Crossing of the Red Sea

Biblical Text and Narrative

The account appears in Exodus 13:17–15:21. After the Ten Plagues and the night of the Passover, Israel departed from Egypt and, following God's leading, took the wilderness route rather than the way through the land of the Philistines. God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21). When the people encamped by the sea before Pi-hahiroth, Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them with his chariots. To the frightened people Moses said, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD" (Exodus 14:13–14).

When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, God drove the waters back all night with a strong east wind, and the children of Israel walked across on dry ground between waters that stood like walls on their right and on their left (Exodus 14:21–22). The Egyptian army followed them in, but their chariot wheels came off and they struggled; when Moses stretched out his hand again, the waters returned and covered the army. In chapter 15, Moses and the Israelites sing of their deliverance (the Song of Moses), and the prophetess Miriam leads the women in response with timbrels.

Background

The name "Red Sea" in Korean Bibles renders the Hebrew yam suph. Because suph is commonly understood to mean "reeds," some have argued that the phrase should be translated "Sea of Reeds." The name "Red Sea" goes back to the Septuagint, which translated the phrase as "Red Sea." Various theories have been proposed for the location of the crossing, including the Gulf of Suez, the region of the Bitter Lakes, a lagoon along the Mediterranean coast, and the Gulf of Aqaba. The date of the Exodus is likewise disputed, with proposals including the fifteenth and the thirteenth centuries BC; neither has been definitively established.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Old Testament, this event is repeatedly recalled as the paradigmatic act of God's deliverance of Israel (Psalm 106:9; Psalm 136:13–15; Nehemiah 9:11). The parting of the Jordan River in the time of Joshua is also remembered with reference to the Red Sea (Joshua 4:23), and Isaiah develops the event into a promise of a new deliverance (Isaiah 43:16–21). In the New Testament, Paul says that the fathers "were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:2; see baptism), and Hebrews counts the crossing as an act of faith (Hebrews 11:29). Revelation 15:3 depicts those who have gained the victory singing "the song of Moses."

Interpretation and Issues

• Nature of the miracle: Conservative Protestants generally read the text as describing a historical miracle. Some, noting that the text mentions an east wind, explain that God made use of natural phenomena. Historical-critical scholars sometimes hold that distinct traditions are interwoven in chapter 14.
• Prefiguration of baptism: Following 1 Corinthians 10, the church since its earliest centuries has read the event as a foreshadowing of baptism. In liturgical traditions such as the Catholic and Anglican churches, Exodus 14 is read at the Easter Vigil.
• Traditions beyond the text: The text states that Pharaoh's army was engulfed by the waters but does not explicitly say that Pharaoh himself died, and interpreters differ on this point (compare Psalm 136:15). Claims that chariot wheels have been found on the seabed are not recognized by scholars as verified. Popular depictions of the scene, spread through films and other media, should also be distinguished from the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the crossing of the Red Sea is frequently used to convey the theme of trusting God when the way ahead seems blocked. Exodus 14:13–14 in particular is commonly chosen as a sermon text at the New Year or in times of hardship.