The Israelites were prompted to go through the Red Sea because their leader, Moses, had a directive from God that they should escape through the sea. God wanted them to re-start their lives in a new land. The Egyptians were following them. Had they stayed on the west shore of the Red Sea, the Egyptians would have killed them. Moses held up his staff, and God parted the waters of the Red Sea. When the Egyptians followed them, God let the walls of waters go and the Egyptian soldiers drowned.
The Red Sea .
The Israelites miraculously crossed the dry seabed of the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14), which is not necessarily the same as the Red Sea.
When God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites
moses parted the red sea for the Israelites to get away from the Egyptian army
Moses and the Israelites.
The Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea, as they chased the Israelites.
Yes, the Israelites crossed the Reed Sea on dry land (Exodus ch.14). See also:Did the Exodus happenEvidence of the ExodusAnd the wider picture. Archaeology in general:Archaeology and the Hebrew Bible
No, it did not take the Israelites 40 days to cross the Red Sea. According to the biblical account in the Book of Exodus, they crossed the Red Sea in a single night, aided by miraculous events that parted the waters for them. The 40 years mentioned in the Bible refers to the Israelites' wandering in the desert before reaching the Promised Land.
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No, they were egyptians
Christians do not believe that the account of the Israelites passage through the Red Sea was merely symbolic, for a Christian, this account it true history. That said, what the account does symbolize/show is God's provision and his protection.
The sea that the Israelites crossed is commonly identified as the Red Sea, as described in the biblical account of the Exodus in the Book of Exodus. According to the narrative, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, and they crossed the sea on dry land after God parted the waters. Some scholars also suggest that the crossing might have occurred at a different body of water, such as the Sea of Reeds, but the traditional interpretation remains the Red Sea.