One search on the internet and you will find many different views regarding the actual route the Hebrews took during their Exodus from Egypt to the parting of the waters. There is no confusion in the Bible, for it names location after location as to where the Israelites traveled.
So, what is the problem?
Real simple, archaeologists are not certain where those places were located in ancient Egypt during the time frame when the Exodus occurred. So there is a lot of speculation by scholars concerning the Exodus route. Hopefully, I can shed a little more light on this topic with a detailed analysis to narrow down those locations.
The first question to ask is where did Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh at his palace, and say to him: "Thus saith the Lord. Let my people go."
Some men held that this palace was located at the city of Memphis.
But the Bible says differently.
In the Book of Psalms, there is an interesting passage. Psalm 78:12 states: "Marvelous things God did in the sight of their Fathers. In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan."
Zoan was located in northern Egypt and was the capital of many early kings of Egypt, way before the time of the Exodus. More around the time of the Biblical figure Joseph, who ruled as second only to the pharaoh. And there was a palace there as well. The Egyptians called the city "Tchan."
Closer to the time frame of the Exodus, we also know that Zoan was still an important city in Egypt. For example archaeologist have uncovered many artifacts at Zoan bearing the name of pharaoh Thutmose III. (The illustration below shows a scarab with the cartouche of Thutmose III showing a man being taken as a slave.)
Thutmoses III scarab found at Avaris
Later kings, well after the time of the Exodus, such as Rameses II and others, would choose Zoan as their capital. Rameses II was actually forced to move his original capital of Pi-Rameses to Zoan when the branch of the Nile river, which flowed alongside his capital, had run dry.
The city of Zoan would later in history become known as Tanis, romanticized in the original Indiana Jones movie as the 'Lost city of Tanis."
Just like in the Bible, the Egyptians also referred to Zoan's surrounding countryside as the "Field of Zoan." In Egyptian Hieroglyphics, shown below, it is called 'Sekh-t en Tchann.' 'Sekht' meaning district, countryside, or fields, and 'Tchann' which refers to the city of Zoan.
After the Lord brings His final plague on Egypt, the Egyptians beg them to leave their country. Exodus 12:37 states: "Then the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children."
The place from which the Hebrews left is named Rameses. It is mentioned in Exodus 1:11 as one of the supply cities which the Israelites had built when Pharaoh had begun to afflict them with heavy burdens. It was during this time when Moses was born, rescued from the hand of pharaoh's decree to kill all the newborn male infants.
Some people believe this is the same city that was built by Ramses II called Pi-Rameses. The problem with this view is that Rameses II ruled 300 years after the Hebrews built this supply city. So unless Pi-Rameses was built over or alongside of the original city of Rameses, which is possible, it may be located elsewhere.
The Hieroglyphic above shows the name of the house of Rameses, ie. city of Pi-Rameses. Included in the hieroglyphic is the royal cartouche of Rameses II.
Genesis 47:11 mentions the name Rameses, as "the land of Rameses" way back at the time of Joseph, way before the Exodus. So it might not necessarily refer to a specific city, but a district in Egypt.
In Genesis 47:27, it says, “Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen." The name Goshen has some interesting connotations associated with it. The first part of the name, "Gos,” may be derived from the Egyptian word "ges,” meaning "a place where shepherds kept their flocks." Similarly, it may refer to the Egyptian word "gesu," meaning men employed in government storehouses. Both would fit the job description of the Hebrews in Egypt during the time when they first journeyed there. Genesis 47:3 says the occupation of the Hebrews were shepherds.
We also know that when the Hebrews first entered Egypt, their brother Joseph was set over all Egypt to manage the grain during that period of time, so many Hebrews may have been employed at government storehouses as well.
Or it possibly could be associated with the Egyptian word “gahes,” which means gazelles. If the Hebrews were who historians of today call the Hyksos, there is Egyptian artwork depicting the Hyksos herding or hunting Gazelles.
The second part of the name Goshen is "hen or hin", and refers to the Egyptian term meaning "to be situated or reside in (a house or town)”
The next location along the Exodus route is mentioned in Exodus 12:37, which states that from Rameses they journeyed to Succoth to pick up the bones of Joseph to fulfill his wishes that his bones would be taken from Egypt back to the land of Canaan. Genesis 50:25.
In Egyptian hieroglyphics, Succoth is a general name for a “memorial place” such as a tomb, pyramid, etc. Which is most likely, since they were going there to gather the bones of Joseph.
As to his burial site, the Bible is quiet, but there are some scholars who believe Joseph had a miniature burial pyramid at Avaris, the once capital of the "shepherds" (Hyksos).
On the other hand, Succoth could have been a specific geographical place name, such as the hieroglyph shown below, which we identify as the city the Bible calls “Sin.”
This is very interesting because Sni, Biblical “Sin”, was also known by other names such as: Asna, Latopolis, and Pelusium.
The only issue with this being the location is that excavations at the site currently do not support it being inhabited around the time of the Exodus. Therefore, Succoth more than likely refers to the generic term for a "memorial place," where Joseph’s bones were placed as a memorial made for him so future generations could honor him.
According to Genesis 13:20, after leaving Sukkoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. Etham is phonetically equivalent to the Egyptian name "Khetem," pronounced “Hetem“or “htm.”
