Red Sea

In the Bible

The Red Sea is the central setting of the Exodus narrative. According to Exodus 13:18, God led Israel "about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea." Chapter 14 recounts how Israel, pursued by the army of Pharaoh, crossed the sea, an event known as the crossing of the Red Sea. When Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and Israel crossed on dry ground. The returning waters then covered the pursuing Egyptian army (Exodus 14:21-28). Chapter 15 contains the Song of Moses and the Song of Miriam, which celebrate this event.

Numbers 33:10 also records that Israel encamped by the Red Sea, and 1 Kings 9:26 records that Solomon built ships at Ezion-geber, "on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom." The words of Rahab (Joshua 2:10), Nehemiah 9:9-11, and Psalm 106:7-9 and 136:13-15 likewise recall the Red Sea event.

Name and Location

The Hebrew name is Yam Suph. Suph means "reeds"; the same word is used in Exodus 2:3 for the reeds by the bank of the Nile where the infant Moses was placed. For this reason the name is sometimes rendered "Sea of Reeds" or "Reed Sea." The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, rendered the name as "Red Sea," and this rendering passed through Latin into English ("Red Sea") and into Korean (Honghae, "red sea").

The biblical Yam Suph does not refer only to the main body of the present-day Red Sea; it can also denote the Gulf of Suez or the Gulf of Aqaba to the north. Several proposals have been made for the place where Israel crossed, including the Gulf of Suez, the lake region to the north (such as the Bitter Lakes and Lake Timsah), lagoons along the Mediterranean coast, and the Gulf of Aqaba. The locations of Pi-hahiroth, Migdol, and Baal-zephon, mentioned in Exodus 14:2, have also not been determined.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

In the Old Testament, the Red Sea event is repeatedly recalled as the paradigmatic instance of God's saving His people (Isaiah 51:10). Joshua 4:23 places the drying up of the Jordan River alongside the Red Sea event. In the New Testament, Stephen mentions the wonders at the Red Sea in his speech (Acts 7:36), and Hebrews 11:29 states, "By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land." Paul connects the event with baptism, saying that the Israelites "were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). Revelation 15:2-3 depicts those standing by the sea of glass singing "the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb."

Interpretations and Debates

• The nature of the miracle: Many in conservative denominations and evangelical circles read the event as a supernatural miracle that actually took place. Because the text also mentions an east wind, some explain it as an act of providence in which God used natural phenomena. Some critical scholars assess the historicity of the account itself differently.
• "Sea of Reeds" and the shallow-marsh theory: On the basis of the name, some propose that Israel crossed a shallow marsh. Others object that the text records that the waters formed a wall on the right hand and on the left and that the army drowned.
• A type of baptism: Following 1 Corinthians 10, the church since its earliest days has read the crossing of the Red Sea as a type of baptism, that is, a shadow that prefigures it. Churches with stronger liturgical traditions tend to reflect this reading more fully in their worship. The Catholic Church requires the reading of Exodus 14 at the Easter Vigil.
• Later embellishments: Claims that Egyptian chariot wheels have been found on the floor of the Gulf of Aqaba have spread through popular media but have not gained acceptance among scholars. Likewise, the image of the sea dramatically splitting apart has been shaped largely by films and similar media, whereas the text states that the waters were driven back by a wind that blew all night.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, the Red Sea frequently serves as an image of God opening a way through a hopeless situation in which the path ahead is blocked. Especially often quoted are Exodus 14:13-14, "stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day," and 14:15, "speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." The crossing of the Red Sea is also a staple subject of Sunday school lessons and church dramas.