Where Was the Biblical Red Sea?: Examining the Ancient Evidence (Studies in Biblical Archaeology, Geography, and History)

Where was the Red Sea of Exodus?

Exodus records that the waters of the Red Sea (or Reed Sea) opened up to deliver Israel and plummeted down to destroy their Egyptian pursuers. But if the Red Sea cannot be located, can we trust the claims of the Bible? Some have suggested relocating the events. Others suggest they never happened at all.

In Where Was the Biblical Red Sea? Beitzel challenges popular alternatives and defends the traditional location: that the biblical Red Sea refers to a body of water lying between the eastern Nile Delta and Sinai. Beitzel rigorously reexamines the data--both typical and overlooked--ranging from biblical and classical sources to ancient and medieval maps. His comprehensive analysis answers objections to the traditional view and exposes the inadequacies of popular alternatives.

Ancient geography excavates the biblical world and its story. Readers will better understand and appreciate the biblical story as well as its historicity and reliability. Where Was the Biblical Red Sea? is a foundational reference work for any discussion of the Exodus event.

Dr. Barry J. Beitzel (PhD, Dropsie University) is professor emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He obtained a postdoctorate in ancient Near Eastern geography from the Université de Liège, Belgium, and has engaged in postdoctoral archaeological work through UCLA in eastern Syria. Dr. Beitzel is the editor of the Lexham Geographic Commentary series and author of The New Moody Atlas of the Bible. His publications on Near Eastern geography have appeared in a variety of monographs and journals, from Biblical Archaeology Review and The Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research to Iraq: The British Institute for the Study of Iraq. Dr. Beitzel’s maps appear in National Geographic, The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas, The Holman Bible Atlas, The NIV Study Bible, The ESV Study Bible, and several monographs.