Baal-zephon

Biblical Text

Baal-zephon appears three times in the Exodus narrative as a reference point for describing where the Israelites encamped.

• Exodus 14:2: God commands Moses to tell the people "that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea."
• Exodus 14:9: The army of Pharaoh overtakes Israel "encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon."
• Numbers 33:7: The list of encampments on the wilderness journey records that they "turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol."

The crossing of the Red Sea follows immediately after this encampment. In Exodus 14:3, Pharaoh supposes that the Israelites "are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in."

Name and Background

In Hebrew the name is Baal Tsaphon, commonly understood as "Baal of Zaphon." Because the Hebrew word tsaphon means "north," the name is also rendered "Lord of the North." In ancient Canaanite and Ugaritic texts, Zaphon appears as the name of the mountain where Baal dwells. The god Baal Zephon was associated with storms and the sea and is said to have been venerated as a protector of sailors. Worship of this god is also known to have spread into northeastern Egypt. For this reason, many hold that Baal-zephon was the site of a shrine to this deity or a place named after him.

Theories of Location

The exact location of Baal-zephon has not been identified, and theories differ depending on how the route of the Exodus is understood.

• Northern route theory: Places it near Lake Sirbonis on the Mediterranean coast, at a site known in antiquity as Mount Casius.
• Central route theory: Places it in the lake region near the present-day Suez Canal.
• Southern route theory: Places it on the northern shore of the Gulf of Suez.

This question is tied to the discussion of what the biblical "sea" (Hebrew yam suph, commonly understood as "Sea of Reeds") refers to. This is discussed further in the article Red Sea.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The text records Baal-zephon only as a place name and says nothing further about the deity reflected in the name. Nevertheless, some interpreters connect this place name with God's declaration that He would execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12). They see symbolic meaning in God's parting of the sea at a place bearing the name of a god thought to rule over the sea. This should be regarded as one interpretation rather than something the text states directly.

The New Testament does not mention Baal-zephon. However, the sea crossing is taken up in 1 Corinthians 10:1–2 as a type of baptism and in Hebrews 11:29 as an example of faith.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the focus is generally less on the place name Baal-zephon itself than on the scene in Exodus 14, in which God deliberately has His people "turn" and encamp at a dead end before the sea, and there brings about their deliverance. The words of Exodus 14:13–14, "stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD," are frequently cited in connection with this passage.