By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned.
Parallel translations
- WEB By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.
- KJV By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
- NKJV By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
- NASB By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
- NLT It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
By faith the Israelites crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, while the pursuing Egyptians were drowned. Faith follows God through impossible deliverances that destroy the unbelieving.
Overview
Exodus 14 recounts the parting of the sea, by which Israel escaped and Egypt perished. The same waters that saved God's people in faith destroyed those who presumed to follow without it. This great act of redemption became a defining picture of salvation and judgment, anticipating the deliverance God works for his people through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Exod 14:13But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.
- Ps 106:9–11He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; He led them through the depths as through a desert.
- Ps 78:13He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall.
- Isa 63:11–16Then His people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses. Where is He who brought them through the sea with the shepherds of His flock? Where is the One who set His Holy Spirit among them,
- Hab 3:8–10Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?
- Ps 66:6He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.
- Josh 2:10For we have heard how the LORD dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites across the Jordan, whom you devoted to destruction.
- Isa 51:9–10Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD. Wake up as in days past, as in generations of old. Was it not You who cut Rahab to pieces, who pierced through the dragon?
- Ps 136:13–15He divided the Red Sea in two His loving devotion endures forever.
- Ps 114:1–5When Israel departed from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
- Isa 11:15–16The LORD will devote to destruction the gulf of the Sea of Egypt; with a scorching wind He will sweep His hand over the Euphrates. He will split it into seven streams for men to cross with dry sandals.
- Neh 9:11You divided the sea before them, and they crossed through it on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths like a stone into raging waters.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.
How Hebrews 11:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.