Comentário sobre Êxodo 14:3

ואמר פרעה THEN PHARAOH WILL SAY — when he hears that they are turning back.

סגר עליהם המדבר. A reference to the Egyptian deity Baal Tzefon whom Pharaoh credited with this accomplish- ment of halting the Israelites.

ואמר פרעה…. נבוכים הם בארץ, "and Pharaoh will say 'they are entangled in the land, etc.'" This would be Pharaoh's reaction when his spies brought him up-to-date on Israel's travels.

נבוכים הם, the sea in front of them caused them to become confused, this is why they retraced their steps not knowing where to turn, seeing סגר עליהם המדבר, the desert is closed to them as a route due to the dangerous reptiles, etc., that abound there, and they also have to worry about the wild beasts behind them so that they decided for the moment to encamp along the shores of the sea near Eytam, at the edge of the desert so that they find themselves between Migdal and the sea, in a state of confusion. The word נבוכים, is to describe a state of hopeless confusion, lack of options. The expression is found in Job 38,16 as well as 28,11, once in connection with the sea, נבכי-ים, meaning “the recesses of the sea,” the other time in connection with “damming up deep rivers.” At any rate. it describes people faced by insurmountable obstacles to their continued progress.

Kap. 14. V. 3. נבוכים, der Form nach von נבך, nicht von בוך, sonst hätte es (Job 38, 16) die Tiefen des נבכי ים wie ,נבך .נכונים heißen müssen, wie נבוֺכים Meeres, daher נבוכים: versenkt sein, gefangen sein im Lande; sie können nicht hinaus, von einer Seite das Meer, über das sie nicht hinüber können, von anderer Seite die Wüste, welche der Typhonbaal, der Gott der Mitternacht, der Dunkelheit, der Öde, ihnen versperrt hat, weshalb sie wieder umkehren mussten. Vielleicht ist נבך verwandt mit נפק, chaldäisch: herauskommen, und נבכי ים wäre ähnlich wie אפיקי מים von פוק, die Ursprünge, die Urtiefen des Meeres, aus denen das Wasser flutet. Dann wäre vielleicht נבוכים הם בארץ: sie sind aus der Wüste wieder hineingespien, hineingeworfen ins Land.

לבני ישראל means על בני ABOUT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Similarly. (v. 14) “The Lord will fight לכם”, i. e. עליכם for you; (Genesis 20:13) “Say לי, he is my brother” i. e. say about me.

נבכים הם means, shut up and sunk deep. old French serrer. Of similar meaning are (Job 38:16) “the depths of (נבכי) the sea”; (Psalms 84:7) “in the vale of dejection (הבכא)”; (Job 28:11) “from the depths (מבכי) of the rivers.”

נבכים הם means THEY ARE SHUT UP in the wilderness — so that they do not know how to get out of it and whither they should go.