EBN-Scholars have denied beliefs that the Jewish crossing of the Red Sea, as described in the Bible, was a miracle.
Scientists have discovered how the Prophet Moses, 3,500 years ago, was able to “part” the Red Sea so that the Jews could pass from Egypt through the passage that formed before them. The researchers confirm that “this achievement did not require any divine intervention,” according to what was published by the British newspaper, the Daily Mail.
Scientists say that the splitting of the sea was not a miracle, but rather the result of harsh weather and geological conditions.
Computer simulations have shown that winds of 100 kilometres per hour, if blowing in the right direction, can open a five-kilometre-wide passage into the sea. When the winds die down, the water rushes back at tsunami speed.
The Bible says: “So the Lord drove back the sea by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”
It is believed that the sea parted in front of Moses in the Gulf of Aqaba, the deepest and widest part of the Red Sea, where the depth reaches 900 meters. But scientists say that is impossible in that area, and point instead to the northern part of the Gulf of Suez, where the depth ranges between 20 and 30 meters and the bottom is relatively flat.
Researchers confirm that crossing the Gulf of Suez by land was not only theoretically possible, but there are documented cases in history. In 1789, Napoleon led a small group of soldiers on horseback across the Gulf of Suez during the low tide, as Louis-Antoine Fauvelle de Bourrienne, Napoleon’s personal secretary, wrote.
Dr Bruce Parker, former head of scientific research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, suggests that Moses may have been aware of the tides in this area of the sea.
For his part, Professor Nathan Baldor, Professor of Oceanography at Al-Quds University, said: “When strong winds blow from the north at the mouth of the Gulf throughout the day, the water retreats towards the Red Sea, exposing the bottom.”
According to his calculations, winds of 65-70 kilometers per hour were enough to open a way for the Israelites to leave. Although the Old Testament says that the winds blew from the east, not the north, the professor asserts that the original Hebrew description, “Roh Kadim,” can be translated as “northeast.
