Why must the Israelites have crossed the Red Sea at its deep part rather than the shallow part?
They must have crossed at the deep portion because the shallow top end, only about eighteen inches deep with reeds, was populated and not wilderness. Scripture says God led them through the wilderness of the Red Sea, and passing through eighteen inches of water would not be much of a miracle.
Les teaches that the top end of this body of water is only eighteen inches deep and has reeds, but that area is not wilderness—it is populated. The wilderness does not approach until further down along the Red Sea, so he is convinced they crossed at the deeper portion. A passage through eighteen inches of water, he notes, would not be much of a miracle. This aligns with verse 18, where God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up harnessed. The context also presents the Red Sea in front, forbidding mountains to the right, population to the left, and Pharaoh's army coming from behind, making the deep crossing the necessary miraculous deliverance.
But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
More Questions
Why could the Israelites not have crossed the Red Sea at the shallow reedy end?
The top end of the Red Sea where the water is only about 18 inches deep with reeds is not wilderness but populated land; the wilderness does not begin until you get further down along the Red Sea.
How could three to seven million Israelites with all their livestock travel that far and cross the Red Sea so quickly?
It is a puzzle how three to seven million people plus all their livestock could move completely out of one area of the nation, encamp by the Red Sea, and pass through in such a short period of time, since herds of cattle and sheep move slowly.
What was Israel's situation at the Red Sea when Pharaoh's army caught up with them?
At the Red Sea the Israelites were boxed in: the sea in front of them, forbidding mountains to the right, populated areas to the left, and Pharaoh's army with his chariots coming in from behind.