Then the Lord said to Moses: Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to set out. 16 And you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two, that the Israelites may pass through the sea on dry land. 17 But I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I receive glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen. 19 The angel of God, who had been leading Israel’s army, now moved and went around behind them. And the column of cloud, moving from in front of them, took up its place behind them, 20 so that it came between the Egyptian army and that of Israel. And when it became dark, the cloud illumined the night; and so the rival camps did not come any closer together all night long. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind all night long and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, 22 so that the Israelites entered into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water as a wall to their right and to their left.
23 The Egyptians followed in pursuit after them—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen—into the midst of the sea. 24 But during the watch just before dawn, the Lord looked down from a column of fiery cloud upon the Egyptian army and threw it into a panic; 25 and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could drive only with difficulty. With that the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from Israel, because the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.” 26 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their horsemen. 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal flow. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward it when the Lord cast the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the horsemen. Of all Pharaoh’s army which had followed the Israelites into the sea, not even one escaped. 29 But the Israelites had walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water as a wall to their right and to their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel on that day from the power of Egypt. When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore 31 and saw the great power that the Lord had shown against Egypt, the people feared the Lord. They believed in the Lord and in Moses his servant.
Exodus 14:15-31 recounts the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, where God, through Moses, delivers Israel from Pharaoh’s army. The Lord commands Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea, which parts, allowing the Israelites to cross on dry land. When the Egyptians pursue them, God causes confusion in their ranks, and as Moses stretches out his hand again, the waters return, drowning Pharaoh’s forces. This act of divine deliverance leads Israel to fear the Lord and believe in Him and His servant Moses.
The Red Sea crossing is a defining moment of salvation, demonstrating God's power and fidelity to His covenant (Exod. 6:6-7). This event prefigures Christian baptism (1 Cor 10:1-2), where believers pass through water from bondage to new life in Christ. The event combines natural and supernatural elements: the east wind (v. 21), a natural phenomenon, is divinely directed by God to part the sea, demonstrating both His control over creation and His direct intervention in history. Moreover, the Israelites’ passage was not merely a physical crossing but an act of faith in God’s promise. As Hebrews 11:29 states, “By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted it they were drowned.” Their trust in God’s power contrasts with the Egyptians, who pursued them in presumption and perished.
Saint Paul directly links this event to baptism: "Our ancestors... all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor 10:1-2). Just as Israel was saved from slavery through water, Christians are saved from sin through baptism (Rom 6:3-4; Tit 3:5). The destruction of Egypt’s forces parallels the defeat of sin and death in Christ (Col 2:12-15).
The Red Sea event is a key typological moment in salvation history, foreshadowing Christ's ultimate victory. As Israel’s deliverance led them toward the Promised Land, Christ’s death and resurrection lead believers to eternal life (Heb 11:29; Rev 15:3, where the song of Moses is echoed in heavenly praise). This passage affirms God's power to save (Isa 43:16-17) and prefigures Jesus as the true Redeemer, leading His people out of sin’s bondage (Luke 9:31, where Jesus' "exodus" is discussed at the Transfiguration).
This event is a testament to God's faithfulness, calling believers to trust in His power to save through the waters of baptism and the new life in Christ.
Almighty God, we humbly ask You who led Your people from slavery to freedom to Guide us through the waters of salvation. As You delivered Israel by Your mighty hand, so too have You saved us through baptism into Christ. Strengthen our faith, so that we may trust in Your power and walk the path of righteousness. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: The Pentateuch. Four Courts Press, 2017
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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