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Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
NETPharaoh will think regarding the Israelites, ‘They are wandering around confused in the land – the desert has closed in on them.’
LSVand Pharaoh has said of the sons of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has shut on them;
FBVPharaoh will conclude about the Israelites: ‘They're wandering about the country in confusion—the desert has blocked them from leaving.’
T4TWhen the king knows you have done that, he will think, ‘The Israeli people are confused. They are wandering around, and the desert blocks their path.’
LEBAnd Pharaoh will say of the Israelites,[fn] ‘They are wandering around in the land. The desert has closed in on them.’
JPSAnd Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
ASVAnd Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
DRAAnd Pharao will say of the children of Israel: They are straitened in the land, the desert hath shut them in.
YLTand Pharaoh hath said of the sons of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut upon them;
DrbyAnd Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness has hemmed them in.
RVAnd Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
WbstrFor Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.
KJB-1769For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath/has shut them in. )
KJB-1611For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are intangled in the land, the wildernesse hath shut them in. (For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They areintangled in the land, the wilderness hath/has shut them in.)
BshpsFor Pharao wyll say of the chyldren of Israel: they are tangled in the lande, the wyldernesse hath shut them in. (For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: they are tangled in the land, the wilderness hath/has shut them in.)
GnvaFor Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are tangled in the land: the wildernesse hath shut them in. (For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are tangled in the land: the wilderness hath/has shut them in. )
CvdlFor Pharao shall saye of the children of Israel: They can not tell how to get out of the londe, the wyldernesse hath shut them in. (For Pharaoh shall say of the children of Israel: They cannot tell how to get out of the land, the wilderness hath/has shut them in.)
WyclAnd Farao schal seie on the sones of Israel, Thei ben maad streit in the lond, the deseert hath closid hem to gidere. (And Pharaoh shall say on the sons of Israel, They been made streit in the land, the desert hath/has closid them together.)
LuthDenn Pharao wird sagen von den Kindern Israel: Sie sind verirret im Lande, die Wüste hat sie beschlossen. (Because Pharao becomes say from the Kindern Israel: They/She are verirret in_the land, the desert has they/she/them beschlossen.)
ClVgDicturusque est Pharao super filiis Israël: Coarctati sunt in terra; conclusit eos desertum. (Dicturusque it_is Pharao over childrens Israel: Coarctati are in terra; conclusit them desert. )
and=saying(ms) Farˊoh of,sons Yisrael wandering_aimlessly they on_the=earth he/it_closed on,them the,wilderness
If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this as an indirect quotation. Alternate translation: “Pharaoh will say that the Israelites are confused in the land, and the wilderness has closed in on them”
Pharaoh speaks of the wilderness as a person who has trapped the Israelites. If this might be confusing for your readers, you could express this meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “It is as if the wilderness is closing in on them.”
Like several other events recorded in Scripture, the Bible’s account of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai includes an abundance of geographical references, yet it remains one of the most hotly debated topics among scholars, and numerous theories have been offered. The vast majority of geographical references provided in the story are disputed, including the place where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the location of Mount Sinai (see Proposed Locations for Mount Sinai map), and the various stops along the Israelites’ journey. A few locations have been established with some degree of scholarly consensus, but even these are not without opposing viewpoints. Amidst this incredible diversity of opinion, however, a single verse provides one of the most helpful clues for weighing the merits of one viewpoint over another: “By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb” (Deuteronomy 1:2). For those who assume the Bible’s account to be trustworthy, this verse appears to require the following for any theory to be considered viable: 1) Kadesh-barnea and Mount Sinai must have been located at a distance from each other that could reasonably have been expected to take eleven days for an entire nation of people with small children, flocks, equipment, and perhaps even elderly members to travel on foot; and 2) the pace established by this distance over eleven days should most likely be considered the typical pace for the Israelites as they traveled from place to place along the other parts of the journey. This two-pronged test clearly strains many of the theories put forth to this point, especially when one factors in the time references given for the start of the journey (Exodus 12:6; Numbers 33:3), the middle of the journey (Exodus 16:1; Numbers 33:8), and the end of the journey (Exodus 19:1). In short, the journey from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin took 31 days, since it included the 15th day of the second month, and the rest of the journey took another 16 days, assuming they arrived at Mount Sinai on the 15th day (not the first day, etc.) of the third month. Along with these criteria, a theory’s overall congruence with other established geographical and archeological data should bolster its credibility over other proposals. Another consideration is the extreme similarity between the events at Rephidim (Exodus 17) and the events at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 20:1-13; 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 32:51; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28), raising the question of whether Rephidim (meaning “resting places”) is in fact Kadesh-barnea. With these things in mind, the map below proposes a route for the exodus that meets virtually all of these criteria. A careful analysis and explanation of all the elements of the map is far beyond the scope of this article, but a few key points should be noted. The term Red Sea, in addition to referring to what we now regard it, must have also applied to the interconnected lakes and marshlands that lay along what is now the Suez Canal. Also, the portion of the journey that passed through the wilderness for three days without water (Exodus 15:22; Numbers 33:8) may have been comprised of a partial first day, a full second day, and a partial third day, much like Jesus’ time in the tomb is reckoned as three days in Matthew 12:40. Most notably, Mount Sinai is placed on this map at Gebel Khashm et-Tarif, which is appropriately located near, but not in, Midian (Exodus 3:1; 18:5; Numbers 10:29-30). It is also located 89 miles from Kadesh-barnea (assuming Kadesh is at Tall al-Quderat), which establishes a reasonable pace of 7.6 miles (12.2 km) per day to travel between them in 11 days. This lines up well with several known sources of water along that route (e.g., `Ain Qedeis [Hazar-addar?], Tamilat Suwelima [Hor-haggiggad?], and the spring at Kuntillet al-Girafi [unknown ancient identification]). This general pace then synchronizes very well with the timetable and distances required by this map for the other parts of the journey. The distance from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin (where it is located here) could be completed in under 26 days, leaving an acceptable buffer of about 5 days for the parting of the Red Sea and perhaps a slower pace through the Wilderness of Shur/Etham. The entire journey took about 60 days, and the journey from the Wilderness of Sin to Mount Sinai took about 29 days. This leaves an acceptable buffer of time to complete the rest of the journey (about 16 days of travel) with a very adequate two weeks of extra time for Jethro to visit Moses and the Israelites to do battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17-18). It should be noted that this timetable generally assumes (but does not necessarily require) that travel continued on sabbath days, but Scripture does not make clear whether travel was prohibited as work prior to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.
