Red Sea

The Red Sea names a body of water at the southeast border of Egypt where Yahweh saved Israel from Pharaoh's army and drowned that army in pursuit. It is the wilderness frontier through which Israel left Egypt, the route by which the people circled Edom in the years that followed, the southern boundary of the land Yahweh promised, and the harbor from which Solomon later sent his ships. Both Testaments rehearse the crossing as the founding act of Israel's deliverance.

Departure by Way of the Red Sea

After the Passover, "[the Speech of] God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea: and the sons of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt" (Ex 13:18). Even before that, in the eighth plague, the same sea is named as the place where Yahweh swept the locusts: "And Yahweh turned an exceedingly strong west wind, which took up the locusts, and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained in all the border of Egypt" (Ex 10:19).

Encampment by the Sea

Yahweh's instruction to Moses turns Israel back to the seashore so that Pharaoh will pursue: "Speak to the sons of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon: across from it you⁺ will encamp by the sea" (Ex 14:2). Pharaoh's response is described in the same chapter: "And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses [and] chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal-zephon" (Ex 14:9).

The Crossing

At the sea, Moses tells the people, "Don't be⁺ afraid, stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you⁺ today: for the Egyptians whom you⁺ have seen today, you⁺ will see them again no more forever. [The Speech of] Yahweh will fight for you⁺, and you⁺ will hold your⁺ peace" (Ex 14:13-14). Then Moses stretches out his hand: "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Yahweh caused the sea to go [back] by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the sons of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground: and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left" (Ex 14:21-22).

The itinerary in Numbers states the crossing plainly: "And they journeyed from Pihahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness: and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and encamped in Marah" (Nu 33:8).

Pharaoh's Host Drowned

When the Egyptians pursue Israel into the dry seabed, the sea returns: "And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen of the whole host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; not so much as one of them remained" (Ex 14:27-28). The chapter closes: "Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore" (Ex 14:30).

Moses repeats the same fact in Deuteronomy: Yahweh did "what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you⁺, and how [the Speech of] Yahweh has destroyed them to this day" (De 11:4).

The Song of Moses

The crossing is answered by Moses' song:

"Then sang Moses and the sons of Israel this song to Yahweh, and spoke, saying, I will sing to Yahweh, for [by his Speech] he has triumphed gloriously: The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea" (Ex 15:1).

The song names the Red Sea explicitly: "Pharaoh's chariots and his host he has cast into the sea; And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea" (Ex 15:4). Its center asks, "Who is like you, O Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex 15:11). It ends in summary: "For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the sons of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea" (Ex 15:19).

The Way of the Red Sea After Sinai

The Red Sea remains a wilderness landmark for Israel's journeys after Sinai. After the spies' refusal, Yahweh tells Moses, "Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley: tomorrow you⁺ turn, and you⁺ get into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea" (Nu 14:25). Moses recalls the directive in Deuteronomy: "But as for you⁺, you⁺ turn, and take your⁺ journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea" (De 1:40), and again, "Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as [the Speech of] Yahweh spoke to me; and we compassed mount Seir many days. And Yahweh spoke to me, saying, You⁺ have compassed this mountain long enough: you⁺ turn northward" (De 2:1-3).

The route circles Edom: "And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way" (Nu 21:4). The wilderness itinerary records two camps at the Red Sea itself: "And they journeyed from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea. And they journeyed from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin" (Nu 33:10-11). Jephthah later summarizes the same wilderness phase: "but when they came up from Egypt, and Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh" (Jud 11:16).

The Boundary of the Promised Land

Yahweh sets the southern limit of the land at the Red Sea: "And I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your⁺ hand: and you will drive them out before you" (Ex 23:31).

Solomon's Fleet

In the kingdom period the Red Sea reappears as a port. "And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom" (1Ki 9:26).

Liturgical and Prophetic Memory

The crossing is rehearsed in Israel's worship and prayer. Rahab tells the spies what the news has done in Jericho: "For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea before you⁺, when you⁺ came out of Egypt" (Jos 2:10). Joshua makes the same connection between the Red Sea and the Jordan: "For Yahweh your⁺ God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you⁺, until you⁺ had passed over, as Yahweh your⁺ God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we had passed over" (Jos 4:23). At the covenant renewal at Shechem, Joshua rehearses, "And I brought your⁺ fathers out of Egypt: and you⁺ came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your⁺ fathers with chariots and with horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they cried out to Yahweh, he put darkness between you⁺ and the Egyptians, and brought the sea on them, and covered them; and your⁺ eyes saw what I did in Egypt: and you⁺ dwelt in the wilderness many days" (Jos 24:6-7).

The Levites' confession in Nehemiah works through the same memory: "And you saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heard their cry by the Red Sea, and showed signs and wonders on Pharaoh, and on all his slaves, and on all the people of his land; for you knew that they dealt proudly against them, and you made a name for yourself, as it is this day. And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers you cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters" (Ne 9:9-11).

The Psalter returns to the Red Sea repeatedly. "He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot: There we rejoiced in [his Speech]" (Ps 66:6). "He split the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as a heap" (Ps 78:13). "And he led them safely, so that they did not fear; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies" (Ps 78:53). Psalm 106 names both the rebellion and the rescue: "Our fathers did not understand your wonders in Egypt; They did not remember the multitude of your loving-kindnesses, But rebelled against [your Speech] at the sea, even at the Red Sea... He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: So he led them through the depths, as through a wilderness... And the waters covered their adversaries; There was not one of them left" (Ps 106:7-11), and again, "Wondrous works in the land of Ham, [And] awesome works by the Red Sea" (Ps 106:22). The liturgy of Psalm 136 names the Red Sea twice: "To him who divided the Red Sea in sunder; ... And made Israel to pass through the midst of it; ... But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea; For his loving-kindness [endures] forever" (Ps 136:13-15).

The prophet Isaiah takes up the same imagery. Yahweh is the one "who makes a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the mighty man (they lie down together, they will not rise; they are extinct, they are quenched as a wick)" (Isa 43:16-17). Later in the same prophet, the deliverance is projected forward: "And Yahweh will completely destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his scorching wind he will wave his hand over the River, and will strike it into seven streams, and cause men to march over in sandals" (Is 11:15).

The Maccabean recital makes the Red Sea a paradigm of rescue from a pursuing army: "Remember in what manner our fathers were saved in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army" (1Ma 4:9).

New-Covenant Recital

Paul reads the crossing as a typology of baptism: "For I would not, brothers, have you⁺ ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized to Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1Co 10:1-2). Hebrews places it in the roll of faith: "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were swallowed up" (Heb 11:29).