Old Testament

Exodus 13:17-18
The Pillar of Cloud and Fire
17When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way that goes to the land of the Philistines, although it was more direct, for God said, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18So God led the people by the way that goes through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[] The Israelites went up from the land of Egypt in battle formation.

Footnotes

  • 13:18 The Hebrew name for the sea, Yam Suf, seems to mean Sea of Reeds and includes the present Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez west of the Sinai Peninsula, and the Gulf of Aqaba east of the Sinai Peninsula.