Etham (Khetem) literally meant fortress. And the Egyptians did build a series of forts along their borders to protect against invading armies.
This specific fortress, according to the Bible, was located on the edge of the desert near a sea.
Many Egyptian pharaohs from the Exodus onward constantly mention a certain frontier outpost in their annals as being the place they passed right before leaving Egypt. They called its name “Khetem of Tjaru”, also known as Sile.
From his first military campaign, Thutmoses III mentioned that he passed by the fortress “htm of Tjaru” on his expedition outside the frontiers of Egypt.” Anet 235
Recent excavations at the site of Tel-Hebua II in Egypt have now confirmed it as being the fortress of Tjaru. Also found at the site was a large limestone slab decorated on one side with an inscription of Thutmose II, a likely candidate for the Exodus pharaoh.
Fort Tjaru was also known as ‘Khetem Uatu Heru,’ meaning the “The fortress of the Way of Horus,” considered to be the starting point for any military campaigns launched by Egyptian pharaohs into Canaan.
It is mentioned in Papyrus Anastasi I, 27.2
Once at Etham, the Lord instructs Moses to tell the Israelites to turn back, for He was not through with bringing His judgment on Pharaoh and his army, in order that all nations would know that He is the One True God.
In Exodus 14:2-5, God tells Moses: “Tell the Israelites to turn and encamp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol (meaning a fort tower, or religious temple tower) and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall encamp before it by the sea.”
For pharaoh will say of the children of Israel. They are bewildered by the land; the wilderness has closed them in.
Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord."
The location of Pi-Hahiroth appears to be centered around Lake Horus.
The hieroglyph symbols in the first two illustrations above, Peh-arti, show the “eyes of Horus,” and the last illustration, Peh-Herui show the symbol of two hawks which represent “Horus.” And at the end of the last two hieroglyphics is the symbol used for a lake. This is definitely referring to the lake of Horus, Biblical Shihor, referenced in the book of Joshua.
The hieroglyphics also begin with the symbol for the “end of, rear, or back side” in the hieroglyph, followed by a symbol used for pool, or lake. Possibly even an opening or inlet.
But as to which direction along the lake’s shore, north, south, east or west, is up for interpretation. It could refer to the small stretch of coast between Lake Horus and the Mediterranean Sea, if Migdol was the fort at Khetem. That is the side where the lake had an inlet to the Mediterranean. Another possibility was it refers to somewhere south of the Lake of Horus.
But when these symbols are used back-to-back, as they are here, it refers to swamp land. So it more likely refers to the “Swamp or marsh of Lake Horus.”
Another possibility was that it is a reference to a canal or waterway in the same general vicinity south of Lake Shihor.
Now this is where it gets real interesting because the Bible narrows down this location.
“Encamp near Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon; . . . ”
Now there is an Egyptian artifact that mentions Shihor (a city at lake of Horus), along with two waters of Pi Hahiroth, the waters of Horus, and the waters of Baal (ie. Baal Zephon).
The artifact is known as Papyrus Anastasi III and mentions the following: "Fish from the two waters (or canals) of Puharta.”
(Two Lake, stream or canal waters - Puharta - Fish)
This hieroglyph name Puharata in Papyrus Anastasi III is interesting because it is followed by two names, "The two waters of Baal,” possibly near the location of Biblical Baal Zephon. The second name is the two waters of "Shihor" (Lake Horus), which is mentioned by Joshua as the lake at the front of Egypt in Joshua 13:3
(Shihor, or the city of the two waters of Horus)
The Egyptians referred to the false god Baal as "Bar." The waters of Baal are likely a reference to the Ballah Lakes, which were located to the south of Shihor.
When leaving Egypt, Shihor was located next to Etham at the end of the wilderness. The same artifact mentions that Baal was located to the rear of Shihor. And that indeed is where the Ballah lakes are situated. The Hieroglyph of Shihor, in the artifact shown below, also indicates it was evidently a city located somewhere along the banks of Shihor.
"Bar" (Baal) At the Rear vegetables/plants city Shihor (lake Horus)
Translation: "From the city of the two waters of Shihor, we get plants and vegetables. Behind it is Baal."
Likely Baal here is a shortened form of Baal Zephon, and likely refers to the Ballah lakes or a place named Baal Zephon situated to the south of Lake Horus. This is interesting because Migdol must have been located near Lake Horus as well.
So what you have here in Papyrus Anastasi III, is a mention of Pi-Hahiroth, Shihor, and Baal (Zephon) in close proximity to one another. And we know from the Exodus account that they were in the same general vicinity as Migdol, the next place name mentioned in Exodus 14:2-5
Another Egyptian name for Migdol (fort) is the Egyptian name ‘mekter.’
In an Egyptian Papyrus document, located in the Cairo Museum known as papyrus 31169, is a geographical list of Egyptian forts.
The list mentions 4 major forts. It mentions a fort named "Mekter," referring to "Migdol" and "Mekter pef Bratchapnu" as referring to "Migdol of Baal Zephon."
This is amazing because here we have the mention of two Biblical sites confirmed in Egyptian records. And both were forts.
So it is possible that the Biblical writer was stating the Hebrews were encamped between 2 major Egyptian forts. One at Migdol and the other at nearby Fort Baal Zephon.
