The Bible Book

76 THE EXODUS

and stretch out his hand across

the water. He assures him that the

waters will part and the Israelites

will be able to move on across

dry land. He further explains to

Moses that He will “harden the

hearts” of the Egyptians so that

they will follow the Israelites onto

the seabed. The repetition of this

phrase underlines the dual purpose

that God had in mind from the start.

When Moses raises his staff,

everything comes to pass just as

God promised. The Israelites cross

dry ground between two enormous

walls of water, while God holds the

Egyptians back with His pillar of

fire. Once the Israelites are safely

across the river, God allows the

Egyptians to give chase. When the

army reaches the seabed, Moses

lowers his arms, and the waters

sweep over the Egyptian soldiers

and drown them. This divine act is

one of several instances in Exodus

in which God demonstrates His

supreme power.

Song of the Sea

Once they have been safely

delivered from Pharaoh’s army,

the Israelites celebrate by singing

a song in worship of God. Known

as the “Song of the Sea” (Exodus

15), the hymn is led by Moses

and his sister Miriam (see box).

Moses then leads the Israelites

toward his old homeland of Midian

in Sinai, where he is destined

to receive God’s commandments

for their new nation.

The Israelites’ high spirits do

not last long, and Moses is soon

tested by his people once more.

They complain again that they

might have been better off as

slaves than risking starvation in

the wilderness. However, every

time the Israelites complain, God

provides. When the people ask

for more food, God rains a sticky,

breadlike substance from the sky.

This is manna and becomes part

of the Israelites’ diet during their

40 years of wandering. When they

complain of not having enough

meat, God makes a flock of quail

land in their camp every day. For

water, God instructs Moses to

A fresco on the wall of the Kalamíou

monastery in the Peloponnese in

Greece shows the Egyptians drowning

as the waters of the Red Sea fall back

in the wake of the Israelites’ passage.

They said to Moses, “Was it

because there were no graves

in Egypt that you brought

us to the desert to die?”

Exodus 14:11

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