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Exodus 13:18 in the Hebrew Masoretic Text (MT) reads:
“וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם־סוּף וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם”
“But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Sea of Reeds, and the sons of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.”
This verse contains two textual points of interest: (1) the designation of the sea Israel crossed, and (2) the Septuagint’s unique addition of the phrase “in the fifth generation” before “the sons of Israel.” Both require careful textual and philological examination.
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The Designation of the Sea: “Sea of Reeds” or “Red Sea”
The Masoretic Text records “יַם־סוּף” (yam-sûph), which literally means “Sea of Reeds.” This designation appears elsewhere in the Pentateuch (Exod. 15:4, 22; Num. 14:25; Deut. 1:40; 2:1; 1 Kgs. 9:26). The Septuagint, however, consistently translates this expression as “ἡ ἐρυθρὰ θάλασσα” (“the Red Sea”), a choice that passed into later tradition and influenced nearly all subsequent translations, including the Latin Vulgate (“mare Rubrum”) and most English Bibles.
The Hebrew expression emphasizes the physical character of the body of water, suggesting an area abundant in reeds or marsh vegetation. In contrast, the Greek translation reflects more of a geographical identification familiar to Hellenistic readers. The rendering “Red Sea” may have arisen from the Septuagint translators’ attempt to harmonize Israel’s route with known geographical features on Greek maps, or because of the broader usage of “Erythra Thalassa” in the Greek world, which referred not only to the modern Red Sea but also to other adjoining bodies of water.
The textual evidence strongly supports the Masoretic reading as original. The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm “yam-sûph” in parallel passages (Exod. 15:4, 22; Num. 14:25). The Septuagint’s rendering should be understood as a contextual translation, not as evidence of a variant Hebrew Vorlage. Thus, the original text should be read as “Sea of Reeds.”
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The Phrase “Went Up Armed”
The MT uses the term “וַחֲמֻשִׁים” (văḥămûšîm), derived from the root חָמֵשׁ (ḥāmeš, “five”), which has been understood in two principal ways: (1) “armed” or “equipped for battle” and (2) “in battle array by fives” or “by ranks.” The majority consensus among lexicographers and commentators favors the meaning “armed,” supported by ancient translations such as the Syriac Peshitta and the Vulgate (“armati”). The sense is that Israel left Egypt not as a fleeing mob but in some form of organized readiness, possibly with weapons acquired through God’s providence (Exod. 12:35–36).
The Septuagint Addition: “In the Fifth Generation”
The Septuagint (LXX) adds the phrase “ἐν τῇ πέμπτῃ γενεᾷ” (“in the fifth generation”) before “the sons of Israel.” This addition is striking and has raised questions regarding its origin and meaning.
No Hebrew manuscript—Masoretic or Dead Sea Scrolls—supports this phrase. It is absent from the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Peshitta, and the Vulgate. Thus, the evidence overwhelmingly favors the MT’s omission as original. The phrase is most likely an interpretive gloss introduced by the Greek translator.
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The addition may have arisen from an attempt to reconcile Israel’s departure with the prophecy of Genesis 15:16: “And in the fourth generation they will return here.” The LXX translator, aware of that prophecy, could have reasoned that the Exodus took place in the “fifth generation” after the migration of Jacob’s household into Egypt. This interpretive note, intended to harmonize the chronology, eventually found its way into the Greek text. Such expansions are not uncommon in the Septuagint, which often exhibits explanatory glosses.
Another possibility is that the translator misunderstood the Hebrew “ḥămûšîm” (“armed”) as somehow connected with “ḥāmēš” (“five”), and so rendered it as “in the fifth generation.” This would represent a mistranslation based on superficial lexical similarity rather than sound exegesis. Given the Septuagint’s sometimes mechanical handling of the Hebrew, this explanation is plausible.
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Evaluation of the Evidence
The textual evidence clearly indicates that the MT preserves the original reading: “the sons of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.” The Septuagint’s addition of “in the fifth generation” is secondary, arising either from harmonization with Genesis 15:16 or from confusion between “ḥămûšîm” and “ḥāmēš.” No Hebrew witness supports the Greek expansion, and the early versions outside the LXX follow the MT.
Therefore, the correct text of Exodus 13:18 is preserved in the Hebrew tradition without the Septuagintal addition. The verse emphasizes that God directed Israel by an indirect route toward the Sea of Reeds and that the people departed in organized readiness, not as helpless fugitives but as a people prepared for the journey ahead.
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