75
See also: Moses and the Burning Bush 66–69 ■ The Ten Commandments 78–83 ■ The Golden Calf 84–85 ■
The Twelve Spies 88 ■ Entering the Promised Land 96–97God leads the Israelites toward
the Promised Land, manifesting
Himself as a pillar of cloud by day
and a pillar of fire by night, in order
to light their way and make the exit
from Egypt as swift as possible.
He leads the people southeast, in
the direction of the land He has
promised to them. The Israelites,
however, are confused by thedirections they are given and
complain to Moses, who consults
God at every sign of trouble.Pharaoh’s reaction
God then does something that is
surprising. He “hardens” the heart
of Pharaoh (Exodus 14:4), prompting
the Egyptian ruler to decide to
pursue the Israelites. This servesEXODUS TO DEUTERONOMY
Moses leads the Israelites through
the Red Sea in this 1849 painting by
Vasilii (Wilhelm) Alexandrovich
Kotarbinsky. With the waters parted,
they are able to walk across the seabed.The Red Sea A 1,400-mile (2,250-km) long
seawater inlet of the Indian
Ocean, the Red Sea lies between
Africa and Asia. At 16–18 miles
(26–29km) wide at its narrowest
point and about 165 feet (50m)
deep at its shallowest, it would
have been a significant hurdle for
the Israelites to cross.
The name Red Sea has two
possible derivations. First, the
word “red” was used in some
ancient Asiatic languages to
denote the direction “south,” just
as “black” was used for north and
other colors for east and west.
Alternatively, the name mayderive from the presence of large
blooms of cyanobacteria, or “sea
sawdust,” called Trichodesmium
erythraeum, which turns
reddish-brown as it dies off.
The ubiquity of this weed
on the surface of the Red Sea
may also explain the Hebrew
name yam suf, “sea of reeds.”
Although some scholars believe
yam suf might refer to a reed-
strewn freshwater lake that
existed in ancient times on
the site of the Suez Canal, it is
also possible that yam suf refers
to the same weed that turns
the sea red.two purposes: it tests the faith of
His chosen people by making the
situation even more perilous while
at the same time defending them
by luring the Egyptians into a trap.
Pharaoh dispatches an army
of chariot-borne soldiers, which
catches up with the Israelites on
the shores of a sea near a place
called Pi Hahiroth (Exodus 14:9).
(The Hebrew translation of
Exodus calls the area yam suf—
sea of reeds—whereas the Greek
translation refers to it as thalassa
erythra, red sea.) As the Israelites
realize they are trapped between
the water and Pharaoh’s army,
they panic and cry out to Moses.
Transformed by God, Moses has
lost his former reluctance to lead.
He calms his followers by telling
them simply to be still and that
God will deliver them. God then
instructs Moses to raise his staff ❯❯US_074-077_The_Exodus.indd 75 21/09/17 11:29 am