Exodus 14:21 - Exposition

Moses stretched out his hand . As commanded by God ( Exodus 14:16 ). Compare the somewhat similar action of Elijah and Elisha, when they divided the Jordan ( 2 Kings 2:8 , 2 Kings 2:14 ). The Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind . The LXX . translate "a strong south wind" ( ἐν ἀνέμῳ νότῳ βιαίῳ ); but the Hebrew kadim is certainly "east" rather than "south." It is not, however, "east" in the sense of due east, but would include all the range of the compass between N . E . and S . E . If we suppose the Bitter Lakes to have been joined to the Red Sea by a narrow and shallow channel, the action of a south-east wind, by driving the water of the Lakes northward, may have easily produced the effect described in the text. A simultaneous ebb of the lower gulf would have further facilitated the passage. The waters were divided . Water remained in the upper extremity of the Gulf, now the site of the Bitter Lakes, and also, of course, below Suez. The portion of the sea dried up lay probably between the present southern extremity of the Bitter Lakes and Suez. By the gradual elevation and desiccation of the region, it has passed into permanent dry land.