Many questions arise when trying to figure out the Biblical narrative concerning the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the Conquest of Canaan. The first Passover happened and then the people of God hightailed it out of town.
Pretty exciting stuff.
Moses stretched his leadership staff over the Red Sea and it parted with a strong wind from the Lord. The people made it across to the other side, but Pharaoh’s army got caught as the waters closed over them. Anyone who’s read the Bible or watched the iconic “Ten Commandments” movie knows the story. Problem is, sometime during the last century, word started coming out that, in Hebrew, the Bible does not say “Red Sea”. It says “Reed Sea”.
This is true.
Yam Suph. The Reed Sea. That’s what it says. It could mean a sea of marshy reeds, or a sea with seaweed. The text does not say the Red Sea.
But you know what?
It doesn’t matter!
It’s the same general region, one of two or three bodies of water, and the translators thought, “They must be referring to the Red Sea!”
Same idea.
The Red Sea points to red sandstone in the area. Esau became the father of the Edomites (adom is the word for red) who came to reside in the red sandstone region.
You might also remember that he sold his birthright for a pot of soup. Maybe it was a red soup or stew, you posit? Unfortunately, tomatoes were not around, yet, in the Middle East. Those came from South America and were first introduced to Europeans circa the contact period when Spaniards were exploring.
But we digress.
So—stick with the red sandstone reflecting into an otherwise blue sea and presto-chango: you get the Red Sea.
Which is called the Reed Sea in the Bible.
Not that it’s necessarily referring to the Red Sea, but some body of water which lay between Egypt on the west and another land to the east or northeast of the area.
Red Sea, Reed Sea, I say tomato and you say tomatoh—are you seeing a pattern develop here? Point is, it happened. Praise the Lord!
Thank you. Over and out.
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