It is not clear who is speaking, but it seems the Lord places these words on the lips of the Egyptian soldiers. So humiliating is the defeat they face that they start to call their own king names. They call him, Noisy one who lets the hour go by.
The English translation hides an ironic play on words in the Hebrew. The Pharoah’s name is hibir
(Hophra
) and the word hebir
means to let pass by.
It seems the Pharoah had a lot to say about inflicting defeat on his enemies but failed to carry out his boasts when the time for battle came.1
17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’