HOW WE GOT THE NAME “RED SEA”.

HOW WE GOT THE NAME “RED SEA”

By Elijah Asuo Wiredu

We are told in Exodus 14 that the people of Israel were led by Moses to cross the red sea. It was a significant milestone in the history of Israel and Egypt because the Israelites saw the army of Pharaoh perish after they have crossed successfully and that really meant they have left Egypt. Does the name “Red” in the “Red Sea” suggest any meaning to you?

Well in Ghana and many parts of Africa and the world, the color “red” is associated with meanings such as danger, death, harm or generally evil. Therefore the Israelites crossing the Red Sea comes with additional ideas such as how dangerous the Red Sea is especially if the sea was red in color as the name implies.

Of course, one tradition explains that it contains cyanobacteria called Trichodesmium erythraeum, which turns the normally blue-green water reddish-brown. 

This could explain why people thought it was red. The other explanation is that the Hebrew name for that body of water was יַם-סוּף which is pronounced as “Yam Suph”. It can be translated into English as “Reed Sea” or “Sea of reeds”. Reed is a plant that normally grows around and in water bodies and it appears a section of that sea had a lot of that plant in it.

The original version of the Bible which is in Hebrew language has no such translation problem. But the translators thought the “reed” was rather a typographical error of “red” and so they wrote red instead of reed. So the name “Red Sea” does not add in meaning to the crossing of the sea as a dangerous thing to do.

Let me also say that this does not in any way make the Bible Fallible (having mistakes). The error itself does not mean the story is not true. Archeologist have proven beyond reasonable doubt that the Israelites really crossed the red sea on dry ground even though some of them argue that it was a not God who parted the sea. Such people claim that the sea parted as a result of a natural phenomenon such as an earthquake but you and I can see that they actually don’t have a case.