Anyone reading the New International Version of the Bible (or possibly other newer translations) will find in a footnote for each of these references where “the Red Sea” is translated a note stating that the Hebrew for these words is “Yam Suph” meaning “Sea of Reeds”. Even the two references in the New Testament in the NIV have such a footnote. The following exhaustive listing of references is copied from the Color-Coded Bible, King James Version, produced by Sterling Ministries, © 2005.
Exodus 10:19 Strong’s #5488
19 And the LORD turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.
Exodus 13:18 Strong’s #5488
18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 15:4 Strong’s #5488
4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. [Talmud, p.264]
Exodus 15:22 Strong’s #5488
22 ¶ So Mosesbrought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.
Exodus 23:31 Strong’s #5488
31 And I will set thy bounds fromthou shaltdrive them out before thee.the Red sea even unto the sea ofthe Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I willdeliverthe inhabitants of the land into your hand; and
Numbers 14:25 Strong’s #5488
25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Numbers 21:4 Strong’s #5488
4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: soulof the people was much discouraged because of the way.and the
Numbers 21:14 Strong’s #5492
14 Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of theLORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, [REFERENCE: Other books. Check the Amplified Bible, the Massoretic text, the NIV, the Revised Version, and the American Standard Version for a more detailed translation of this verse.]
Numbers 33:10-11 Strong’s #5488
10 And they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red sea. [Exodus 16:1]
11 And they removed from the Red sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.
Deuteronomy 1:1 Strong’s #5489
1 These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between P?’ran, and T?’phel, and L?’ban, and H?-z?’roth, and Diz’a-hab.
Deuteronomy 1:40 Strong’s #5488
40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Deuteronomy 2:1 Strong’s #5488
1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days. [Numbers 21:4]
Deuteronomy 11:4 Strong’s #5488
4 And what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day;
Joshua 2:10 Strong’s #5488
10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings, that were on the other side Jordan, of the Amorites
Joshua 4:23 Strong’s #5488
23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:
Joshua 24:6 Strong’s #5488
6 And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.
Judges 11:16 Strong’s #5488
16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;
1 Kings 9:26 Strong’s #5488
26 ¶king made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. Solomon And
Nehemiah 9:9 Strong’s #5488
9 And didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea;
Judith 5:13
13 And God dried the Red sea before them,
Psalms 106:7 Strong’s #5488
7 Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea.
Psalms 106:9 Strong’s #5488
9 He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. [Talmud, p.1311]
Psalms 106:22 Strong’s #5488
22 Wondrous works in the land ofHam, and terrible things by the Red sea.
Psalms 136:13 Strong’s #5488
13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercyendurethfor ever.
Psalms 136:15 Strong’s #5488
15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercyendurethfor ever.
Wisdom of Solomon 10:18
18 Brought them through the Red sea, and led them through much water:
Wisdom of Solomon 19:7
7 As namely, a cloud shadowing the camp; and where water stood before, dry land appeared; and out of the Red sea a way without impediment; and out of the violent stream a green field:
Jeremiah 49:21 Strong’s #5488
21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea.
1 Maccabees 4:9
9 Remember how our fathers were delivered in the Red sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.
Acts 7:36 Strong’s #2281
36 He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signsin the land ofEgypt, and inthe Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
Hebrews 11:29 Strong’s #2281
29 By faiththey passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.
A comparison study of three of the earlier English translations upon which the KJV is based provides the following information:
The Douay-Rheims translates “the red sea” in all the above references and also translates the Red Sea in 2 Chronicles 8:17 where the KJV merely translates “sea”.
The Geneva Bible translates the Red Sea in all the above references although sometimes it is spelled “the redde sea” due to the fact that when the Geneva Bible was published the English language spelling had not been standardized yet.
The Bishops Bible translates the Red Sea in all the above references except that it sometimes spells it the redde sea or the read sea, again due to the fact that when the Bishops Bible was published the English language spelling had not been standardized.
The Strong's reference numbers are included in each reference above. Strong defines each as follows:
#5488 a reed, especially of papyrus: flag, red, [sea] weed
#5489 the Reed (sea), Red Sea
#5492 a hurricane; Red Sea, atorm, tempest, whirlwind
#2281 the sea (gen. or spec.)
Other possible considerations:
The topography of that region is probably not the same.
The fact that Solomon had a navy of ships in that body of water in Eziongeber beside Eloth as reported in 1 Kings 9:26 makes it difficult to believe that the “sea of reeds” was substantial enough to maintain a naval fleet.
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