The Egyptians pursued them uses the same verb but now includes all who gave chase in addition to the king. Four terms are used to identify them—horses, chariots, horsemen, and army. It is not clear whether one, two, or three groups are intended. Good News Translation considers “all the horses, chariots, and drivers” to be “the Egyptian army.” Others consider the army to be separate from the “cavalry,” which included the other three terms. Possibly even the horsemen were different from the horses and chariots. It seems best to think of three groups, keeping the army separate from the cavalry, and allowing for the horsemen to be separate from the horses and chariots. This would mean: 1) war chariots drawn by horses, 2) soldiers riding horses, and 3) foot soldiers. Contemporary English Version has “the king’s horses and chariots and soldiers.” One may also translate “the king’s horse soldiers, war chariots, and foot soldiers caught up with the Israelites.”

And overtook them means that they “caught up with them” (Good News Translation), not that they passed them by. Encamped at the sea means that the Israelites had temporarily set up camp beside the sea. Good News Translation considers this to be “the Red Sea,” but see the comment at verse 2. For Pi-ha-hiroth and Baal-zephon see verse 2.

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 .