous
Armed Array Arrayed Battle Children Desert Egypt Equipped Fifties Fighting Harnessed Hence Israel Israelites Led Order Red Road Round Sea Turneth Waste Way Wilderness
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Armed Array Arrayed Battle Children Desert Egypt Equipped Fifties Fighting Harnessed Hence Israel Israelites Led Order Red Road Round Sea Turneth Waste Way Wilderness
Exodus 13
1. The firstborn are sanctified to God
3. The memorial of the Passover is commanded
11. The firstborn of man and beast are set apart
17. The Israelites go out of Egypt, and carry Joseph's bones with them.
20. They come to Etham
21. God guides them by a pillar of a cloud, and a pillar of fire














(18) But God led the people about.--Or, led the people a circuit--took them, not by the direct route, through Pelusium, past Lake Serbonis, to Rhinocolura and Gaza, but led them by the most circuitous route possible--the way of the Red Sea and the wilderness of Sinai to the Transjordanic region, the land of the Amorites, and so across Jordan to Canaan proper. The passage seems to dispose altogether of Dr. Brugsch's theory, that the "Red Sea" of the writer of Exodus was the Lake Serbonis, and that it was not until after this lake was passed that their journey was deflected to the south.

The children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.--It is generally agreed that this is a wrong translation. Very few of the Israelites can have possessed suits of armour until after the passage of the Red Sea, when they may have stripped the bodies of the slain Egyptians. Nor has the word used ever the force of "harnessed." It might mean "with their loins girded," but such an exposition would deprive the statement made of any force. Loins were always girded in preparation for a journey, and there would be no need to mention the fact. The best explanation is, that the word here means "organised," "in military order" (Saadia, Gesenius, Lee, Knobel, Cook). It was clearly necessary, to prevent confusion, that a military order should have been adopted, and there are not wanting indications that during the year of contention with Pharaoh such an organisation was introduced and proceeded with. (See Exodus 4:29; Exodus 4:31; Exodus 6:26; Exodus 12:3; Exodus 12:21; Exodus 12:51.) It must have been brought to a high pitch of perfection for the Exodus to have taken place, as it seems to have done, without serious confusion or entanglement. . . .

Verse 18. - God led the people about. Or "led the people a circuit," i.e., made them take a circuitous route to Canaan, the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea - i.e., by the southern wilderness, or what is now called "the wilderness of Sinai." Kalisch shows the wisdom of this course - how it gave time for the nation to be "gradually accustomed to fatigues and hardships by a long and tiresome march in the desert" - to learn obedience to their chief - and finally to be "trained to military discipline and martial, virtue by occasional expeditions against the weaker tribes of the desert." He errs, however, in ascribing the wisdom of the course taken to Moses, since Moses expressly declares that the conception was not his, but God's. And the children of Israel went up harnessed. The word here translated "harnessed," is generally thought to mean either "with their loins girded" (Onkelos, Kimchi, Kalisch) or "in military order" (Gesenius, Lee, Knobel). Ewald, who inclines to the latter of these two senses, suggests that, strictly, it means "in five divisions" - viz., van, centre, two wings, and rearguard. The word is, apparently, a derivative from khamesh, "five."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So God
אֱלֹהִ֧ים ׀ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

led the people
הָעָ֛ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

around
וַיַּסֵּ֨ב (way·yas·sêḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

by the way
דֶּ֥רֶךְ (de·reḵ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

of the wilderness
הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר (ham·miḏ·bār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4057: A pasture, a desert, speech

toward the Red
ס֑וּף (sūp̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5488: A reed, the papyrus

Sea.
יַם־ (yam-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3220: A sea, the Mediterranean Sea, large river, an artifical basin

And the Israelites
בְנֵי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

left
עָל֥וּ (‘ā·lū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

the land
מֵאֶ֥רֶץ (mê·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of Egypt
מִצְרָֽיִם׃ (miṣ·rā·yim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa

arrayed for battle.
וַחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים (wa·ḥă·mu·šîm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural
Strong's 2571: Staunch, able-bodied soldiers


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OT Law: Exodus 13:18 But God led the people around (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 13:17
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