Parshat Beshalach4 min read

The Pharaoh Who Walked Out of the Red Sea Alive

The rabbis could not agree whether Pharaoh drowned at the Red Sea or walked out to rule Nineveh as a witness to God's power.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. One Word Left Him Standing
  2. Rabbi Yehudah Sent Him Down
  3. Pharaoh Goes to Nineveh
  4. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer Adds the Repentance

One Word Left Him Standing

The chariots went down. The horsemen went down. The Torah says Israel saw Egypt dead on the shore. But one phrase keeps Pharaoh above the waterline. God had said to him before the plagues: for this I have made you stand, in order to show you my power and so that my name will be declared throughout the earth. That word, stand, became the fault line in the entire dispute.

A man who was made to stand cannot simply drown. Rabbi Nehemiah read the earlier verse as a divine guarantee. The king had a function beyond Egypt: he was the empire the whole world watched, the nation that had defied God through ten plagues and seen God refuse to be defied. If Pharaoh drowned with everyone else, who carried the testimony? Who stood before the nations and said: I saw this. I watched ten plagues fall on my country and I still refused, and then the sea closed on my army, and I alone came back to tell it?

Rabbi Yehudah Sent Him Down

Rabbi Yehudah had the plain reading of the Torah on his side. Pharaoh's chariots and army God cast into the sea, the Song at the Sea announces. The enslaver pursued the freed people into the water and the water took him. That is the clean moral shape of the story. The man who killed Hebrew sons in the Nile drowned in the sea. Midah k'neged midah, measure for measure, Ben Azzai's principle: what you use to harm becomes the instrument of your undoing.

Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai records a third position threading between the two. Pharaoh did not perish in the sea. He did not walk out unharmed. He drowned and was then raised from the dead, because God's original word over him could not be revoked even by the sea. This is the most uncomfortable reading. The sea closed, and God reached in.

Pharaoh Goes to Nineveh

Yalkut Shimoni stretches the story to its farthest conclusion. Pharaoh was taken from the water and went on to rule Nineveh. When Jonah arrived from the sea, shaken and preaching doom, it was this king who leapt from his throne, tore his robes, and led his city into repentance. The rabbis draw the irony sharp. Pharaoh had jeered at the Red Sea: who is the Lord? At Nineveh the same mouth cried out: who is like you, glorious in holiness? The Sea of Reeds did not destroy Pharaoh's mouth. It converted it.

The parable Yalkut attaches to this tradition has the bite of courtroom logic. A king left his fortune with a servant and sailed away. When he returned and asked for it back, the servant denied everything. The king had witnesses who had been present when he deposited the wealth. Pharaoh was God's witness. He could not be killed before he testified. The sea waited until he understood what he had seen.

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer Adds the Repentance

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, in Rabbi Nechuniah ben Hakkanah's name, presses on the verb in Exodus 15:19: Pharaoh came with his horses and chariots and his riders into the sea. The verse uses the word for entering, not for drowning. The king went in. He did not necessarily stay under. The text's ambiguity is enough for the midrash to find a door.

What Pharaoh said at the sea matters to this tradition more than what the water did. He cried out: who is like you among the gods? He confessed with the same mouth that had mocked. The tradition insists the repentance was real, which is why Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer treats Pharaoh as the prime example of teshuva's power. The hardest heart in the Exodus story became, for these sages, the proof that repentance is available to everyone.

PharaohExodusRed SeaRepentanceNinevehDivine Justice
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From the tradition

Sources

5 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 238:1Yalkut Shimoni on Torah

"And the waters will came back and cover the chariot and the horsemen" (Exodus 14:26) And even Par'oh, according to Rabi Yehuda, as it says "the chariots of Phar'oh and his army" (15:4). Rabbi Nehemiah says Par'oh was the exception, since we have this verse about him: "maybe for this I made you stand up"(Exodus 9:16). And there are those who say that at the end Par'oh went down and drowned, as it says "and the horse of Par'oh came" (Exodus 15:19).

