Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Exodus 13:17-22
Yahweh Leads His People Out Of Egypt In Triumph (Exodus 13:17 to Exodus 14:31).
The acknowledgement of Yahweh's initial deliverance having been dealt with the narrative now moves on to the escape from Egypt. There is again a clear chiastic pattern:
a Yahweh leads His people out of Egypt (Exodus 13:17).
b The pillar of cloud and fire accompanies them (Exodus 13:20).
c Yahweh tells Moses that Pharaoh will think that they are at his mercy and declares that He will get Himself honour over Pharaoh (Exodus 14:1).
d The Egyptians say, ‘Why have we let Israel go from slaving for us?' (Exodus 14:5).
e Pharaoh makes ready his chariot forces and takes them forward (Exodus 14:6).
f Pharaoh pursues the children of Israel (Exodus 14:8).
f The Egyptians pursue the children of Israel and get them in their sights (Exodus 14:9).
e The children of Israel lift up their eyes and see the forces of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:10).
d Israel cry out with a willingness to slave for the Egyptians (Exodus 14:11).
c Pharaoh will be proved wrong, the salvation of Yahweh will be revealed, the Egyptians will be seen no more and Yahweh will get Himself honour over Pharaoh and his forces (Exodus 14:13).
b The pillar of cloud and fire stands between Israel and Pharaoh as a protection against the Egyptians while Moses opens the sea before them (Exodus 14:19).
a Yahweh leads Israel triumphantly out of Egypt and the forces of Pharaoh are destroyed (Exodus 14:23).
The parallels are clear and powerful. In ‘a' Yahweh leads His people out of Egypt and in the parallel we have the vivid description of how He finally did it. In ‘b' He accompanies them with the pillar of cloud and fire and in the parallel it protects them from the Egyptians. In ‘c' Yahweh says that He will get Himself honour over Pharaoh and in the parallel He does so. In ‘d' the Egyptians bemoan losing their slaves, and in the parallel the slaves in fear indicate their willingness to return, a deliberate contrast with the triumph of the whole passage, confirming that the deliverance was in no way due to faltering Israel. In ‘e' Pharaoh makes ready his chariot forces and takes them forward, and in the parallel Israel see them coming. In ‘f' the pursuit begins and in the parallel Pharaoh gets Israel in his sights.
The whole narrative can then be split up into sections:
God Leads His People Out Of Egypt By The Pillar of Cloud and Fire (Exodus 13:17).
a God does not lead His people by the ‘way of the land of the Philistines', even though it was the easiest route, lest they face heavy fighting and return to Egypt in discouragement (Exodus 13:17).
b Instead He leads them in a more indirect journey in ‘the way of the wilderness of the Reed Sea' (Exodus 13:18 a).
c The children of Israel went up armed (or in column of five).
d And Moses took Joseph's bones with him
d For Joseph had firmly demanded of the children of Israel that when God visited them and they returned to Canaan they would take his bones there with them (Exodus 13:18).
c And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Etham, on the edge of the wilderness (Exodus 13:20).
b And Yahweh went before them in a pillar of cloud, to lead them in their way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light so that they could travel by day and night.
a God does not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people (Exodus 13:21).
The heart of God is revealed here. In ‘a' we have explained what God did not do. He did not lead them by a fearsome route along a way dotted with Egyptian forts and which would arouse nations in front of them, for He was conscious of their weakness and their fears, and in the parallel He reveals a similar concern for them in that He did not take away from them the pillar of cloud and fire which was there in order to comfort and encourage them. In ‘b' He takes them by a safer but more indirect ‘way' through the wilderness and in the parallel the pillar of cloud and fire goes before them so as to lead them in the right ‘way' and to give them light at night to speed them on their way. In ‘c' the people went up in columns armed, and in the parallel took their journey from Succoth to Etham. In ‘d' Moses took Joseph's bones with them, and in the parallel did so in accordance with Joseph's instructions.
‘And it happened that when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearest, for God said, “In case perhaps they change their minds when they see fighting, and return to Egypt.” But God led the people by the way of the wilderness by the Sea of Reeds. And the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.'
There were different approaches to entering Canaan. There was the coastal road which was undoubtedly the quickest. This was the caravan route and used by the military. It commenced at the frontier post of Zilu and went straight up parallel to the coast and was at some stage called ‘the way of the land of the Philistines'. Early Philistines had had a trading presence there in the time of the patriarchs (Genesis 21:32). But this way was overseen by the Egyptian army and there were fortified posts along it, and it would later bring them face to face with the Canaanites, with their chariots, in heavily guarded territory without any element of surprise for it was the main trade route. Thus they would ‘see fighting' before they were ready for it.
The safest way was to go on the ways through the wilderness. This was a more difficult journey but did not pose the same problems and would give them time to adjust to their new situation. They had almost certainly developed a slave mentality and needed to be gradually weaned from it. Furthermore it would bring them on Canaan unexpectedly so that they could take the Canaanites by surprise.
