L282
WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD
PASADENA CALIFORNIA 91123

JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

July 1988

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your question concerning whether or not the pharaoh of the Exodus drowned in the Red Sea.

The pharaoh of Egypt at that time was Amenhotep II. The overwhelming biblical and historical evidence is that he did not die with his army in pursuit of Israel.

In Psalm 136:15, we find that God "overthrew Pharaoh and his host (army) in the Red sea." The Hebrew word translated here as "overthrew" is "na'ar." This word is also found in Exodus 14:27. It does not mean "to drown" or "to toss or tumble about as in the water" as some have attempted to assert. It simply means "shook off" as is mentioned in the margins of many Bibles and in "The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew and English Lexicon." (Nehemiah 5:13 is a good illustration of how "na'ar" should be translated.) Therefore, these verses simply say that God shook off the Egyptians (including Pharaoh) from their pursuit of the Israelites. These scriptures say nothing of who was drowned.

In Exodus 14:28 we see that the waters covered "the host of Pharaoh," but Pharaoh himself is not mentioned. Exodus 15:19 in the Authorized King James Version reads: "For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought again the waters of the sea upon them." At first, this might appear to be evidence that Pharaoh drowned. But an examination of this verse reveals that "horse" should not be singular. Verse 19 of Exodus 15 is correctly rendered in the New King James Version (also called the Revised Authorized Version): "For the horses of Pharaoh went with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them." Naturally, the horses and horsemen of Egypt were considered to be Pharaoh's. But this scripture does not say that Pharaoh's personal horse, or that Pharaoh himself, drowned in the sea.

This is significant because the death of such an important person would almost certainly have been given special note in the Bible. The Old Testament contains many clear references to the deaths of enemy kings, most of them much less important than this pharaoh. Archaeology proves that Amenhotep II ruled for at least 16 years after the Exodus.

We appreciate this opportunity to serve you. Please let us know whenever we may assist you further with your study of the Bible.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT

[Back to PCD Letters]