"And the children of Israel went into the sea in dry ground" - the angels of service were astounded, saying: 'the children of Israel, idolaters that they are, are coming on dry land?!' And from where do we know that even the sea was filled with rage from Above? Because the text says "and the waters were like rage to them" [since the vav is missing to the word chomah, wall, it can be read as chema, rage; so you can re-read the verse as "the water was like anger on their right and on their left"].

And what caused them to be saved from their right and their left? From the right, it was Torah, which they would receive later on, as it says "From His right, [He gave] a fiery law to them". And left? This is tefilin.

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Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai 14:26Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai

"And the waters returned", all the waters in the world returned. "And they covered the chariots and the horsemen, all the army of Pharaoh", even Pharaoh, as it is said, "Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the sea" (Exodus 15:4); these are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. Rabbi Nehemiah says: except for Pharaoh, as it is said, "But for this purpose I have raised you up" (Exodus 9:16). And there are those who say: in the end he came and was drowned, as it is said, "For the horse of Pharaoh came [into the sea]" (Exodus 15:19).

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Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 42:8Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to The Egyptians Drowned and God Did Not Celebrate.

The scene? The dramatic climax of the Exodus. The Israelites have fled Egypt, the sea has parted, and Pharaoh, stubborn to the bitter end, leads his army in hot pursuit. The familiar version gives us how this ends. (Exodus 14:23) tells us plainly, "And the Egyptians pursued after them." And then, a verse later, in (Exodus 14:28), the hammer falls: "And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen."

Simple enough. But Jewish tradition rarely leaves things at face value. It asks why. Why did things happen this way? What's the underlying principle at play?

That's where Ben 'Azzai comes in. He offers a powerful explanation, a concept deeply ingrained in Jewish thought: Midah k’neged midah. Usually translated as "measure for measure." Or, perhaps, "what goes around, comes around."

Ben 'Azzai points out a crucial parallel. The Egyptians, consumed by fear and a desire to control the Israelite population, committed a horrific act: the drowning of male Israelite children in the Nile. We are talking, of course, about Pharaoh's decree.

And what was the Egyptians' ultimate fate? They, too, were drowned – not in a river, but in the sea. As the triumphant song in (Exodus 15:1) declares, "I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed triumphantly; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."

See the echo? The midah k’neged midah in action. The very act the Egyptians inflicted on the innocent children becomes the instrument of their own destruction.

It's not about simple retribution, though. It's about cosmic justice, about the universe having a built-in mechanism that reflects back the energy we put out. Pride, cruelty, and oppression ultimately lead to downfall. And while this passage focuses on punishment, the same principle, of course, applies to acts of kindness and righteousness.

This idea of measure for measure, though, can be a tough one to confront. Does it mean every misfortune is a direct consequence of our actions? Not necessarily. Jewish thought also acknowledges the complexities of life, the presence of suffering that seems inexplicable. But Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer reminds us that there are underlying patterns, echoes of our deeds that reverberate through the world.

So, the next time you face a challenge, or witness an injustice, remember Ben 'Azzai's words. Consider the deeper connections, the subtle ways in which actions create ripples. And remember that, ultimately, the universe has a way of balancing the scales.

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Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 176:1Yalkut Shimoni on Torah

Another interpretation: With the very tongue with which he sinned, with that same tongue he repented. He had said, "Who is the LORD?"; later, "Who is like You, glorious in holiness?" (Exodus 15:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, rescued Pharaoh from among the dead and stood him up to recount the might of His power, as it is said, "But for this very purpose I have raised you up" (Exodus 9:16). He went and reigned over Nineveh; and when the Holy One, blessed be He, sent Jonah to Nineveh to prophesy its overthrow, Pharaoh heard, rose from his throne, tore his garments, and put on sackcloth and ashes. But after forty days they returned to their evil deeds and were swallowed like the dead in the lowest depths, as it is said, "From the city the dying groan" (Job 24:12).