“The way of the land of the Philistines”. Some see this as a later name, possibly representing an updating by a scribe of an earlier name on the grounds that the Philistine occupation had not yet taken place (updating was a common practise when copying manuscripts). But we should consider Genesis 21:32. In that passage there was a trading post at Gerar occupied by people from the Aegean coastlands who could certainly later be designated as ‘Philistines' (Genesis 20), and possibly bore a similar name in the time of Abraham (compare Genesis 10:14. The name is ancient). In Genesis 21:32 ‘the land of the Philistines' describes their centre in Palestine. If that was not an updating then the name may well have been attached to that part of the coastal road long before the time of Moses, referring to the substantial Aegean trading post.
The main Sea People invasion, which included the later Philistines who settled in the Coastal Plain, would not come until around 1200 BC. The Philistines (Egyptian - prst) were one of the Sea Peoples. The Sea Peoples came from Crete and the Aegean coastlands and settled in various places including the coastal plain of Canaan and it just happened that it was the name of the Philistines that later became attached to the land (so that we know it as Palestine). That in fact may have arisen from the fact that it already bore a similar name because of the early traders. For these Sea Peoples were a varied collection of peoples split into various groupings under different names of which Philistines was only one. We do not know the original name of this coastal road if it was not already called the way of the land of the Philistines.
“The Sea of Reeds (yam suph).” Not here necessarily the Red Sea proper, including the gulfs of Suez and Aqabah, although these may have extended further than they do today (compare Exodus 10:19; Numbers 14:25; Numbers 21:4 and elsewhere where these are in mind). This ‘Yam Suph' (Sea of Reeds or Papyri) was possibly an inland sea which has since disappeared. It has, however, been linked with the reedy waters of the Bitter Lakes region east of Quantara which are opposite the Wilderness of Shur (Exodus 15:22). These have been known to be strongly affected by powerful east winds in a similar way to that described in Exodus 14:21. It should be noted that geographical terms were not then as precise as they are today and the watery areas to the north of Egypt may all have been called ‘Yam Suph'. Compare how in 15th century BC the name wadj-wer (the great green) was applied by the Egyptians to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and ta-neter (God's land) to both Punt in particular and to eastern lands generally.
“Went up armed (or ‘arrayed for battle by fives”).' This was the beginning of emancipation. It was psychologically very important. The bearing of arms was probably forbidden them in Egypt but they had taken the opportunity of arming themselves with whatever they could lay their hands on or obtain from helpful Egyptians, a declaration that they saw themselves as a free people. The type of weapons that they had must not be exaggerated. They would be no match for a fully trained army and the Egyptian armaments and chariots. We find here also the suggestion of the beginnings of organisation (‘in fives'), although it may not have been true literally. It may simply mean ‘in order'.
‘And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him for he had firmly put the children of Israel on oath saying, “God will surely visit you and you will carry my bones away from here with you.” '
Joseph had made the children of Israel swear from the start that they would take his body with them when they left Egypt (see Genesis 50:25). His body would have been mummified. Presumably the whole mummy was taken. He would have been laid in a grand tomb and this was clearly known to Moses and the children of Israel. Joseph may well have made arrangements as to his place and type of burial in order to facilitate this action. He wanted in the end to be gathered to his fathers.
The fact that Joseph's bones were taken confirms Moses' expectation that they would not be returning to Egypt.
‘And they took their journey from Succoth and encamped in Etham in the edge of the wilderness.'
Moses was still concerned to give the impression that they were going into the wilderness to worship Yahweh. He wanted to keep Pharaoh in two minds. The idea of going into the wilderness to worship Yahweh and the idea of going home to Canaan for good are continually held in tension throughout the text. The former was a genuine proposition challenging Pharaoh as to what he would do, the latter was the final intention which Yahweh would bring about in His own way. It was Pharaoh who humanly speaking finally chose to turn the one into the other when he broke his word to Yahweh and sent his army after the children of Israel in order to attack them and to prevent their fulfilling their objective of sacrificing in the wilderness, even though it was Yahweh's intention all the time.
“Etham”. Some suggest that this connects with the old Egyptian word for ‘fort' (htm) a name given to several places. Others that it refers to a frontier city such as Sile.
‘And Yahweh went before them, by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.'
God knew that the people would need physical reassurance. He wanted them to know that He was going with them and was guiding them in the best way home. So by day He manifested Himself in a pillar of cloud going on before them. It was a symbol of Yahweh's presence unseen. And by night, that time that could bring terror to men's hearts, He gave them comfort by providing light in a pillar of fire, which would remind them of His glory, and give them light to see by. And the pillar would remain with them constantly (see Numbers 10:34; Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:33 compare Exodus 40:34). They may well have done much night travelling in order to avoid the heat of the day (see Numbers 9:21).
Yahweh revealing Himself in clouds of smoke and fire is a constant Old Testament theme (Exodus 3:2; Exodus 19:16; Exodus 19:18; Exodus 20:18; Exodus 24:17; Exodus 40:34 see Deuteronomy 4:33; Isaiah 4:5). It may here be likened to the smoke and signal fires sent up by scouts going ahead of an advancing army in order to direct their way, but it was not only that. It was an indication that Yahweh was with them and was watching over them. Here Yahweh was their scout and their guide, and was their protector as well.