The traditional answer is: Moses parted the Red Sea , often understood in Hebrew as Yam Suf , the “Sea of Reeds.”

Quick scoop

  • In the book of Exodus, Moses stretches out his staff and the waters of the Yam Suf part, letting the Israelites cross on dry ground while the Egyptian army is later drowned when the waters return.
  • Most English Bibles translate Yam Suf as Red Sea , so in common Christian and Jewish teaching you will hear that “Moses parted the Red Sea.”
  • Some scholars argue that Yam Suf might have referred to a marshy “Sea of Reeds” or a lagoon area connected to the Red Sea region rather than the deep, open Red Sea as known on modern maps.

A bit of background

  • The story appears in Exodus 14: the Israelites flee Egypt, reach the sea, and seem trapped until God commands Moses to stretch out his hand so the waters divide.
  • After the crossing, Moses again stretches out his hand and the sea returns to normal, overwhelming Pharaoh’s chariots and riders.

Why the name is debated

  • The Hebrew term Yam Suf literally combines yam (“sea”) with suf , a word linked elsewhere in the Bible with reeds along the Nile, which is why some modern readers prefer “Sea of Reeds.”
  • Ancient Greek and later Latin and English translations, however, fixed the phrase as “Red Sea,” and that wording became standard in religious art, teaching, and popular culture up to today.

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Wondering which sea Moses parted? Learn how the biblical Yam Suf became known as the Red Sea, why some call it the Sea of Reeds, and what scholars and traditions say today.

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