"I do not know the LORD." To what may Pharaoh be compared? To a king who went off to a country across the sea and entrusted all he had with his servant. After some days the king returned and said, "Give me what I deposited with you." The servant said, "I am not your servant; you deposited nothing with me." What did the king do? He seized him by the hair. Then the servant said, "I am your servant, and all that you deposited with me I will repay you." So too, at first the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "And now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exodus 3:10). Moses said, "Let My people go." Pharaoh said, "I do not know the LORD." But once He brought ten plagues upon him, he said, "The LORD is the righteous one" (Exodus 9:27). The plagues against the Egyptians lasted twelve months. "And the people scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble" (Exodus 5:12): when is the season for stubble? In the month of Iyyar, yet they went out in Nisan. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says: He began to grind his teeth against them and said, "You are lazy" (Exodus 5:17).

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Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 43:8Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer

Pharaoh, the hard-hearted king of Exodus, receives one of the tradition's strangest endings: a moment of repentance before the sea closes.

When we think of Pharaoh, images of the stubborn, cruel ruler from the Exodus story probably spring to mind. The one who hardened his heart, who refused to let the Israelites go, who brought plagues upon Egypt. Remember his famous line? "Who is the Lord, that I should hearken unto his voice?" (Exodus 5:2).

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations, throws us a curveball in chapter 43. Rabbi Nechunia, son of Haḳḳanah, asks us to consider the power of teshuvah (repentance), repentance. And he uses, of all people, Pharaoh, as the prime example.

The passage points out that Pharaoh's repentance mirrors his sin. Just as he once questioned, "Who is the Lord?", he later cries out, "Who is like thee, O Lord, among the mighty?" (Exodus 15:11). It's a complete turnaround! And according to this tradition, God actually delivers him from death.

Wait, what? When did Pharaoh die? Well, the text interprets God's words in (Exodus 9:15), "For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee," as evidence that Pharaoh did die, at least symbolically.

But the story doesn't end there. Pharaoh, having been spared, goes on to rule in Nineveh. Yes, that Nineveh, the one from the Book of Jonah! And guess what? Nineveh is a mess. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, the people are corrupt, dishonest, and engaging in all sorts of wickedness.

Then comes Jonah, sent by God to prophesy against the city. And here's where Pharaoh’s story takes another surprising turn. He actually listens. He arises from his throne, tears his garments, puts on sackcloth and ashes – the whole nine yards! He calls for a fast and orders the people to repent.

The description of the Ninevites' repentance is truly remarkable. The men are separated from the women, and the children are kept apart. Even the animals are separated! The infants cry for their mothers, the mothers yearn to nurse them. It was by the merit of 4123 children that over twelve hundred thousand people were saved. The passage echoes the powerful words of (Jonah 4:11): "And should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city; wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" And, as we know, "the Lord repented of the evil, which he said he would do unto them" (Jonah 3:10).

That God was slow to anger with them for forty years, corresponding to the forty days of Jonah's mission. A chance for real change.

But here's the kicker: after forty years, the Ninevites, sadly, revert to their old ways. They become even worse than before, and ultimately, they are swallowed up, descending into the depths of Sheol, the underworld. The passage references (Job 24:12), "Out of the city of the dead they groan." A tragic end, highlighting the fragility of repentance.

So, what are we to make of this? Pharaoh, the ultimate symbol of stubbornness, actually repenting? Nineveh, spared through repentance, only to fall back into wickedness? It's a complex and challenging narrative. It shows us that repentance is possible, even for the most hardened hearts. But it also reminds us that repentance is not a one-time event. It requires constant effort, a continuous commitment to choosing good over evil.

It begs the question: Are we truly capable of lasting change? And what does it take to make repentance more than just a fleeting moment of regret? Perhaps, the story suggests, the key lies in remembering the cries of the children, the yearning for connection, the recognition of our shared humanity. Because ultimately, repentance isn't just about turning away from sin; it's about turning towards something greater.

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