Comparing The Sea In Exodus And The Prince Of Egypt

Upon careful research and analysis of both the biblical passage pertaining to the parting of the sea in Exodus, and the scene from The Prince of Egypt based on the same narrative, it is clear that several discrepancies are apparent in the cinematic portrayal as opposed to what is written in the scriptures. In an effort to perhaps appeal to a younger, less knowledgeable audience, the writers of this film have altered the original story and have added and taken away several elements that remain to be key features of the biblical account of the Israelites’ escape from slavery in Egypt. After the first observation of the scene, it became clear that in the Prince of Egypt film there was less emphasis on what was spoken and more of a focus on the

In the scene from the movie, the depiction of the waters receding to form two walls on either side of the Israelites seems to be somewhat accurate. According to the bible however, the waters separate in accordance with Moses stretching his hand out over the sea and not lifting his staff in the air. The use of his staff to part the sea in The Prince of Egypt can most likely be attributed to other similar miracles that God performed through Moses using his staff as some sort of a divine miraculous device. While the use of Moses’ staff may not be completely accurate, it does not necessarily take away from the overall meaning of the occurrence at the sea as it pertains to the film. In the film, as Pharaoh’s army follows in pursuit of the Israelites into the parted sea, there is little reference to the pillars of cloud and fire which were supposed to throw the Egyptians into confusion. While the scene does show the Egyptians in a realm of chaos, it does not illustrate how Yahweh was responsible for impeding Pharaoh’s army and again the lack of conversation in the movie fails to depict the fear of the Israelite Lord amongst the Egyptians. The ultimate discrepancy in the film is its failure to portray Yahweh in the role of omniscient supervisor having a direct effect on the outcome of the story. According to Childs in his critical commentary, Yahweh dries up the sea by way of a “strong East wind” and terrifies the army into panic by means of the pillar of fire. (Childs, 227) In The Prince of Egypt the direct actions set forth by Yahweh are overlooked and omitted from the scene. While the results of these actions are illustrated, the film does not make a good reference as to how God was involved in the downfall of Pharaoh’s