Science & Scripture · Geology

A large body of seawater once split apart to create a dry path across the seafloor, then closed again after people crossed.

Geology 25 passages in this field

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What current science says

The Red Sea at its narrowest point (the Strait of Tiran) is about 13 km wide and up to 1,850 meters deep. Holding back that volume of water would require overcoming the pressure of millions of tons of seawater — roughly 180 atmospheres at the deepest point. No known force could create stable 'walls of water' on both sides; water doesn't hold its shape vertically without a container. Even a strong wind (the text elsewhere mentions an 'east wind') can push shallow water back temporarily in a phenomenon called wind setdown, but this works only in very shallow lagoons, not a deep sea. The energy required to part the Red Sea would be roughly equivalent to thousands of nuclear weapons detonated simultaneously.

What the text says

This comes from the Wisdom of Solomon (likely 10:18-19 or 19:7-8), which references the Red Sea parting to allow passage on dry ground and then closing — the iconic crossing story retold as historical fact.

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