Dual Perspectives on Moses' Miracle
Moses' miracle of splitting the sea can be interpreted from two points of view. On one hand, this event is understood as a direct supernatural intervention by God, a sign of deliverance and protection for the Jewish people. As it is written, “… Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided” (see, for example, quotes from link txt and link txt). This interpretation emphasizes that salvation occurred thanks to divine power, which does not conform to the usual laws of nature.On the other hand, some scholars propose natural scientific hypotheses to explain what happened. In one source, it is noted:“Scientists offer two natural scientific hypotheses regarding what happened in response to Moses’ prayer. Possibly, what occurred was a tide recession, and when the Egyptians attempted to ford the sea, the water returned to its place. The second version, given that the Red Sea is marshy in many places, suggests that the heavy forces of Pharaoh’s army became stuck in the swamps…” (Source: link txt).Thus, the miracle can be perceived either as a unique manifestation of divine power or as an event that might have had its basis in natural phenomena – for instance, a sudden tide recession or specific characteristics of the Red Sea, where geophysical conditions created the illusion of “parted” waters. Both approaches highlight the experience as something that evoked deep wonder and faith among the people.Supporting citation(s):“Surrounded on all sides by mountains, the Jews for the first time regretted relying on Moses and prepared for the worst. And then Yahweh performed a miracle: ‘And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided… The Egyptians pursued them… And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea again, and by morning the water returned to its place; and the Egyptians ran toward the water. Thus the Lord drowned the Egyptians in the sea… not one of them was left’” (source: link txt).“The Jews stopped at the very shore, and beyond them, the way was blocked by the waters of the Red Sea. By God’s command ‘Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea with a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided’ (Ex. 14:21)…” (source: link txt).