Places in the Bible Today:

Red Sea 1

Data

Translated NamesRed Sea, Red sea
Typesbody of water or river
NotesSea of Reeds where the Hebrews crossed during the exodus from Egypt
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

8 Possible Identifications

  1. Gulf of Suez (modern): 40% confidence

    1. sunset on the Gulf of SuezGulf of Suez

  2. Bitter Lakes (modern): 35% confidence

    1. panorama of the Great Bitter LakeBitter Lakes

  3. Lake Timsah (modern): 15% confidence

    1. panorama of Lake TimsahLake Timsah

  4. Ballah Lakes (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. panorama of the Suez Canal at the former Ballah LakesBallah Lakes

  5. Gulf of Aqaba (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. panorama of the Gulf of AqabaGulf of Aqaba

  6. Pelusiac branch of the Nile (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. ruins at Qantir along the Pelusiac branch of the NilePelusiac branch of the Nile

  7. Lake Manzala (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. workers at Lake ManzalaLake Manzala

  8. Lake Bardawil (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. closeup of Lake BardawilLake Bardawil

Verses (21)

Gen-Deut (5)
Exod 13:18, 15:4, 15:22
Num 33:8
Deut 11:4
Josh-Ruth (3)
Josh 2:10, 4:23, 24:6
1Sam-Esth (1)
Neh 9:9
Job-Mal (10)
Ps 66:6, 77:16, 106:7, 106:9, 106:22, 114:3, 114:5, 136:13, 136:15
Isa 63:11
Acts-Rev (2)
Acts 7:36
Heb 11:29

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookRed Sea
OpenBible.info (2007)Red Sea
OpenBible.infoa3d18b2 (Red Sea 1)
TIPNRRed_Sea@Exo.10.19
UBS Names Databaseot ID_1366
WikidataQ116702

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992)
  2. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990)
  3. Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2013)
  4. Baly, Atlas of the Biblical World (1971): Red Sea
  5. Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
  6. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary (2008-2012): Exod 13:18
  7. Currid, Exodus (2001): 13:18
  8. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)
  9. ESV Bible Atlas (2010)
  10. Expositor’s Bible Commentary (1984): Exod 14:21-22; Neh 9:9
  11. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Sea of Reeds
  12. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (2011): 13:18
  13. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011)
  14. HarperCollins Concise Atlas of the Bible (1991)
  15. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  16. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979)
  17. IVP Old Testament Bible Background Commentary (2000): Exod 13:18
  18. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Red Sea, passage of the
  19. Mackay, Exodus (2001): 13:18
  20. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2014): Red Sea
  21. New Bible Dictionary (1996)
  22. New Interpreter’s Bible Dictionary (2009)
  23. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988)
  24. Oxford Bible Atlas, Fourth Edition (2007)
  25. Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1956): page 38
  26. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Exodus, The
  27. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  28. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  29. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Exod 13:18

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others, for example, then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Places with Similar Names

Thumbnail Image Credits

youssef_alam, ديفيد عادل وهبة خليل 2, Banja-Frans Mulder, ---=XEON=---, mikkelsaar, Iri-en-achti, Eman Shokry Hesham, MEDASSET

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.

The isobands you see on the map (gray areas with dark borders) attempt to give you confidence where a region is. Because many ancient regions aren't precisely defined, I consulted atlases to determine where the biblical region is located and used that data to build the isobands. The smaller isobands reflect more confidence that the given isoband is in the region, while the larger isobands reflect less confidence. Isobands are a kind of contour line that here indicate confidence levels.