Migdol in the Bible can have varying meanings. It could refer to the towers of a military fort. Or the Hebrew word can mean "tower or ziggurat" (a stepped pyramid,) as in the Tower of Babel. These ziggurats were religious temple towers built to worship false gods.
Some believe that Migdol was likely at the same fort location called out in Egyptian documents as the ‘Migdol of Seti’, but would have had to have been in existence way before the time of Seti. Speculation is that it is located at sites either known as T-78 or T-211, but neither has yet to be excavated to determine their names or whether they existed at the time of the Exodus.
A more likely option is that it just refers back to the dual forts the Hebrews just passed, one at ‘Migdol’ (Hebua 1) near the Mediterranean coast and the other located just across the bridge over the waters of Shihor at ‘Etham of Tajaru.” (Hebua II.)
The fort at Hebua I predated the fort at Hebua II and was originally inhabited by the Hyksos (Hebrews.) The city was attacked and burned earlier on in history by a pharaoh named Ahmoses before he attacked the other main Hyksos stronghold of Avaris.
Archaeologists found jar handle artifacts at the site bearing the name of Thutmose I, another possible Exodus pharaoh candidate.
Excavations at “Hebua I” also found one of the oldest mudbrick religious temples built in the area. At the site, the Egyptians worshipped the false god Horus.
Therefore, it is likely that the Hebrews would have associated it with a Migdol, as in the Migdol of the Tower of Babel.
Other, less likely options include that it might refer to the nearby site south of the Lake of Horus known as Tell El-Borg. It was believed to have infantry, chariots, and a naval marine unit that navigated a branch of the Nile river that flowed from Lake Horus past the fort. It is possible that this branch of the river, of which there were two, flowed southward from Lake Horus, one nearby Etham (Hebua II) and the other past the fort at El-Borg, where the waters of Pi-Haroth flowed, as mentioned in the Bible, as well as Papyrus Anatasia III. The fact that in Arabic, Borg means “tower” is another reason to consider this site as Migdol.
Although the name of Baal was not found at excavations at El-Borg, the names of other Canaanite false gods were, so it should be considered as a possible site of Baal-Zephon as well.
Due to the fact that little remains of the inside of the ancient fort at El-Borg to excavate due to damage from modern development, we may never be able to positively identify it.
One of the earliest Egyptian documents mentioning Migdol comes from the time of Joshua’s conquest of Canaan. Known as Amarna Letter #234, from a ruler who ruled over the city of Accho. He pledged his allegiance to Pharaoh by stating his city was “As Egyptian as Magdal (Migdol) in Egypt.” (Anet 485)
Another mention of Migdol in the Bible is found in Jeremiah 44:1, which mentions that during Jeremiah’s lifetime, when the Jews fled Israel and went down to Egypt, they settled first at Migdol, then at Tahpanhes. There is no doubt that Tahpanhes is located in the upper north-eastern delta. Therefore, Migdol was north of Tahpanhes. So there is no way that Migdol was located near the Red Sea, but located more near the Mediterranean Sea.
The next place name on the Exodus journey is found in Exodus 14:2, which states that Baal Zephon was opposite of PiHarroth.
We have already mentioned that this location is verified in an Egyptian document known as papyrus 31169, which mentions a fort named "Mekter pef Baratchapnu"
(Ba + r) = Bar = Baal + (a + tcha + p + nu; on) + symbol representing this location was a city
"tchapen" in Egyptian corresponds to the Hebrew Bible’s name tsephown (H1189) in “Baal-Tse-phon” translated into English as Baal-Zephon.
Another possibility was that Baal Zephon was referring not to a place, but to the Exodus Pharaoh himself. We have many statements from pharaohs who attributed their victories to themselves as being like the false god Baal in battle. As well as from their enemies whom they had conquered.
An Egyptian account of Ramses II battle at Kadesh states: “He seized the adornment of battle, and arrayed himself in a coat of mail. He was like Baal in his hour.”
Although these statements from pharaohs and their captives come from a time-frame of Seti thru Ramses III, many years after the Exodus, the Hebrews who had originally migrated from Canaan to Egypt, may have also associated the pharaoh of the Exodus with Baal-Zephon after seeing him arrayed in battle with his great multitude of chariots.
Now, in Exodus 15:22, we have the name or description of the large body of water which the Lord parted so that the Israelites would escape.
Most English translations have the Red Sea, but the name is literally the "The Reed Sea”, or the “Papyrus Stalk Sea." The symbols for reeds in Egyptian are shown below.
Now, at least to the Egyptians, they did not describe the Red sea, which they called "Kamur," in their hieroglyphic name, with any symbols of reeds or papyrus stalks.
On the other hand, the Mediterranean Sea which the Egyptians called “the Great Green water” ( Uatch-ur). Many different hieroglyphic variants have been found; all have the symbol of papyrus reeds as shown below. This would seem to indicate that the Mediterranean Sea was the body that was parted rather than the Red Sea.
But there is a lesser-known body of water that could also fit the location of the water parting. That was the body of water known as Shihor, the Lake of Horus. It is mentioned in the Bible by the man who led Israel, after Moses, into Canaan, Joshua. In Joshua 13:3, he states: "From Shihor, which is before Egypt. . . ”
You might dare to say that Lake Shihor was considered part of the Mediterranean since its inlet from the sea supplied its waters. Much like the waters of Boston Harbor are supplied by the Atlantic Ocean.
