These are still Yahweh’s words to Moses, explaining why he wants the people to change their direction. For Pharaoh will say introduces the words of the king, but no addressee is mentioned. So we may assume that the direct quote is what “The king will think” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). (Similar are 3.3 and 13.17.) Of the people of Israel is literally “to the sons of Israel,” but the preposition here means “in regard to,” or “concerning.” This phrase identifies who the They are, so New American Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible include it as part of the direct quote. Good News Translation changes to indirect speech (so also Contemporary English Version).

They are entangled in the land uses a word found in only two other places (translated “perplexed” in Est 3.15 and Joel 1.18). Here it probably means to confuse or to agitate, so a variety of interpretations are possible: “finding themselves in difficult country” (Revised English Bible), “wandering to and fro in the countryside” (New Jerusalem Bible), “wandering around in the land in confusion” (New International Version), “wandering aimlessly in the land” (New Revised Standard Version), or simply “wandering around” (Contemporary English Version).

The wilderness has shut them in may be expressed as “hemmed in by the wilderness” (Revised English Bible) or “the wilderness has blocked their exodus” (Durham). Wilderness may be understood as “desert” (Good News Translation), but see the discussion at 3.1. It may be necessary in some languages to say something like “the wilderness prevents them from going to the east.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .