“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.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 14:28 Mean?
"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." The Red Sea closes. Egypt's entire military force — chariots, horsemen, infantry — is swallowed. The phrase "not so much as one of them" emphasizes totality. The army that terrorized Israel for four hundred years is erased in a single act of divine judgment. The same water that was a pathway for Israel becomes a grave for Egypt.
The destruction is complete and irreversible. Pharaoh's power, which seemed absolute in Egypt, proves utterly impotent against the God who commands the sea. The military technology that made Egypt the superpower of the ancient world — chariots — becomes the instrument of their drowning. Their greatest strength pulls them under.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'Egyptian army' has been pursuing you that you need to trust God to handle?
- 2.How does the completeness of Egypt's destruction ('not one of them') encourage you about God's deliverance?
- 3.What does it mean that the same water was a path for Israel and a grave for Egypt?
- 4.When have you looked back and seen God close the sea on something that was chasing you?
Devotional
Not one survived. The army that had Israel building their cities, whipping their backs, and drowning their sons — gone. Every chariot. Every horseman. Every soldier. The sea that opened for the slaves closed on the masters.
The same water. The same sea. A path for some, a grave for others. The difference wasn't geography. It was God. Israel walked through dry ground because God held the waters back. Egypt drowned because God let them go.
There's something profound about the completeness of this destruction. "Not so much as one of them." God didn't save most of Israel and destroy most of Egypt. The salvation and the judgment were both total. When God acts, he doesn't do half-measures. The deliverance is complete, and the destruction of the pursuing enemy is complete.
Whatever has been chasing you — the pharaoh of your past, the army of your addiction, the chariots of your shame — this verse says there's a sea between you and them. And when God closes it, not one of them survives. The pursuing force that seemed unstoppable is drowning in the same waters you walked through. You don't have to fight them. You just have to keep walking. God handles what's behind you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the waters returned,.... To their place, and so in the above tradition related by Diodorus Siculus, it is said that…
Not so much as one of them - Escape would be impossible Exo 14:26. Pharaoh’s destruction, independent of the distinct…
There remained not so much as one of them - Josephus says that the army of Pharaoh consisted of fifty thousand horse,…
We have here the history of that work of wonder which is so often mentioned both in the Old and New Testament, the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture