The Bible tells of the Israelites’ flight from the Egyptian pursuers and the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea by Moses, who led them through a passage that appeared at the bottom of the water. And the crossing of the Red Sea. Now research shows that this event was scientifically possible.
While crossing the Red Sea, Moses stretched out his hand over the Sea and drove the Lord the Sea all night with a strong wind from the east, and the Sea became dry as the waters parted. So he slipt the Sea. And the children of Israel went through the midst of the Sea, walking on dry land, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and left. In the Bible, Moses and the Israelites were caught between Pharaoh’s troops and the Sea. Thanks to divine intervention, a strong east wind blew all night, parting the waters in two and giving them room to flee the Egyptians.
Science meets religion: researchers say the splitting of the waters in two as Moses and the Israelites fled the Egyptians can be explained by strong winds. Moses’ parting the Red Sea in two for the Israelites is one of the most incredible miracles in the Old Testament. Scientists now believe it happened, although they attribute the event more to nature than Moses.
Did Moses split the Sea?
Moses is one of the essential characters in the Bible and the one who parted the Red Sea in two. He is the one who helped the Jews flee Pharaoh’s armies, parting the waters of the Red Sea in two with God’s help. Scholars have analyzed this biblical event for years.
Scientists have analyzed the event of Moses crossing the Red Sea with the Jews. A computer simulation explained how he could part the waters and create a tunnel through which the Jews could cross to the other side of the Sea. According to the researchers, it seems that Moses would have passed through a different place, but not the one described in the biblical writings.
Moses was the most prominent of the Jewish prophets. Belief in his prophecy is defined as the seventh principle of the twelve principles of the Jewish faith, as formulated in the creed of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon. The traditional date of his birth and death in the Jewish calendar is 7 Adar. Moses is also considered one of the most significant prophets by monotheistic religions such as Christianity and Islam.
Biography of Moses
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Biblical places from the times of Moses
- Edom- Is Edom a biblical region?
- Arabian Desert- Is the Arabian Desert the place Moses went to?
What does the crossing of the Red Sea represent?
Moses, the lawgiver by excellence, was chosen by God to continue the plan of salvation for the Jewish people. Determined to free the Israelites from Egyptian bondage, Moses became the leader of his nation. The honor he enjoyed in his time is confirmed by mentioning his name so often in the New Testament. No other Old Covenant name is mentioned in New Testament scripture as often as Moses, with St John the evangelist saying him most often.
The passage of the Israelites led by Moses through the Red Sea signified deliverance from the Egyptian bands and bondage, under divine guidance, is the type of baptism: For I do not want you, brothers, not to know that our fathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the Sea. And all, in Moses, were baptized in the cloud and the Sea, says St. Paul the Apostle, an apparent reference to the condition of Christian baptism unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Since then, there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom God has known face to face, to do all the signs and wonders with which the Lord sent him into the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and all his governors, and all his land, to do with a mighty hand and with great fear what Moses did in the sight of all Israel.
Where is the crossing of the Red Sea in the Bible?
On their journey of deliverance, the Israelites are guided by a bright cloud in the sky, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, who gives the power to be born again and leads the Israelites to the Promised Land, a journey on which they will receive the Ten Commandments from God through Moses.
The crossing of the Red Sea can be found in the Bible in the Book of Exodus. Chapter 14. The episode of the miraculous passage of the Jews through the Red Sea, when the bed of the water parted to favor their course as on land, is indirectly confirmed in the New Testament when those close to the Saviour wondered: Who is this, that even the wind and the Sea obey Him?
The Israelites’ departure from Egyptian bondage gave rise to the first holy day in the annual Jewish celebrations: the Feast of Passover. It also recalls the spared of the first-born Hebrews when the angel of the Lord passed through Egypt and struck all the firstborn of the Egyptians dead.14 Nisan suggests the miraculous passage of the Hebrews through the Red Sea or the enactment of the angels past the houses of the Israelites anointed with the blood of the lamb sacrificed on that day.
Key Verse related to the crossing of the Red Sea
“And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold. The Egyptians marched after them. So they were terrified, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us to bring us out of Egypt?”
How did Moses cross the Red Sea?
Bruce Parker, a professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey and a former researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Ocean Service, believes that Moses knew very well how the tides formed in that area and used the ebb and flow to lead his people safely to freedom.
Researchers claim that Moses could cross the Red Sea by orienting himself to the moon’s phases; Moses knew when the next ebb would occur, a method he could learn during his time with the desert dwellers. In contrast, the Egyptian soldiers did not have this knowledge, as they lived on the banks of the Nile, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea, where there is not such a strong tide.
So by calculating when the tide would come in and how long it would last, Moses could save his men while ensuring that Pharaoh’s soldiers would drown in the waters of the suddenly returning tide.
The place through which the Jews would have crossed the Red Sea is thought to be the present-day Gulf of Suez, on the northern side of the Sea. However, Moses could not have anticipated an earthquake or tsunami. During the ebb tide in the Gulf of Suez, the water recedes entirely, and the seabed remains dry for a few hours, long enough for people to cross to the other side. Then the water suddenly returns.
Primary Takeaways
- The Egyptians pursued them, and Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went after them into the midst of the Sea. But in the early morning, the Lord looked out of the pillar of fire and out of the cloud to the camp of the Egyptians and filled the base with fear.
- And the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them with the Egyptians. And the Lord said to Moses, Stretch out your hand over the Sea, that the waters may turn upon the Egyptians, their chariots, and their horsemen.
- Many say that the event was a natural phenomenon, not a miracle. However, God decided the time of the parting of the waters, and He also determined how long the waters should remain parted. Also, the Jews all crossed, and the Egyptians none.
Conclusion
The Bible tells of the Israelites’ flight from the Egyptian pursuers and the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea by Moses, who led them through a passage that appeared at the bottom of the water. Now research shows that this event was scientifically possible.
Several researchers in the United States are trying to explain how a strong wind, blowing from the east at the time, pushed water to the point where, it is believed, an ancient river joined a vast lagoon. This would have created a strip of land along the Sea, over which Moses passed. The waters swam back when the wind died down, covering the ground. The discovery was made as part of a major study led by Carl Drews of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research, which aims to shed light on wind’s impact on deep water.
If you enjoyed our article, please visit the following Quiz to test your biblical knowledge about Moses, who split the Red Sea. I just wanted to thank you for your time, and if you have any questions, please get in touch with us at office@doortoeden.com.
Quizlet about the life of Moses
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Explanation of biblical words
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Bibliography
- Wessel, S. (2003). THE” NOUTHESIA” AND THE LAW OF MOSES. Byzantion, 73(2), 530-542.
- Cook, J. (1999). The Law of Moses in Septuagint Proverbs. Vetus Testamentum, 49(Fasc. 4), 448-461.
- Poythress, V. S. (1991). The shadow of Christ in the law of Moses (pp. 125-125). Wolgemuth & Hyatt.
- Thielman, F. (2009). Paul & the Law: A Contextual Approach. InterVarsity Press.
- Dijkstra, M. (2002). The Law of Moses: The Memory of Mosaic Religion in and after the Exile. In Yahwism after the Exile (pp. 70-98). Brill.
