The waters of the Red Sea in the Bible begin at the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which is 150 miles wide on average and divided into two arms. The Israelites called it the Red sea ( Exodus 14: 2, 9, 16, 21, 28, and many other passages) or the sea of ​​Suf ( Exodus 10:19; 13:18; 15:4, 22, etc.). In Numbers 21:14 and Deuteronomy 1: 1, the English Authorized Version translates the Red Sea. The Greek version of the Septuagint always renders, and so does the New Testament: see Acts 7:36; Hebrews 11:29 . The Arabs call the Red Sea Bahr El Qulzum, El Qulzum Sea, a name that derives from the ancient Clysma. These names require some consideration.

The Israelites define a sea as any large body of water: the Sea of ​​Galilee or Tiberias, the Dead Sea. Rivers such as the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates, being very large, are considered large lakes or small seas. Compare Isaiah 11:15; 18:1,2; Jeremiah 51:36, 42, etc. in other words, the generic term Yam for the Israelites can mean the ocean, vast inland lakes, smaller lakes ( Job 14:11 ), and even a great river such as the Nile ( Nahum 3:18; Isaiah 19: 5).

The origins of the Red Sea

The origin of the name the Red Sea in the Bible has been the source of many studies. This substantially gave rise to two schools of thought: according to the first, the expression derives from a phenomenon of nature. Such as the reddish appearance of the mountains on the west coast. Reflecting on the surface of the water would give the characteristic color. Or the presence in the sea of ​​zoophytes (aquatic plants), corals, red algae, or even red storks.

However, some scholars have pointed out a gulf of such reduced width. And under the continuous influence of monsoons that blow from opposite points for several months a year is too rough to host such plants. Which almost always grow in stagnant waters and very rarely in salty waters. Some have even imagined that this sea derives from the tropical heat of its waters: Artemidorus, quoted by the geographer Strabo. Claimed that the sea was named after the reflections of the sun’s rays.

The other current has instead tried to find an etymological derivation of the expression. They were suggesting its etymological origin from Edom. Since the neighboring nations called it the Edom Sea, a term deriving from the name of the area between the Red Sea and the Lake of Sodom, occupied by the descendants of Edom (Edom means red; Genesis 25:30 ), the Greeks came into contact with the Phoenicians, expert navigators, thinking that Edom was an adjective rather than a proper name, began to call it Erythrina Thalassa, in Greek red sea.

The exact location of the Red Sea in the Bible

The fame of the Red Sea is mainly linked to the miraculous passage of the people of Israel through its waters; in the case of the Israelites, it is not the left arm, the current Suez Canal, but the Gulf of Aqaba.

The Red Sea in the Bible is a narrow sea that starts from the south, from Eritrea, and forks to the north—Surrounding the Sinai peninsula with its two arms: the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aqaba. Therefore, according to the Bible, the Gulf of Aqaba is also the Red Sea. Along the Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba, there is only one place where two million people could have entered: the plain of Nuweiba, right at the end of the wadi.

It is of significant improvement for believers to know that deep down. An enormous amount of Egyptian chariot wheels, entirely covered in coral, and fossilized human and horse skeletons were found at that spot. Near the place where the Israelites crossed the wilderness, Solomon, 400 years later, erected a column. Commemorating the miraculous event ( Isaiah 19:19 ). The Red Sea is, in fact, closely related to Elat, the Aila of Strabo, the modern Aqaba, mentioned in the Old Testament ( 1 Kings 9:26 ).

The myth of Phaeton

According to the considerations put forward by the mathematician, Phaeton’s story can explain the historical discontinuities associated with the Great Flood of Deucalion. And with him, also how Moses managed to cross the Red Sea.

According to Greek and Latin sources, we know Phaeton that he was the son of the Sun. And that with a chaotic trajectory, he approached the Earth. We also know that, once he reached Earth, he set fire to the forests of central Europe and was killed by a bolt sent by Zeus. After his death, the sisters wept. And amber tears flowed from them.

Representation of the Red Sea in the Bible

Scientific interpretation

The event that refers to Phaeton can be scientifically interpreted as a celestial body or an asteroid object. Which in a chaotic orbit revolved around the Earth.

Phaeton then, having entered the earth’s atmosphere and in contact with the upper layers, burned the forests. It then reached the densest layers and exploded in the area of the Eider River, which is located in Schleswig-Holstein.

The explosion shook the North and Baltic Seas, causing a lot of ambers to emerge. Considering these events, we can proceed to explain the passage of Moses.

The passage of the Red Sea, according to the Bible

The effect of the Phaeton explosion generated a strong wind that spread from the point of the blast for many kilometers.

In the book of Exodus, the event of the passage of the Red Sea is described and anticipated by the presence of the Angel of God. Who changes position, and, from this change, a great smoke arose that obscured the Earth.

During the night, God repelled the sea with a strong south wind that dried the sea and divided the water. In this way, the children of Israel could cross the sea without difficulty. But for the Egyptians behind them, the lot was not so good, so they were overwhelmed by the waters.

Phaethon, at this point, just during the meeting between Jews and Egyptians, probably disintegrated over the Arabian Peninsula.

The passage of the Red Sea, a geological event

The Bible describes the event the Bible as the displacement of the Angel of God. And of the column of smoke refers to a scientifically explainable event. It is precisely the explosion of Phaeton or the geological event that allowed the Red Sea to open. Therefore, the effects of this catastrophe are a great earthquake (to which Psalm 114 also refers ) and scorching wind.

The wind has pushed the waters of the Red Sea towards the south. In such a way as to lower the level in the north. The passage of the Red Sea was. Therefore, possible thanks to the appearance of a terrible wind Tsunami caused by the incredible explosion in the atmosphere. According to this theory, Moses found himself in the right place at the right time.