The Meaning of Exodus 14:11 Explained

Exodus 14:11

KJV: And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?

YLT: And they say unto Moses, 'Because there are no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in a wilderness? what is this thou hast done to us -- to bring us out from Egypt?

Darby: And they said to Moses, Is it because there were no graves in Egypt, thou hast taken us away to die in the wilderness? why hast thou done this to us, that thou hast led us out of Egypt?

ASV: And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they said  unto Moses,  Because [there were] no graves  in Egypt,  hast thou taken us away  to die  in the wilderness?  wherefore  hast thou dealt  thus with us, to carry us forth  out of Egypt? 

What does Exodus 14:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 14:10-20 - The Murmuring People Encouraged
We cannot wonder at their consternation. Before, the surf of the beach; behind, the serried ranks of Egypt's chivalry; on either side, impassable cliffs. It seemed a veritable death-trap. But Moses reckoned confidently on the salvation of God. All they had to do, in the first instance, was to stand still and see it. It is hard to stand still when the situation becomes acute. If you don't know what to do, stand still until you do; it is God's business to direct and defend the believing soul. Let God do the fighting, Exodus 14:14. This Angel, Stephen tells us, was our Lord, Acts 7:38. He always puts Himself between us and our strong enemies. Note Exodus 14:19. The ordinary man puts circumstances between himself and God, but the consecrated soul inserts God between himself and circumstances. When God says Forward! He will open the path and lead His people, as a shepherd leads His flock, by a way they know not. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Exodus 14:11 mean?

And they said to Moses because no [there were] graves in Egypt have you taken us away to die in the wilderness what [is] this [that] you have dealt so with us to bring up us out of Egypt
וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮ אֶל־ מֹשֶׁה֒ הַֽמִבְּלִ֤י אֵין־ קְבָרִים֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם לְקַחְתָּ֖נוּ לָמ֣וּת ؟ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר מַה־ זֹּאת֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֔נוּ לְהוֹצִיאָ֖נוּ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם

וַיֹּאמְרוּ֮  And  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מֹשֶׁה֒  Moses 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁה  
Sense: the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus.
הַֽמִבְּלִ֤י  because 
Parse: Preposition, Adverb
Root: בְּלִי 
Sense: wearing out adv of negation.
אֵין־  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
קְבָרִים֙  [there  were]  graves 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: קֶבֶר  
Sense: grave, sepulchre, tomb.
בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם  in  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
לְקַחְתָּ֖נוּ  have  you  taken  us  away 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
לָמ֣וּת  to  die 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
؟ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
זֹּאת֙  [is]  this 
Parse: Pronoun, feminine singular
Root: זׄאת  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, such.
עָשִׂ֣יתָ  [that]  you  have  dealt  so 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָּ֔נוּ  with  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
לְהוֹצִיאָ֖נוּ  to  bring  up  us 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, first person common plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִמִּצְרָֽיִם  out  of  Egypt 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.