Crossing of the Red Sea

The miraculous parting of the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds) when Pharaoh’s army pursued the fleeing Israelites mere days after the Exodus from Egypt. Trapped between the sea and the advancing Egyptian chariots, Moses stretched out his staff over the waters at God’s command, and a strong east wind drove back the sea all night, creating dry ground with walls of water on both sides. The Israelites crossed safely through the sea bed, but when the Egyptian army followed, Moses stretched out his hand again and the waters returned, drowning Pharaoh’s entire force—his chariots, horsemen, and soldiers—while not one Egyptian remained alive.

The Israelites witnessed the bodies of their former oppressors washed up on the shore, confirming their deliverance was complete. Moses and the people sang the Song of the Sea (“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and rider he has thrown into the sea”), while Miriam the prophetess led the women in celebration with tambourines and dancing. This dramatic rescue became the paradigmatic salvation event in Jewish memory, referenced throughout Scripture as proof of God’s power to deliver His people. For Christians, the crossing through water prefigures baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1-2), and the Quran recounts how Allah parted the sea for Moses and the Israelites while destroying Pharaoh’s pursuing forces (Quran 26:60-68).