Attn Mikey: Gliklekh Pesach!
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 59,376
Likes: 1,618
From: La Crescenta, CA
Did God really part the Red Sea?
No! Keep in mind that the actual Bible is written partly in Hebrew and partly in Greek, with a few sections of the Tanakh (Old Testament) in Aramaic, a language related to Hebrew. The original Hebrew text says that God parted the yom suph, which should be translated, "Sea of Reeds". As far back as the Septuagint, the translation of the Tanakh into Greek which was completed around 247 B.C.E., this was erroneously translated "the Red Sea".
Records from all around the region indicate that there was a large slave population in Egypt--about 2-3 million people--who were descended from Abraham and who--as a group--left Egypt and moved into Canaan. This happened around the time of Pharoah Ramses II, who started massive building programs, largely accomplished with slave labor.
In Moses' time, there were many marshes filled with reeds that were relatively shallow and relatively narrow. The Bible says that God caused a strong wind to part the Sea of Reeds. The northern Red Sea is about 275 feet (85 meters) at its deepest. A wind strong enough to part the Red Sea would have had to be much stronger than a Category 5 hurricane such as 2005 Hurricane Katrina, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale, having winds exceeding 155 miles per hour. There is no way anyone could have walked in such a wind, especially small animals and young children!
However, water would only need to be about ten feet deep to drown soldiers riding in chariots. (Papyrus reeds grow to about 10 feet.) The important thing is not whether the water was 10 or 15 or 25 feet deep. The important point is that the most powerful army on the planet at the time was totally destroyed by a supernatural God who could control the weather and who took sides and delivered the descendants of Abraham out of slavery--as He had promised.
No! Keep in mind that the actual Bible is written partly in Hebrew and partly in Greek, with a few sections of the Tanakh (Old Testament) in Aramaic, a language related to Hebrew. The original Hebrew text says that God parted the yom suph, which should be translated, "Sea of Reeds". As far back as the Septuagint, the translation of the Tanakh into Greek which was completed around 247 B.C.E., this was erroneously translated "the Red Sea".
Records from all around the region indicate that there was a large slave population in Egypt--about 2-3 million people--who were descended from Abraham and who--as a group--left Egypt and moved into Canaan. This happened around the time of Pharoah Ramses II, who started massive building programs, largely accomplished with slave labor.
In Moses' time, there were many marshes filled with reeds that were relatively shallow and relatively narrow. The Bible says that God caused a strong wind to part the Sea of Reeds. The northern Red Sea is about 275 feet (85 meters) at its deepest. A wind strong enough to part the Red Sea would have had to be much stronger than a Category 5 hurricane such as 2005 Hurricane Katrina, the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale, having winds exceeding 155 miles per hour. There is no way anyone could have walked in such a wind, especially small animals and young children!
However, water would only need to be about ten feet deep to drown soldiers riding in chariots. (Papyrus reeds grow to about 10 feet.) The important thing is not whether the water was 10 or 15 or 25 feet deep. The important point is that the most powerful army on the planet at the time was totally destroyed by a supernatural God who could control the weather and who took sides and delivered the descendants of Abraham out of slavery--as He had promised.
Happy P, kids.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 59,376
Likes: 1,618
From: La Crescenta, CA
When It's your turn to do the reading, do what I usede to do at my Jewish friends' Seder dinners. Look at the text and, in a solemn voice, say:
"The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
and his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold."*
* From "The Destruction of Sennacherib" by Lord Byron.
"The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
and his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold."*
* From "The Destruction of Sennacherib" by Lord Byron.
Trending Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post