Pi-hahiroth

Biblical Text

Pi-hahiroth is the place where Israel stopped on the Exodus journey just before crossing the sea. In 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." In 14:9, the army of Pharaoh overtakes the Israelites encamped there. The list of wilderness stages in Numbers 33:7–8 likewise records that Israel departed from Etham, turned back to Pi-hahiroth and encamped there, and then set out from that place and passed through the midst of the sea. The Hebrew text of 33:8 is reported to give the name in a shortened form, "Hahiroth."

Background

The text locates Pi-hahiroth in relation to nearby landmarks: Migdol, Baal-zephon, and the sea. The precise locations of these places, however, remain unknown. Proposals for the site of Pi-hahiroth vary according to which body of water Israel is thought to have crossed—the Gulf of Suez, the Bitter Lakes, Lake Timsah, a lagoon along the Mediterranean coast, or the Gulf of Aqaba. There is no scholarly consensus.

The meaning of the name is also uncertain. One view derives it from Hebrew as "mouth of the canals (channels)," while another regards it as a rendering of an Egyptian place name (for example, one associated with the goddess Hathor). Both remain only proposed explanations. Baal-zephon, mentioned alongside it, contains the name of the Canaanite god Baal and is commonly understood as a place name connected with a site of Baal worship.

Significance in the Broader Biblical Context

In Exodus 14, Israel's "turning" back to encamp at Pi-hahiroth takes place at God's direction. The text states the purpose: that Pharaoh would say of the Israelites, "They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in" (14:3), and that God would be honored through Pharaoh and his army, so that the Egyptians would know that He is the LORD (14:4). Here Moses tells the frightened people, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day" (Exodus 14:13–14). The crossing of the Red Sea follows.

The name Pi-hahiroth does not appear in the New Testament. The sea crossing that began there, however, is taken up in the New Testament. First Corinthians 10:1–2 likens the event to a baptism in the cloud and in the sea, and Hebrews 11:29 recalls the crossing of the Red Sea as an act of faith.

Interpretations and Debates

• Historicity and route: Scholars differ widely on the route and date of the Exodus, and the actual location of Pi-hahiroth is addressed as part of that debate. Some read the itinerary in the text as a historical route and seek to identify the site, while others emphasize its character as theological narrative.
• Meaning of the name and symbolism: Sermons and devotional materials sometimes attach particular symbolic meanings to the name Pi-hahiroth. As noted above, however, the meaning of the name itself has not been established, so such interpretations should be distinguished from what the text itself states.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, Pi-hahiroth is frequently presented as a place where Israel faced the sea in front and Pharaoh's army behind. It is cited to illustrate waiting for God's salvation when hemmed in on every side, and it is usually discussed together with Exodus 14:13–14.