We know that the area of Shihor near the southern tip of the lake was known for its reeds because at the site of El-Borg, which we mentioned previously as a possible site of either Migdol or Baal-Zephon, they found huts nearby made from papyrus reeds that were constructed by the earliest inhabitants who lived there.
After leaving the sea, Exodus 15:22 then states: "They went out into the wilderness of Shur." Numbers 33:8 calls it the “wilderness of Etham.”
Now, these are very important statements that narrow down where the body of water was located and eliminates certain theories regarding what body of water was parted. You see, the desert of Shur was located North-East of Egypt’s borders, and specifically that part of the desert near Etham.
If you believe the body of water was the Red Sea, you would not go into the wilderness of Etham and the Shur desert after crossing the sea because you would be too far south of it. You would be going into the wilderness of the Sinai.
And likewise, if you believe the Gulf of Aqaba was parted, on exiting the sea, you would not be in the desert of Shur, but in the wilderness of Arabia.
So there is no need to rent yourself a submarine in those areas to go on a wild goose chase to try and find the remains of Pharaoh’s chariots drowned in the waters.
The same for the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Horus. Since the waters of Shihor are dried up and the Mediterranean Sea has receded from any possible areas of the sea crossing, submarines are no longer needed. The remains would likely be under the silt of dry ground. PhD’s could finally use their Post Hole Digger degrees with shovels and picks to make a great discovery.
Mediterranean Sea Crossing Route
Sea Crossing at Shihor
After three days in the wilderness of Etham (Numbers 33:8) without finding water, Exodus 15:23 states: "Now when they came to Marah they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.”
The Egyptians used the name 'Kamura' for one of the Bitter Lakes. (“Kam” meaning Black or decaying + “ur” meaning lake or a mass of water.)
The other interesting thing about this passage was that when the Israelites initially drank from its water they became sick, some died, and the people began to complain, so the place was called Marah, which seems to be an Egyptian term.
‘ma’=water + ‘rahi’ = to complain. Or it could mean: ‘mer’= to be sick, to suffer or to grieve + ‘rahi’ = to complain.
Now there are more locations on the Exodus route after this, but I think I will stop here since the Israelites have gone past the parting of the waters which is focus of this article.
To recap:
1) Moses confronted Pharaoh at the “fields of Zoan”, and that name is confirmed in Egyptian Hieroglyphics as being “Sekh-t en Tchann”
2) Israel left from the land of Goshen. Likely had one of the following Egyptian meanings A) “Ges-hin” meaning Shepherd towns. B) “Gesu-hin” meaning grain storehouse towns or C) “Gehes-hin” meaning situated in the land of the gazelles.
3) Succoth, where Joseph’s bones were laid to rest, was likely the Egyptian name “skhaut”, a general Egyptian term meaning a memorial place.
4) Etham was likely the Egyptian name “Khetem,” meaning fortress. The main fort of the Egyptians before leaving Egypt, when traveling to Canaan, was “Khetem Tjaru”, the present-day site at Hebua II. Evidence dating back to Pharaohs Thutmoses I, II, and III has been found at the sites of Hebua 1 & 2. It was likely known as the main fortress on the “Way of Horus.” (“Khetem - Uatu [Hor].”)
5) Pi Hahiroth likely meant one of the following Egyptian names: A) “Pehuarti” - The swampland area south of Lake Shihor. B) “Peharti” - The rear portion or district of the southern edge of Lake Horus. C) “Paharata”- As mentioned in Papyrus Anastasi III, meaning two (waters, such as lakes, streams, rivers, or canals) in the area south of Lake Horus, such as the waters flowing out of Lake Horus to the south, like one of two segments of the Nile that once flowed from the southern end of Lake Horus. One flowed nearby Etham, south, parallel to coast of the Mediterranean Sea, forming a narrow stretch of land between the sea and the river. The other flowed more near the bottom center of Shihor south into the swamp land of Lake Ballah D)“Puharta” - meaning a canal that may have existed just south of Lake Horus.
6) Migdol was likely the name for A) Fort, the Egyptian name “Mekter.” Two forts, “Mekter” and “Mekter of Baal Zephon,” are mentioned in the Cairo Museum papyrus 31169. B) Or the Egyptian word “M’ktal” meaning tower or fortress tower. Amarna Letter #234 (Anet 485) mentions the Egyptian fort of Magdal (Migdal). Jeremiah 44:1 implies that Migdol was north of Tahpanhes. C) The Hebrew Bible uses the word Migdol for the temple tower of Babel in the book of Genesis. At the site of Hebua I, there was a temple built to worship the false god Horus. Therefore, the Hebrews may have used the word Migdol to describe it.
7) Baal-Zephon: A) Likely referring to the fort mentioned in papyrus 31169 as “Mekter pef Baratchapnu.” B) The waters of Baal, Egyptian “Bar,” which are mentioned in Papyrus Anastasi III, which also mentions that it was located at the rear of “Shihor”(Lake Horus). C) Possibly a reference to pharaoh. Some pharaoh’s, such as Seti I, Ramses II, and Ramses III were known to associate themselves with the warrior god Baal Zephon (Baal the Destroyer) in battle.
