miracle the-exodus-period

Crossing of the Red Sea

c. 1446 BCE (traditional) / 1270s BCE (alternative), days after Exodus (scriptural)

The miraculous parting of the Red Sea allowing the Israelites to escape from Pharaoh’s pursuing army, followed by the waters returning to drown the Egyptians. This defining moment of divine deliverance transformed a fleeing group of slaves into a people who had witnessed God’s power firsthand, becoming the paradigmatic salvation event in Jewish memory and a powerful type of baptism and redemption in Christian theology.

The Biblical Narrative

Pharaoh Pursues

The Change of Heart (Exodus 14:5-7):

  • When king of Egypt was told people had fled
  • “What have we done? We have let Israel go from serving us!”
  • Heart of Pharaoh and servants changed
  • Made ready his chariot
  • Took his army with him
  • 600 chosen chariots
  • All other chariots of Egypt
  • Officers over all of them
  • Pursued the people of Israel

God Hardens Pharaoh (Exodus 14:8):

  • LORD hardened heart of Pharaoh
  • He pursued people of Israel
  • People of Israel going out defiantly
  • Divine purpose in the pursuit
  • Glory to be revealed

Trapped at the Sea

The Israelites’ Terror (Exodus 14:10-12):

  • Pharaoh drew near
  • People of Israel lifted up their eyes
  • Egyptians were marching after them
  • They feared greatly
  • Cried out to the LORD
  • Complained to Moses:
  • “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?”
  • “What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?”
  • “It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness”
  • Fear overwhelmed faith
  • Slavery seemed preferable to death

The Impossible Situation:

  • Sea ahead
  • Mountains on sides
  • Egyptian army behind
  • No escape route
  • Humanly hopeless
  • Perfect stage for divine intervention

Moses’s Faith

The Response (Exodus 14:13-14):

  • Moses to the people:
  • “Fear not, stand firm”
  • “See the salvation of the LORD”
  • “Which he will work for you today”
  • “The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again”
  • “The LORD will fight for you”
  • “You have only to be silent”
  • Calm in crisis
  • Faith in the face of impossibility
  • Trusting God when circumstances scream despair

God’s Command (Exodus 14:15-16):

  • LORD to Moses: “Why do you cry to me?”
  • “Tell the people of Israel to go forward”
  • Move, don’t just pray
  • “Lift up your staff”
  • “Stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it”
  • “People of Israel shall go through the sea on dry ground”
  • Specific, impossible command
  • Requiring obedience before seeing

The Miracle

The Parting (Exodus 14:21-22):

  • Moses stretched out his hand over the sea
  • LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night
  • Made the sea dry land
  • Waters were divided
  • People of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground
  • Waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left
  • Entire nation crossing
  • Between walls of water
  • Walking on what was sea floor

The Cloud and Fire (Exodus 14:19-20):

  • Angel of God moved from before them to behind
  • Pillar of cloud moved from before to behind
  • Coming between host of Egypt and host of Israel
  • Cloud and darkness to one side
  • Lighting up the night to the other
  • One did not come near the other all night
  • Divine protection
  • Separation maintained

The Egyptians Follow

Into the Sea (Exodus 14:23-25):

  • Egyptians pursued
  • Went in after them into midst of sea
  • All Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, horsemen
  • Morning watch: LORD looked down on Egyptian forces
  • From pillar of fire and cloud
  • Threw Egyptian forces into panic
  • Clogged their chariot wheels
  • Made them drive heavily
  • Egyptians said: “Let us flee from before Israel”
  • “For the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians”
  • Too late they recognized divine power

The Drowning

Waters Return (Exodus 14:26-28):

  • LORD to Moses: “Stretch out your hand over the sea”
  • “That the water may come back upon the Egyptians”
  • “Upon their chariots and horsemen”
  • Moses stretched out his hand over the sea
  • Sea returned to its normal course when morning appeared
  • Egyptians fled into it
  • LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea
  • Waters covered the chariots and horsemen
  • All the host of Pharaoh that had followed them
  • Not one of them remained

Complete Deliverance (Exodus 14:29-30):

  • But people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea
  • Waters being a wall to them on right and left
  • Thus LORD saved Israel that day from hand of Egyptians
  • Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore
  • Visible confirmation
  • Enemy destroyed
  • Deliverance complete

The Response

Fear and Faith (Exodus 14:31):

  • Israel saw the great power
  • Which the LORD used against the Egyptians
  • People feared the LORD
  • Believed in the LORD
  • And in his servant Moses
  • Awe and trust born from miracle

The Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-18):

  • Moses and people sang to the LORD:
  • “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously”
  • “The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea”
  • “The LORD is my strength and my song”
  • “He has become my salvation”
  • Celebrating deliverance
  • Praising God’s power
  • Recounting the miracle
  • Looking forward to entering promised land

Miriam’s Song (Exodus 15:20-21):

  • Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister
  • Took tambourine in her hand
  • All the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing
  • Miriam sang to them:
  • “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously”
  • “The horse and rider he has thrown into the sea”
  • Women’s celebration
  • Joy and thanksgiving

Theological Significance in Judaism

The Paradigmatic Salvation

The Defining Miracle:

  • Most important miracle in Torah after creation
  • Defines God as Savior
  • Shows God’s power over nature
  • Demonstrates commitment to covenant people
  • Pattern for all future deliverances

Passover Connection:

  • Seventh day of Passover commemorates Red Sea crossing
  • Seder references the miracle
  • Complete salvation: Not just leaving Egypt, but escaping Pharaoh permanently
  • Two-stage deliverance

Song of the Sea:

  • One of oldest pieces of Hebrew poetry
  • Shirat HaYam recited daily in morning prayers
  • Pattern for future songs of deliverance
  • Messianic age will bring new song (Isaiah 30:29)

God’s Character Revealed

Warrior for Israel:

  • “The LORD is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3)
  • Fights for His people
  • Defeats their enemies
  • Incomparable in power
  • Yet compassionate to His own

Master of Nature:

  • Controls the sea
  • Commands the wind
  • Parts the waters
  • Returns them
  • Creation obeys Creator

Christian Perspective

Baptism Typology

1 Corinthians 10:1-2:

  • “Our fathers were all under the cloud”
  • “All passed through the sea”
  • “All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea”
  • Passing through water = baptism
  • Old life (Egypt/slavery) dies
  • New life (freedom) begins
  • Egyptians = sin, drowned
  • Israel = believers, saved

Salvation Through Water:

  • Water that destroyed also saved
  • Lifted the ark in flood (1 Peter 3:20-21)
  • Parted for Israel at Red Sea
  • Baptism: Death to sin, life in Christ
  • Same element, different effects

Christ the Greater Moses

Hebrews 3:3-6:

  • Moses faithful in God’s house as servant
  • Christ faithful as Son over God’s house
  • Moses led physical exodus
  • Christ leads spiritual exodus
  • From bondage to sin
  • To promised rest in God

The Exodus Theme in Luke:

  • Luke 9:31: Moses and Elijah spoke of Jesus’s “exodus” (Greek: departure)
  • Jesus’s death and resurrection as exodus
  • Greater deliverance
  • From greater slavery
  • To greater freedom

New Creation

Pattern of Redemption:

  • Creation: God parts waters (Genesis 1:6-7)
  • Red Sea: God parts waters again
  • Baptism: Passing through water to new creation
  • Resurrection: Ultimate new creation
  • Same pattern repeated

Islamic Perspective

Quranic Account

Musa and Fir’awn (Quran 26:60-68):

  • Pharaoh pursued with his soldiers at sunrise
  • When the two groups saw each other
  • People of Musa said: “We are overtaken!”
  • Musa: “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me”
  • Allah inspired Musa: “Strike with your staff the sea”
  • It parted, each portion like a great towering mountain
  • Allah brought the others (Fir’awn’s army) near
  • Saved Musa and those with him all together
  • Then drowned the others

Other Quranic References:

  • Quran 20:77-78: Allah commanded Musa to strike sea with staff
  • Quran 44:23-24: “Leave the sea in stillness; they are an army to be drowned”
  • Emphasizes Allah’s power
  • Musa’s trust
  • Fir’awn’s arrogance and destruction

