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The Depths of the Sea as a Passage for the Redeemed

The imagery of the "depths of the sea" serving as a passage for the redeemed is rooted in the Old Testament narrative of the Exodus, particularly the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea [1, 2]. Isaiah 51:10 directly poses the rhetorical question, "Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over?" [1]. This verse explicitly connects God's past act of parting the sea with the concept of redemption, establishing a foundational metaphor for divine deliverance.

The historical event described in Exodus 14:22-31 details how the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry ground while the waters stood like a wall on either side [3]. This act is frequently referenced in the Psalms, such as Psalm 78:13, which states, "He divided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heap" [2]. John Gill, in his commentary on Psalms 106:9, notes that God "rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up," leading the Israelites "through the depths" of the sea, which became "as on a plain" [8]. This transformation of a watery abyss into a traversable path underscores the extraordinary nature of God's intervention.

Patristic interpretations, such as those by Augustine, often expand on the symbolic meaning of the "waters" and "deeps." In his Exposition on Psalms, Augustine identifies the "waters" with "peoples" [4]. He also interprets the phrase "through the deeps, as through a wilderness" to mean that the watery depths became dry, like a wilderness, for the passage of the Israelites [6]. This suggests a spiritual reading where obstacles (the deeps) are rendered harmless or even transformed into paths of safety by divine power. Augustine further connects the concept of redemption from enemies with the Exodus event, noting that the people of Israel were "redeemed... from the hand of slavery" [13].

The Targum Jonathan, a Jewish Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Bible, reinforces the direct link between God's action and the redemption of Israel. On Isaiah 51:10, it reads, "Was it not for thy sake, O congregation of Israel, that I dried up the sea, the water of the great deep, I made the depth of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?" [5]. This highlights the communal aspect of redemption, emphasizing that the miracle was performed specifically for the "congregation of Israel."

The imagery of the depths of the sea also appears in rabbinic literature, though sometimes with a different emphasis. The Babylonian Talmud recounts an incident where four hundred boys and girls, taken captive for prostitution, considered suicide by drowning. The oldest among them expounded a verse, "The Lord said, I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths," suggesting a hope for eternal life even through death in the sea [11, 12, 14]. While this narrative does not directly speak of a passage through the depths for the redeemed, it reflects a Jewish understanding of the "depths" as a place from which God can still bring back or redeem.

The concept of the depths of the sea as a passage for the redeemed is not merely a historical recounting but also carries theological weight. It serves as a powerful metaphor for God's ability to overcome insurmountable obstacles and provide salvation. John Gill, in his commentary on Exodus 15:5, draws a parallel between the depths covering Pharaoh and his host and the covering of "mystical Babylon, or antichrist," as well as the covering of "the sins of God's people" by the blood of Christ, so that they are "seen no more" [7]. This extends the imagery from a physical deliverance to a spiritual one, where sin and evil are swallowed by the depths, while the redeemed pass through to safety.

The Red Sea crossing is often seen as a type or foreshadowing of later acts of salvation. Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, discusses how God provides "seals and pledges" for His promises, citing the rainbow as a pledge that a deluge will never again destroy the earth [10]. While not directly about the Red Sea, this concept of divine pledges for salvation aligns with the idea that the Red Sea event was a tangible demonstration of God's redemptive power, serving as a historical assurance for future acts of deliverance.

The "depths of the sea" can also symbolize chaos and danger, which God controls and transforms. Augustine, in his homilies, describes the "ship" (representing the Church or individual believers) being "tossed by the waves of this world, and by tempests manifold" when Christ is absent [9]. Yet, he notes that "the Lord is come to help, and is seen to walk upon the waters," signifying God's power over these chaotic forces [9]. This reinforces the idea that even the most perilous "depths" are subject to divine authority, becoming a path rather than an impediment for the redeemed.

The imagery of the sea is also used in Revelation, where a "sea of glass, like unto crystal" is described before God's throne [15]. This contrasts with the "turbid 'many waters' on which the harlot 'sitteth'" [15]. The sea of glass symbolizes "purity, calmness, and majesty of God's rule" [15]. While not a "passage" in the same sense as the Red Sea, it represents a transformed, purified state in God's presence, where the chaotic elements of the world are rendered serene.