8) The body of water that the Lord parted for Israel to pass through was likely not the Red Sea, but the Reed Sea or Lake. There are three possible bodies of water that existed near Khetem and were known for reeds. A) The Mediterranean Sea, at a spot likely south of Etham. because on leaving the waters, the Israelites went into the wilderness of Etham. B) Lake Shihor, which was fed by the waters of the Mediterranean. C) The Ballah lakes.
9) On exiting the waters, Israel went into the desert of Shur, more specifically the part known as the wilderness of Etham, the area protected by the nearby fort at Khetem.
10) The waters of Marah likely refer to the Bitter Lake that the Egyptians called “Kamura.”
The Promises of God are Sure and will come to Pass.
God’s Promise to Israel:
“Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!” . . . “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt; and I will surely bring you up again.” Genesis 46:2-4
“Then Israel said to Joseph, Behold I am dying, but God will bring you back to the land of your fathers.” Genesis 48:21
Joseph sad to his brothers. “I am dying but God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of which he promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Genesis 50:24
Israel now abides in that land.
God’s Promise to Every Christian:
Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Do you believe this?”
This article on The Exodus Route is taken from our 4 volume book series "Bible Believer's Archaeology" which can be downloaded for your ebook reader by visiting our resource download page by Clicking Here.
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Additional Notes:
Argubright’s Notes: Most English Bible Translations today state that the body of water that was parted was the Red Sea, not the Mediterranean Sea. But what most people don’t understand, is that in the Hebrew Scripture the meaning of the word “Yam Cuwph” can refer to either the “Reed Sea” or the “Red Sea.”
Unfortunately, the translators of the first Hebrew Old Testament into Greek, known as the Septuagint, which was translated before the time of Christ, only translated “Yam Cuwph” one way all the time, the Red Sea. So in passages regarding the parting of the waters, they translated with the Greek words “Erythra Thalassa” which meant the “Red Sea.” Even though, as I have shown in this article, the Egyptians and its residents called the Mediterranean Sea the “Reed Sea.”
Later Greek translators of the Old Testament referenced the Septuagint as a guide when doing their translation work and carried this over into their versions as well. And of course it then found its way into the New Testament Greek translations as well. Both in Acts 7:36 and Hebrews 11:29, just about all Greek versions translated the body of water that was parted as being “Erythra Thalassa,” the Red Sea.
Unfortunately, when Jerome translated the Latin Vulgate referencing the Greek manuscripts, he translated the parting passages as “mari rubio.” Mari meaning sea, and rubio meaning red. The Red sea.
Later on in history, when English translators came onto the scene, they referenced these Greek and Latin manuscripts for their work, and this view point continued. Although there are at least some modern English Bible versions that in their main text do have “Yam Suf” or “Sea of Reeds” in their translations. While others, that even though in their main text they translated the “Red Sea,” some will make a footnote on the bottom of the page or column that states: “Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds.” or “Lit: Sea of Reeds.” I have listed some of these translations in my Sources section following my notes.
Now, is there any manuscript evidence for the parted waters being called the “Reed Sea” instead of the Red sea?
Absolutely!
There is an early Aramaic Bible version, known as the Peshitta, which was likely translated by Jewish Christians in the 1st or 2nd century AD.
Aramaic was the language of Jesus and of the common man of Israel during His time.
This version translates all water parting verses in the Old Testament, as the “Sea of Reeds.” Including Exodus 15:4, 15:21-22, Deuteronomy 11:4, Joshua 2:10, 24:6, Nehemiah 9:9, Psalms 106:22, 136:13, 136:15.
The Peshitta of the New Testament also translates both Acts 7:36 and Hebrews 11:29, water parting verses, with the “Sea of Reeds.”
In more modern times, a popular Bible software program called QuickVerse 2.0, which I own and have used for many years, interestingly enough in their Greek word transliteration of both Acts 7:36 and Hebrews 11:29 uses the word “thalassa,” meaning sea, twice back to back. (“thalassa . . . thalassa”). Which would translate into English as “Sea of seas.” The sea greater then all the seas in the area is the Mediterranean.
We also know that when the Bible mentions the “Great Sea” (gadowl yam) it refers to the Mediterranean Sea. Such as in Numbers 34:6 and Joshua 1:4, which mentions the “Great Sea” as Israel’s most western border.
One place in Scripture where there is a clear distinction between the sea parted and the Red Sea is in Numbers 33:8-10. In verse 7 we have a list of all the locations the Israelites went before the Lord parted the sea. Etham, Pi-Hahiroth and Migdol of which we have shown appear to be located in the North Eastern Delta, not south near the Red Sea. In verse 33:8 It states that they passed through the “Sea,” Hebrew “Yam” not ‘Yam Cuwph” as else where. It makes a clear distinction between the Sea the Lord parted and where they camped many days later after travelling southward past Marah, the Bitter Lakes, before finally camping near the Red Sea, “Yam Cuwph.” in Num 33:10.
When by itself, “Yam” means a large body of water, many times it refers to the Mediterranean Sea according to the Hebrew Greek Dictionary extracted from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance listed below in the sources section.