Theological Emphasis

Tawhid (Divine Unity):

  • Only Allah has power over nature
  • False gods (Pharaoh claimed divinity) powerless
  • Allah’s will supreme
  • Creation obeys Creator

Warning:

  • Fate of Fir’awn warning to tyrants
  • Arrogance leads to destruction
  • Opposing Allah’s prophets brings ruin
  • Quran 10:92: Fir’awn’s body preserved as sign

Historical and Critical Questions

Location Debates

Red Sea or Reed Sea?:

  • Hebrew: Yam Suph (could be “Sea of Reeds” or “Red Sea”)
  • Traditional: Red Sea (Gulf of Suez or Gulf of Aqaba)
  • Modern scholars: Marshy area, Lake Timsah, Bitter Lakes
  • Exact location uncertain
  • Multiple theories proposed

Possible Locations:

  1. Gulf of Suez (traditional southern route)
  2. Gulf of Aqaba (eastern route, some argue for)
  3. Lake Timsah or Bitter Lakes (northern route)
  4. Reed marshes near Mediterranean (coastal route)
  • Archaeology inconclusive
  • No physical evidence of crossing

Natural Explanations

Wind and Tide Theories:

  • Strong east wind mentioned (Exodus 14:21)
  • Computer models: Sustained wind could push back shallow water
  • Tsunami from volcanic eruption (Thera/Santorini)?
  • Earthquake causing temporary separation?
  • Tidal phenomenon?

Problems with Natural Explanations:

  • Timing too perfect (just when needed)
  • Returns precisely when Egyptians in midst
  • Walls of water on both sides (not just wind-driven)
  • Entire nation crossing in one night
  • If natural, why didn’t Egyptians know to avoid it?

Miracle or Providential Natural Event?:

  • Some see God using natural means with perfect timing
  • Others affirm supernatural miracle
  • Either way, divine intervention acknowledged

Historicity

Extra-Biblical Evidence:

  • No Egyptian records (not surprising—defeats not recorded)
  • No archaeological remains (sea bottom, transient event)
  • Core tradition ancient in Israel
  • Central to identity from earliest times

Scholarly Views:

  • Minimalist: No exodus, no crossing, later myth
  • Moderate: Core event, details embellished
  • Traditional: Essentially as described
  • Faith doesn’t require archaeological proof

Symbolism and Themes

Salvation Through Water

Paradox:

  • Water = death for Egyptians
  • Water = life/salvation for Israelites
  • Same element, opposite effects
  • Depends on relationship to God

Baptismal Meaning:

  • Old life drowns
  • New life emerges
  • Water marks boundary
  • Transition from slavery to freedom

The Impossible Made Possible

Humanly Hopeless:

  • Sea ahead, army behind, mountains on sides
  • No escape
  • Certain death
  • Then God acts

God’s Specialty:

  • Dead ends become doorways
  • Impossible situations reveal divine power
  • When we’re helpless, God’s power shows
  • “Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD”

Complete Deliverance

Not Just Escape:

  • Could have just scattered Egyptians
  • Instead, total victory
  • Enemy completely destroyed
  • Never pursued again
  • Salvation thorough and final

Modern Significance

Trapped Situations

When Seas Don’t Part:

  • Modern believers face impossible situations
  • Sea ahead, enemies behind
  • Prayers sometimes met with “go forward”
  • Required to step into impossibility
  • Trusting God to make a way

Faith Before Sight:

  • Moses had to stretch out staff before seeing
  • Israel had to step into sea before waters parted (Jewish tradition)
  • Obedience precedes miracle
  • Move before knowing how God will act

Liberation Theology

Exodus as Paradigm:

  • God sides with oppressed
  • Against oppressors
  • Liberation from slavery
  • Crosses the sea to freedom
  • Hope for all in bondage

African American Spirituals:

  • “Go Down Moses” - Let my people go
  • “Wade in the Water” - God’s gonna trouble the water
  • Red Sea crossing as promise of freedom
  • From slavery (literal and spiritual)

Standing Still

Exodus 14:13-14:

  • “Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD”
  • “The LORD will fight for you, you have only to be silent”
  • Not passivity but trust
  • Letting God act
  • Not striving but resting in His power

Artistic and Cultural Legacy

Art and Film:

  • Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (iconic scene)
  • Countless paintings of parting sea
  • Walls of water, Israelites crossing
  • Egyptian chariots drowning
  • Visual spectacle

Music:

  • Handel’s Israel in Egypt - “The depths have covered them”
  • Spirituals and hymns
  • Rossini’s Moses in Egypt
  • Contemporary Christian music

Language:

  • “Parting the Red Sea” = accomplishing impossible
  • Cultural shorthand for miraculous deliverance
  • Metaphor for overcoming insurmountable obstacles

Significance

They stood at the edge of the sea, the Egyptian army thundering behind them, the mountains closing in on both sides, the water stretching before them. There was nowhere to run. No escape. They were trapped. And they cried out in terror: “It would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness!”

But Moses said: “Fear not. Stand still. See the salvation of the LORD. The Egyptians you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you. You have only to be silent.”

Then Moses stretched out his staff. God drove back the sea with a strong east wind all night. The waters divided. Walls of water stood on the right and on the left. And between them, dry ground. The impossible happened. The sea became a highway. And the entire nation—600,000 men plus women and children, with their flocks and herds—walked through on dry ground while waters towered on either side.

The Egyptians pursued. Horses, chariots, the entire army charged into the sea after them. But in the morning watch, God threw them into panic. Their chariot wheels clogged. They tried to flee. Too late. Moses stretched out his hand again. The waters returned. And the army that had enslaved Israel for four hundred years drowned in the sea. Not one remained. Israel saw their bodies on the shore. The enemy was gone. The threat was finished. They were free.

For Jews, this is the salvation. The defining moment. The paradigm of all deliverance. Every Passover, they remember not just leaving Egypt but crossing the sea. Not just the tenth plague but the drowning of Pharaoh’s army. God didn’t just let them go—He fought for them, defeated their oppressors, made a way where there was no way. The Song of the Sea is sung daily. The memory is kept alive. And the hope endures: As God split the sea once, He can do it again.

For Christians, this is baptism. The old life drowning, the new life emerging. Egypt is sin’s bondage. The sea is death and resurrection. Pharaoh’s army is sin and Satan, defeated and destroyed. We pass through water, and the old drowns while we rise to new life. Christ is the greater Moses, leading the greater exodus, from the greater slavery, through the greater sea (death itself), to the greater promised land (eternal life).

For Muslims, Musa’s trust when all seemed lost demonstrates faith in action. “Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me.” Even when the armies closed in, even when escape seemed impossible, Musa trusted Allah. And Allah parted the sea. Fir’awn, who claimed to be god, drowned in the waters. The arrogant tyrant defeated. The humble prophet saved. Allah’s power vindicated.

The sea parted once. It happened. Whether by miracle alone or providentially-timed natural phenomenon, God acted. Slaves walked through. Masters drowned. The impossible became reality. And ever since, whenever people face impossible situations—seas ahead, enemies behind, mountains on the sides—the memory whispers: God can make a way.

“Stand still. See the salvation of the LORD. You have only to be silent.” Sometimes the hardest thing is to stop striving and trust. To face the sea and believe God will part it. To step forward when seeing no path. To walk between walls of water trusting they’ll hold.

The Red Sea doesn’t part every time we pray. Sometimes we have to go around. Sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes we drown. But the story stands: When God’s people were trapped, when enemies pursued, when death seemed certain, God made a way. The sea split. The nation crossed. The oppressors died. And freedom was born.

We are children of those who walked through the sea. The faith that trusts God to make impossible ways. The hope that believes no situation is beyond divine intervention. The courage to go forward when the path is unclear. They went into the sea on dry ground. We follow in that faith. And we sing with Moses and Miriam: “The LORD is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”

The sea parted. The people crossed. The enemy drowned. And salvation was accomplished. From that day to this, from the Red Sea to the Jordan to baptismal waters to the final crossing from death to life, God makes ways through seas. He always has. He always will.