Sources

  1. Isaiah “Isn’t it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? -- Isaiah 51:10”
  2. Psalms “Psalms 78:13 (Geneva1599) — He deuided the Sea, and led them through: he made also the waters to stand as an heape.”
  3. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Red Sea, Passage of — The account of the march of the Israelites through the Red Sea is given in Ex. 14:22-31. There has been great diversity of opinion as to the precise place where this occurred. The difficulty of arriving at any definite conclusion on the matter is much increased by the consideration that the head of the Gulf of Suez, which was the branch of the sea that was crossed, must have extended at the time of the Exodus probably 50 miles farther north than it does at present. Some have argued that the crossing took place opposite the Wady Tawarik, where th”
  4. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXXVII.[5] (part 12): in Him, "There shall adore Him all kinds of the earth, all nations shall serve Him."(1) Therefore Joseph is the people of the Gentiles, but Israel the people of the Hebrew nation. God hath redeemed His people, "the sons of Israel and of Joseph." By means of what? By means of the corner stone,(2) wherein the two walls have been joined together. 17. And he continueth how? "The waters have seen Thee, O God, and they have feared and the abysses have been troubled" (ver. 16). What are the waters? The peoples. What are these”
  5. Targum Jonathan (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Targum Jonathan, Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 51:10: Was it not for thy sake, O congregation of Israel, that I dried up the sea, the water of the great deep, I made the depth of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?”
  6. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM CVI. (3) (part 7): obey at His will. "So He led them through the deeps, as through a wilderness." He calleth a multitude of waters the deeps. For some wishing to give the sense of this whole verse, have translated, "So He led them forth amid many waters." What then doth "through the deeps, as through a wilderness," mean, except that that had become as a wilderness from its dryness, where before had been the watery deeps? 8. "And He saved them from the hating ones"(2) (ver. 10). Some translators, in order to avoid an expression unusual in La”
  7. Exodus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Exodus 15:5: The depths have covered them,.... The depths of the sea covered Pharaoh and his host, so as to be seen no more; and in like manner will mystical Babylon, or antichrist, be destroyed, and be no more found and seen; as likewise the sins of God's people, being cast into the depths of the sea, and covered with the blood of Christ, will be seen no more; when they are sought for, they shall not be found: they sunk into the bottom as a stone; into the bottom of the sea, as a stone thrown into anybody of water sinks and rises not up again; this circumstance is observed by N”
  8. Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 106:9: He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up,.... By sending a strong east wind, which drove the waters back, and made the sea a dry land, Exo 14:21. So he led them through the depths; that is, the deep waters of the sea, which were cast up as an heap, and stood as a wall on each side, through which they passed. As through the wilderness; or rather, "as on a plain"; for a passage through a wilderness where no roads are, and many obstructions be, is not easy; and so it is manifestly to be understood in Isa 63:13, where Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it a plain an”
  9. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — THE SEA, DISTRESSED BY THE WAVES." (part 4): came from. For there are many thoughts in the hearts of men; and when Christ is absent, the ship is tossed by the waves of this world, and by tempests manifold. 7. Now the fourth watch of the night, is the end of the night; for each watch consists of three hours. It signifies then, that now in the end of the world the Lord is come to help, and is seen to walk upon the waters. For though this ship be tossed about by the storms of temptations, yet she sees her Glorified God walking above all the swell”
  10. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 65: a pledge of the promise which He had made. When he promised to Abraham to be a God to him and to his seed after him, He appointed circumcision as the seal and pledge of that promise. So when He promised to save men 589 by the blood of Christ and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost, he appointed baptism to be, not only the sign, but also the seal and pledge of those exceeding great and precious promises. No believer in the Bible can look on the rainbow without having his faith strengthened in the promise that a deluge shall never again destr”
  11. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 181a.114:12: Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says, and some say that it was Rabbi Ami who says this, and some say that it was taught in a baraita : There was an incident involving four hundred boys and girls who were taken as captives for the purpose of prostitution. These children sensed on their own what they were expected to do, and they said: If we commit suicide and drown in the sea, will we come to eternal life in the World-to-Come? The oldest child among them expounded the verse: “The Lord said, I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths ”
  12. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 181b.114:12: Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says, and some say that it was Rabbi Ami who says this, and some say that it was taught in a baraita : There was an incident involving four hundred boys and girls who were taken as captives for the purpose of prostitution. These children sensed on their own what they were expected to do, and they said: If we commit suicide and drown in the sea, will we come to eternal life in the World-to-Come? The oldest child among them expounded the verse: “The Lord said, I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths ”
  13. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM CVII. (10) (part 2): also in some other places of Scripture, for aye, that is, what in Greek is called <greek>eis</greek> <greek>aiwna</greek>, is understood for ever. For His mercy is not for a time, so as not to be for ever, since for this purpose His present mercy is over men, that they may live with the Angels for ever. 3. "Let them say who are redeemed of the Lord, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of their enemies" (ver. 2). Redeemed indeed it seems was also the people of Israel from the land of Egypt, from the hand of slavery, from”
  14. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 57b.12: Rav Yehuda says that Shmuel says, and some say that it was Rabbi Ami who says this, and some say that it was taught in a baraita : There was an incident involving four hundred boys and girls who were taken as captives for the purpose of prostitution. These children sensed on their own what they were expected to do, and they said: If we commit suicide and drown in the sea, will we come to eternal life in the World-to-Come? The oldest child among them expounded the verse: “The Lord said, I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of th”
  15. Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 4:6: Two oldest manuscripts, A, B, Vulgate, Coptic, and Syriac read, "As it were a sea of glass." like . . . crystal--not imperfectly transparent as the ancient common glass, but like rock crystal. Contrast the turbid "many waters" on which the harlot "sitteth" (Rev 17:1, Rev 17:15). Compare Job 37:18, "the sky . . . as a molten looking-glass." Thus, primarily, the pure ether which separates God's throne from John, and from all things before it, may be meant, symbolizing the "purity, calmness, and majesty of God's rule" [ALFORD]. But see the analogue i”
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