One final note: Since I believe in the doctrine of the errantcy of man. Being that only God is inerrant. I am quite aware that some of my views could be in error. And since I believe that only God is all knowing, and my knowledge is very limited compared to His. I have to admit that I reached my conclusions based upon my limited knowledge of what I have researched so far. But I hope my research will be food for thought for those on their own quest to find the exact location of where God parted the Sea to protect His people.
Sources and additional information used in compiling data and illustrations for this article, Along with additional info:
The Holy Bible, Author: The Lord God. Scripture is taken from the New King James Version unless noted.
Exodus 12:37, 13:20, 14:2,15:4,15:21-23, Numbers 33.
“Reed Sea” Bible Versions Below:
The Aramaic-English Interlinear
Peshitta Holy Bible The Old Testament
An Interlinear Translation
Translated (with notes and commentary) by Rev. Glenn David Bauscher
Translates the following verses of Exodus 15:4, 15:21-22, Deuteronomy 11:4, Joshua 2:10, 24:6, Nehemiah 9:9, Psalms 106:22, 136:13, 136:15, as the “sea of reeds”, or “the reed sea.”
The Original Aramaic New Testament in Plain English
(An American Translation of the Aramaic New Testament) Translated by Rev. Glenn David Bauscher.
Translates the following verses of Acts 7:36 and Hebrews 11:29 as “the sea of reeds”
Murdock's Translation of the Aramaic New Testament, Translates Acts 7:36 into English as the sea of rushes, But translates Hebrews 11:29 as “the Red Sea.”
Quickverse 2.0 - The Hebrew Greek Dictionary extracted from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. World Bible Publisher 1980, 1986
H3220. yam, yawm; . . . Large body of water; spec. the Mediterranean; . . .
H5488. cuwph, soof; . . . a reed, espec. the papyrus: -- flag. Red [sea], weed.
H1419 gadowl + H3220 sea = “Great sea”
G2281 thalassa + G2281 thalassa = “Sea of Seas” (as in Acts 7:36 and Hebrews 11:29)
Orthodox Jewish Bible uses “Yam Suf” for all Old and New Testament passages.
NASB English Bible Version puts a footnote at the bottom of the page on all parting the Sea passages stating: “Lit. Sea of Reeds.”
NIV English version puts a footnote at the bottom of the page on all parting the Sea passages stating: “Hebrew Yam Suph; that is, Sea of Reeds.”
NABRE English Bible Version puts a footnote at the bottom of the page on some of the parting the Sea passages stating: The Red Sea: Hebrew yam suph, that is, “sea of reeds” or “reedy sea.”
ISV English Bible Version uses “Sea of Reeds” for many Old Testament sea parting verses, but Red Sea fo Nehemiah 9:9 and New Testament verses. Makes a footnote for some: MT; LXX reads Red Sea.
EXB English Bible Version uses “Red Sea or [Sea of Reeds] for Old Testament passages. Act 7:36 passage is translated “Red Sea” [the Hebrew O.T. calls it the Sea of Reeds; the Septuagint (the Greek O.T.) calls it the Red Sea. But in Heb 11:29 “Red Sea.”
TLV. English Bible Version uses “Sea of Reeds” for all Old Testament verses, but for New Testament verses uses the Red Sea.
LEB & LSB, - footnote : Lit: “sea of reeds”
CJB English Bible Version uses “Sea of Suf” for Old Testament verses, but uses “Red Sea” for New Testament verses.
CEB English Bible Version uses “Sea of Reeds” for all Old Testament parting verses. Uses the “Red Sea” for the New Testament verses.
AMP English Bible Version uses a combination of “Sea of Reeds” and “Red Sea”, for Old Testament verses, some footnotes on Sea of Reeds, and for New Testament verses uses the Red Sea.
Research Sources:
'An Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary' Vols. 1-2 by Sir E.A. Wallis Budge (Keeper of the Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum) published by John Murray, Albemarle Street, London. 1920.
pg.1036: ”Sekht en Tchann”= Field of Zoan.
pg.985: “Per Amenmeri Ramess aa nekhut”= town of Rameses.
pg.813: “ges” = resting places of flocks, shepherd pens.
pg.813: “gesu” = men employed in government storehouses.
pg.813: “gehes” = gazelle or antelope.
pg. 803: “gahes” = gazelle or antelope.
pg.1050: “gehesti” = gazelle country.
pg.444: “hin” = to be situated in a house or town.
pg.688: “skhaut” = a memorial.
pg.1035: “Sekh-t” = a portion of Sni (Sin).
pg.1028: “Khetem” = a proper name of Etham, literally a fortress.
pg.568-569: “Khetem” = fort, fortress.
pg.cxxvi (53): “ua” = way, road.
Pg.144: “ua-t” = way, road, path
pg.VII: “Hawk symbol” = Heru, Horus.
pg.972: “uata Heru” = fortress on the way Horus in the eastern delta.
pg.144: “Uat-Heru” = the path of Horus
pg.994" “Peh ar-ti” - a district in the Delta
pg.245: “peh-arti” = Lake of the Two eyes of Horus
pg.245: “peh-Heru” = body of water at the end or rear of Lake Horus”.
pg.68: “Ar-t-Heru” = two eyes of Horus,
pg.cxxvi (64-65) symbol for canal or collection of water.
pg.cxxvi (83+84) symbol for pool, lake, or sheet of water.
pg.244: “peh” = the end of anything, rear, backside.
pg.244: “pehu” = swamp, marsh, low lying land.
