Life of Spud

There's a strange grammatical glitch in the Book of Exodus that most readers skip right past — but once you see it, it's hard to unsee. In Exodus 14:9-10, the Israelites are trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. Two verses in a row describe the same scene, but with a subtle shift: 9. The Egyptians pursued them [וַיִּרְדְּפוּ — plural verb] and overtook them... 10. The Israelites looked up and saw Egypt advancing [נֹסֵעַ — singular verb]..." Same subject. Different verb. Plural becomes singular at the exact moment the Israelites look up and see their enemy. Why? What Was Actually Chasing Them Before we get to the grammar, let's look at the numbers — because they're striking. Exodus 14:7 tells us Pharaoh took "600 choice chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt." Call it generously a few thousand soldiers. A real threat, but a finite one. Now look at the Israelites. Exodus 12:37 says "about 600,000 men on foot, aside from chi...