Where God Parted the Red Sea, Part 1

Introduction

The Bible clearly describes the place where God parted the Red Sea.  Interestingly, only one place on the entire Red Sea fits the Bible's description of the parting site.  Please join me as we journey through the Bible, Middle Eastern geography, and other sources so you can examine the evidence that reveals the location of one of God's great miracles.

Three Geographical Features

Three Bible passages describe three geographical features that mark the site where God parted the Red Sea.  The geographical features, in Hebrew, are Migdol, Baal-zephon, and Pi-hahiroth.

Using the information in the above passages, let us draw what the Red Sea parting site looks like.

By The Sea
Just before crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites camped by the sea.

If the Israelites camped by the sea, they camped on the shore.  Let's draw this:

Migdol
The Israelites camped between Migdol and the sea.

They also camped "before" Migdol. The Hebrew word for "before" is "leef-nay."  The word indicates that the Israelites camped in the presence of Migdol.  Below is a passage that shows how this word is used elsewhere in the Bible. Migdol means "watchtower."  More specifically, it is believed to be the site of an ancient military watchtower.  Ancient armies placed watchtowers on prominent hills overlooking strategic terrain, so let us assume that Migdol is a hill.  If Migdol is a hill, then the Israelites camped between a hill and the sea.  They camped "before" the hill, so it was nearby.  Let's draw this:

Baal-zephon
The Israelites camped "before" Baal-zephon.

The Hebrew word for "before" in both passages above is "leef-nay."  The word indicates that the Israelites camped in the presence of Baal-zephon.

Not only did the Israelites camp "before" Baal-zephon, but they also camped "opposite" Baal-zephon.

The above Hebrew word translated "opposite," is "nee-kh-kho."  Although the word's root appears in several places in the Bible, this particular word, with its unique spelling and Masoretic vowel points, appears in only one other passage in the entire Bible.  That passage is below.  The translation of "nee-kh-kho" is in bold print. In the above passage, if a person enters the north gate, he must exit the south gate.  He must therefore exit the gate that is opposite the gate he enters.  The Israelites camped "nee-kh-kho", or opposite, Baal-zephon.

Baal-zephon means "Lord of the North."  Its name is perhaps derived from the Canaanite god Baal-zephon3  who watches over mariners.4   According to Dr. Kyle McCarter of Johns Hopkins University and Dr. James Hoffmeier of Wheaton College, Baal-zephon is believed to be a coastal mountain,5  a mountain that is next to the sea  Let us assume that this is true.

The Israelites camped opposite and before a mountain that is next to the sea.  If the Israelites camped on the shore between a prominent hill and the sea, yet were opposite and before (or in the presence of) a mountain that is next to the sea, the mountain was across the water, in clear view of the Israelite camp.  In the fall of 1995, I asked Dr. Hoffmeier whether Baal-zephon could be an island mountain.  He paused for a moment, and then said, "Yes."  So Baal-zephon is either a coastal or island mountain.  Let's draw what we have so far:

Pi-hahiroth
The Israelites camped "before" Pi-hahiroth.

The Hebrew word for "before" is the same as above, "leef-nay."

The Israelites also camped "by" Pi-hahiroth.

The Hebrew word for "by" above is "al."

Not only did the Israelites camp "before" and "by" Pi-hahiroth, but Pi-hahiroth is also the major geographical feature that marked the place where the Israelites camped, as the passages below show.

A key to understanding Pi-hahiroth is found in the passage below. The Hebrew words translated "before" above are "al-pnay."  The words are more accurately translated "upon the face of."  The passages below give examples of the meanings of this word combination (its translation is in bold print). Based on the above information, Numbers 33:7 is better translated, "…Pi-hahiroth, which is upon the face of Baal-zephon…"  A geographical feature can only be "upon the face of" another geographical feature if the first feature is made of water and the second feature is a solid feature in the water.  Pi-hahiroth, therefore, is made of water.  Its water is "upon the face of" Baal-zephon, a mountain in the water.

The Israelites camped "before" both Pi-hahiroth and Baal-zephon.  The Israelites camped "by" Pi-hahiroth.  Pi-hahiroth is "upon the face of" Baal-zephon.  Baal-zephon was "opposite" the Israelite camp.  Pi-hahiroth, therefore, is a geographical feature, made of water, that was between the Israelites' camp and Baal-zephon.

Let's break down the meaning of "Pi-hahiroth."  The Hebrew word "pi" means "mouth."  The word "ha" means "the."  The word "hiroth" appears in no other place in the Bible.  Some have guessed that the word comes from the Hebrew root word meaning "to dig," but as yet, the meaning of "hiroth" is unknown.

Pi-hahiroth, therefore, means "mouth of the [something]."  We now have enough clues to determine the meaning of "Pi-hahiroth."

Pi-hahiroth is a mouth of water that marked the place the Israelites went to and camped by.  It was between the Israelite camp and Baal-zephon.  It is a narrow mouth of water, since Baal-zephon, the geographical feature on the opposite side of the mouth from the Israelites' camp, was "leef-nay" (before, or in the presence of) the Israelite camp.  Since Pi-hahiroth is a mouth of water, it is either a mouth of a canal, or a mouth of a strait.  Let's draw everything we have so far.

Let us recall that our assumptions that Migdol is a hill, and that Baal-zephon is a mountain next to the sea, were scholarly guesses.  We can state that Migdol was a watchtower because that is it's English meaning.  We can also state that Baal-zephon was a solid geographical feature, since it was across a mouth of water from the Israelite camp, and since the mouth of water was "al-pnay" (on the face of) Baal-zephon.  That Pi-hahiroth is a narrow mouth of water is a fact, however.  Pi-hahiroth is known to be a mouth because "pi" is Hebrew for "mouth".  Pi-hahiroth is known to be made of water because it is a geographical feature that is upon the face of another geographical feature, Baal zephon.  Pi-hahiroth is known to be narrow because Baal-zephon was on the opposite side of the mouth of water from the Israelite camp, yet Baal-zephon was before (in the presence of) the Israelite camp.  Our next task is to search the Red Sea for a narrow mouth of water.  A prominent hill on one side of the mouth, and a mountain next to the sea on the other side of the mouth, would be icing on the cake.

Continue to Part 2, "Only One Place"

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Endnotes, Part 1
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1  ST: The Stone Edition Tanach.  Brooklyn, NY:  Mesorah Publications Ltd. 1996.

2  NKJ:  New King James Version

3  The New Bible Dictionary / J.D. Douglas, organizing editor.—Second edition.—Wheaton, IL : Tyndale House Publishers, c1982.

4  The passage "who watches over mariners" was provided courtesy of an anonymous Israeli and verified in phone conversations I had in the fall of 1995 with Dr. P. Kyle McCarter, Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins University, Maryland (USA), and Dr. James Karl Hoffmeier, Ph.D., of Wheaton College, Illinois (USA).

5  Dr. Kyle McCarter and Dr. James Hoffmeier confirmed this with me over the telephone in the fall of 1995.

6  KJV:  King James Version

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