Pg.994: “Pehu” = swampy ground.
Pg.984: “Puharta” = canal in the eastern delta.
pg.1002: “Mekter” = Migdol in Hebrew.
pg.1002: “Mekter pef Bratchapnu” = Migdol of Baal Zephon.
pg.289: “m’ktal” = tower
pg.998: “M’ketar” = tower, fortress
pg.999: “M’gatil” = Migdol?
pg.203: “Bar” = The false God Baal.
pg.236: “pen” = this.
pg.cxi (28-29): “tcha” = symbol firestick.
pg.788: “Kam-ur” = Red Sea.
pg.151: “Uatch-ur” = Mediterranean Sea.
pg.cxxiii (49-50): “Uatch” = papyrus stalk.
pg.174: “ur” = lake or sea.
pg.1046: “Kam-ura” = Bitter Lake.
pg.787: “kam”= black, “kam kam” = decay.
pg.280: “ma” = a collection of water, sea, lake.
pg.314: “mer” = to be sick, to suffer pain, to grieve.
Pg.419: “rahi” = to complain.
Pg.1056: “Tephen” = Frontier town Dephanae (Modern Tell Ddefannah)
The MacArthur Study Bible Pg115 Note:13:20 “Etham at the edge wilderness The Hebrew name of this place may be a transliteration of Egyptian “Khetem” meaning fortress.”
The Delta Residence of the Ramessides
Author(s): Alan H. Gardiner
Source: The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 5, No. 3 (Jul., 1918), pp. 179-200. Published by: Egypt Exploration Society.
pg.185 English Translation
SPHINX Vol. 14
Revue Critique: Embrassant Le Domaine Entier De L’Égyptologie
Fondée Par Karl Piehl
Pg. 169 Cairo Museum papyrus 31169. Hieroglyphic mentions 4 forts, one is “Mekter”, another is “Mekter of Baal-Tsephon”. (Mekter meaning a tower or fort. The Hebrew Equivalent is Migdol.)
Pg. 162, 18. Mentions, Dephnae: Modern Defannah
Bible - Jeremiah 44:1 Mentions that during Jeremiah’s lifetime, when the Jews went down to Egypt, they settled first at Migdol, then at Tahpanhes. There is no doubt that Tahpanhes is located in the North eastern delta. Therefore Migdol was North of Tahpanhes. So there is no way that Migdol was located near the Red Sea, but located more near the Mediterranean Sea
Perspectives on the Ramesside Military System - Proceedings of the International Conference - Held at the Institute for Egyptology and Coptology of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, 10–11 December, 2021 Edited by Mohamed Raafat Abbas and Friedhelm Hoffmann
pg. 21: Fortress at: Tell Heboua I “During the reign of Thutmose I, a mud brick residence located in the south western part of the city was constructed. Stamped jar handles collected from the residence which bear the name of king Thutmose I”
pg. 34: Tell Heboua II: “Several huge limestone slabs decorated in the reign of Thutmose II on one side and under Ramesses II on the other side. The inscriptions seem to designate Horus and Hathor as the principal deities of the place.”
ppg. 35: Tell Heboua II "We know from the 400-Years-Stela that Ramesses I, before becoming the first pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty was known as Paramesses; the Overseer of the htm-fortress of Tjaru.
Bibliotheca Aegyptiaca VII, Wan -. Gardiner
Egyptian Miscellanies, Bruxelles-1937
Edition De La Fondation Egyptologique
Reine Elisabeth
Pg20-23, 31 Hieroglyphics of Papyrus Anastasi III
Pg20 Mention of Puharta, Lake Shihor and to the rear is Baal.
Papyrus Anastasi III 2.8 - Two (lake, stream or canal) waters -Puharata - Fish
Papyrus Anastasi III 2.9 - Shihor (Lake of Horus) with city symbol.
Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Edited by James Pritchard - Third Edition - Princeton University Press. 1969
pg. 235 Annals of Thutmose III in Karnak: Year 22, 4th month . . . [His majesty passed the fortress of ] Sile (Tjaru), on the first campaign victory . . . to the frontiers of Egypt.”
Pg.253 Stela of the Year 400 found at Tanis mentions “Overseer of the fortress of Sile (Tjaru)”
pg. 255 year 5 of campaign of Ramses II “His majesty passed the fortress of Sile (Tjaru).
pg. 258 “The chief bowman of the wells of of mer-ne-Ptah Hotephir-Matt . . . arrived for a judicial investigation in the fortress at Sile (Tjaru).
Pg.484-485 El Amarna Letter #234: “Behold Accho is as Egyptian as Magdal in Egypt.
Article: The Search for Migdol of the New Kingdom and Exodus 14:2: An Update James K. Hoffmeier
Article: James K. Hoffmeier - Reflections on a Decade of Research and Excavations at Tell-el-Borg and Its Environs 1998–2008
Article: IWNW, Vol. 1 (2022): 57-86
Tell Heboua I (Tjarw) – North Sinai
Recent discoveries from the 26th Dynasty
Elsayed Abd el-Alim - Faculty of Archaeology- Ain Shams University, Egypt
pg. 58 (MAP of Archaeological sites around Hebua I)
“Tell Heboua I is much older than the other sites, since it goes back to the Middle Kingdom, the Second Intermediate Period, New Kingdom . . in the site of Tell Heboua II, the oldest levels that had been reached dated back to the New Kingdom.”
