Pi-hahiroth

Pi-hahiroth was a location near the Red Sea where the Israelites camped before crossing the sea during the Exodus from Egypt.

Pi-hahiroth, also known as Hahiroth, was a place mentioned in the account of the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt. After leaving Succoth, the Israelites were instructed by God to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal-zephon (Exod. 14:2). The Egyptians, led by Pharaoh, pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they were camped by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon (Exod. 14:9). It was at this location that God instructed Moses to stretch out his hand over the sea, causing the waters to divide and allowing the Israelites to cross on dry ground (Exod. 14:15-16, 21-22). The Egyptians pursued them into the sea, but God brought the waters back upon them, drowning Pharaoh's entire army (Exod. 14:23-28). The Israelites' journey from Pi-hahiroth is also mentioned in the list of their encampments in Numbers 33:7-8. The exact location of Pi-hahiroth is uncertain, but it was evidently near the Red Sea, and its mention in the Exodus narrative highlights God's power and deliverance on behalf of His people.

Place where the reeds grow (LXX. and Copt. read “farmstead”), the name of a place in Egypt where the children of Israel encamped (Ex. 14:2, 9), how long is uncertain. Some have identified it with Ajrud, a fortress between Etham and Suez. The condition of the Isthmus of Suez at the time of the Exodus is not exactly known, and hence this, with the other places mentioned as encampments of Israel in Egypt, cannot be definitely ascertained. The isthmus has been formed by the Nile deposits. This increase of deposit still goes on, and so rapidly that within the last fifty years the mouth of the Nile has advanced northward about four geographical miles. In the maps of Ptolemy (of the second and third centuries A.D.) the mouths of the Nile are forty miles further south than at present.