Red Sea
Red Sea is a river mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, located in the region of Sinai in modern-day Egypt. Known today as Gulf of Suez. It appears across 21 verses in Scripture.
Biblical History
The Red Sea, referenced across both Testaments in some twenty-one verses, stands as Scripture's most prominent body of water outside the Jordan River. Its first major appearance is in Exodus 13:18, where God led the Israelites toward the wilderness by way of the Red Sea after departing Egypt. The miraculous crossing (Exodus 14-15) became Israel's supreme memory of divine deliverance, shaping their worship, theology, and national identity. The event is recalled in historical psalms (Psalm 78:13; 136:13-15), prophetic literature (Isaiah 43:16-17; 51:10), and wisdom traditions (Nehemiah 9:9-11). Solomon later established a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber on the Red Sea to conduct trade with Ophir (1 Kings 9:26). The Red Sea also marked the southern boundary of the Promised Land in certain traditions. In the New Testament, Stephen referenced the crossing in his speech before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:36), Paul used it as a typological image of baptism (1 Corinthians 10:1-2), and Hebrews 11:29 cites it as an exemplar of faith. The Red Sea thus bridges both Testaments as a symbol of God's saving power.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
The Hebrew term yam suph, traditionally rendered 'Red Sea,' literally means 'Sea of Reeds,' and its precise identification has generated extensive scholarly debate. The coordinates here correspond to the northern end of the Gulf of Suez near the modern Suez Canal. Ancient Egyptian texts reference the 'Papyrus Waters' in this region, and the Suez isthmus area contained marshy lakes that may have been connected to the gulf in antiquity. Geological studies indicate that sea levels and the coastline have shifted significantly over millennia. The construction of the Suez Canal in 1869 dramatically altered the local geography. Satellite imagery and sediment analysis continue to inform scholarly reconstructions of the ancient landscape.
Verse Appearances (21)
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- OpenBible.info (n.d.) Bible Geocoding. Available at: https://www.openbible.info/geo/. [CC BY 4.0]
- Bagnall, R. et al. (eds.) (n.d.) Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places. Available at: https://pleiades.stoa.org. [CC BY 3.0]
- Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
- Lawrence, D. et al. (2025) Villages to Empires: a settlement dataset for the Southern Levant. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15111732. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]