Pg.63 “At the highest point of the site of Tell Heboua I,, excavations have revealed the remains of a religious complex, . . . includes a large temple of classical plan built in mud bricks and oriented east-west, another building of erected partially on previous constructions dating from the New Kingdom. This complex can be considered as the oldest mud-brick religious complex built in the Sinai Peninsula.”
pg.67 The false god worshiped at the site was Horus.: “ A limestone slab dating from the co-regency of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut, associating the Horus of Tjarw and the Horus of Mesen, confirms the presence of a temple of this god in the New Kingdom.”
Article: "The Walls of the Ruler" in Egyptian Literature and the Archaeological Record: Investigating Egypt's Eastern Frontier in the Bronze Age1. James K. Hoffmeier: In view of the fact that Hebua I and II are separated by water, and the Karnak relief shows Tjaru/Sile Gardiner's divided by a water channel called “Ta dnit”, translation of 85 years, "the dividing waters" (Gardiner 1920: 104), may be correct. Could it be the waterway. Alternatively, Israeli geologists that divided Tjaru/Sile, the canal trace discovered may be the watery feature called pi-hrw in Papyrus Anastasi III (2.9) (Gardiner 1937:22). Hrw appears to be related to the Semitic root harm, which means "canal" (Hoch 1994: 232). James Allen's recent translation reflects this understanding rendering pi hrw as "the Canal" (Allen 2002: 15).
Migdol: A New Fortress on the Edge of the Eastern Nile Delta Author: Eliezer D. Oren (Division of Archaeology - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beersheba, Israel
Source: Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 256 (Autumn, 1984), pp. 7-44
Published by the American Schools of Oriental Research.
Pg.34 “Yet the absence of any pre-Persian remains on the site (Tell el-Her -T21) rules out its identification with Migdol of the Saite period, much less with Migdol of the Exodus itinerary or the Egyptian New Kingdom documents.”
Article: Reflections on a Decade of Research and Excavations at Tell el-Borg and Its Environs (1998–2008)James K. Hoffmeier:
Pg.2 There were numerous bodies of water and wetlands, viz. the Ballah Lake system, the paleo -lagoon, and two Nile branches. During the Nile’s annual inundation, the low-lying areas were flooded wetlands that were full of grasses, reeds and rushes. . . . Our recent work in the region supports Manfred Bietak’s nearly 40 year-old proposal that the two main bodies of water in this region, the paleo-lagoon and the Ballah Lakes, correspond to Shihor (Lake of Horus). . . Papyrus Anastasi III (2.11-12)“The papyrus-marshes come with rushes to it (Pi-Ramesses) and the Lake of Horus with reeds.”
Pg. 4 Hebua I = Tjaru of the Ways of Horus, Hebua II = htm (fortress) of Tjaru. . . . The earliest royal name discovered (at El-Borg) is that of Thutmose III.
Article: “New paleo-environmental evidence from North Sinai to complement Manfred Bietak's map of the eastern delta and some historical implications.”
2006, Czerny, E.; Hein, I.; Hunger, H - Figures 3&4 maps of Lake Shihor showing Hebua II (Khetam) and El-Borg
Ancient Records of Egypt Vol III - James Henry Breasted: Passages of Pharaoh claiming to arrayed like Baal in Battle:
pg.46 - Seti 1: ‘Mighty hearted like Baal, there is none that approaches him on the day of drawing up the battle line.’
pg.59 Seti I: ‘He is like Baal. . . his sword is mighty, there is none that stand before him.’
pg.72 Seti I: ‘treading the battlefield like Set, great in terror like Baal in the countries.’
Pg.147 Ramses II: ‘He seized the adornment of battle, and arrayed himself in a coat of mail. He was like Baal in his hour.’
Pg.154 Ramses II: ‘The vanquished chief of Kheta said [of pharaoh], ‘Baal is in his limbs’
Ancient Records of Egypt Vol IV - James Henry Breasted: Passages of Pharaoh claiming to arrayed like Baal in Battle:
pg.46 Ramses III ‘utterance of the leader of every country, who are in the grasp of his majesty. . . thy might is like Baal’
Artwork: Woodcut - “The Exodus from Egypt.” Artist: Henry Felix Emmanual Philippoteaux, Illustrated in Cassell’s Illuminated Family Bible page 120 Vol. 1 Publisher: Cassell, Petter & Calpin (1860).
Artwork: Woodcut - “Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh.” Partial illustration from Artist: Gustave Dore’s classic illustration of Moses and Aaron appearing before Pharaoh after the plague of the firstborn.
Artwork: Woodcut - “The Sea is parted by God for the Israelites to escape”: Artist: Pearson, Illustrated in Cassell’s Illuminated Family Bible page 124 Vol. 1 Publisher: Cassell, Petter & Calpin (1860).
Artwork: Maps showing proposed locations of Migdol, Etham, Migdol of Baal-Zephon, Pih-Horoth, the Reed Sea, the waters of Shihor, the Israelite camp near Pih-Horoth, the wilderness of Etham, and the Shur Desert.
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