Discover 4 Oceans and Seas Mentioned in the Bible

Most Bible stories take place in the Middle East, a region surrounded by oceans and seas. The central storyline concerns Israel, located on the Mediterranean seacoast. In ancient times, Israelites were not doing much ocean exploration. Nevertheless, the Bible does mention a number of bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and the Dead Sea.

The Mediterranean Sea

The Bible refers to the Mediterranean Sea as the “Great Sea” or the “Western Sea.” When it’s mentioned in the Bible, it is usually in connection with the borders of Israel. For example, God explains through a prophet that the western border of the Promised Land will be the Great Sea. Another time it is mentioned is when the Israelites are rebuilding their destroyed temple with cedar logs brought to them from Lebanon by sea to the Israeli port of Joppa.

The most famous Mediterranean Sea stories in the Bible concern sea voyages. For example, God called the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to call them to repentance. Jonah was so opposed to the idea, he got on a ship headed in the opposite direction, across the Mediterranean. During a storm, he is thrown overboard, swallowed by a large fish or whale, and regurgitated back on the beach, where he goes on to complete the mission God had for him. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul and his companions make several missionary journeys around the eastern Mediterranean. He is eventually arrested and taken to Rome by sea for his trial, but not before being shipwrecked on the island of Malta on his way there.

The Red Sea

The Red Sea is highly significant in the Bible as the place where the Israelites made a miraculous escape from their Egyptian overlords. After having spent 400 years in captivity, Israel followed the leadership of Moses. The Egyptian pharaoh finally agreed to allow them to leave after his country had been devastated by a series of plagues. However, he changed his mind and sent his army to pursue them, trapping them on the shore of the Red Sea.

The biblical book of Exodus reports that God split the sea in two so that the Israelites could cross through it, with a wall of water on each side of them. When the Egyptians tried to pursue them, the water crashed down and drowned the soldiers and horses. This story of miraculous deliverance has been retold by oppressed people all over the world as a source of hope even in the most desperate circumstances.

The Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee is a small inland lake in the northern part of Israel. From it, the Jordan River flows south into the Dead Sea. This sea is significant in the New Testament because Jesus did much of his ministry around its shores. He grew up in the nearby town of Nazareth. Bethsaida, a seaside town, was the home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, disciples of Jesus. Several of his disciples earned their living from fishing on the lake. Jesus convinced them of his miraculous powers with wonders related to their jobs. For example, he sent them a catch of fish that nearly sank their boat. He multiplied bread and fish to feed 5,000 people. On one occasion he calmed a massive storm with his words. And the Sea of Galilee is also the site of his famous miracle of walking on water.

He and his disciples also sometimes went out to sea to get a break from pressing crowds and to visit the Gentile cities on the other side to do miracles there as well. One of these was when Jesus threw demons out of a man into a herd of pigs, that rushed into the sea and drowned. Today, the Sea of Galilee is a popular tourist attraction because of these well-known stories from the life of Jesus.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is the deepest place on the land surface of the Earth. It has no outlets and loses water only through evaporation. This has made it one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth, so much so that scientists refer to it as “hypersaline.” Because of the water density, human beings are too buoyant to sink in the water but float around mostly on top of it.

One of the famous stories in the Bible is the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Scholars believe these were located near what is today the southern shore of the Dead Sea. The Bible says the area was green and fertile, but the people who lived there behaved violently and sinfully. So, God sent down fire from the sky and destroyed the cities and the surrounding countryside. One family escaped, but the wife hesitated and looked back toward the city. As a result, she was frozen into a salt pillar.

Despite this disastrous story from the past, the Bible forecasts a good future for the Dead Sea. The prophets predict that a new river will flow into it. The Sea and the surrounding area will become fresh and fertile once again. Rather than debating whether this is meant literally or symbolically, this prediction can be a reminder that there is hope in even the most hopeless situations.

Will There Be Oceans and Seas in Heaven?

The last book of the Bible, Revelation, contains prophecies about events that will happen in the last days of Earth. It also describes what the kingdom of Heaven will be like. Among other things, it says there will no longer be any sea. If taken literally and to its full extent, this would imply that there will not be large bodies of water like oceans and seas in Heaven. For those of us who love the ocean, this would be a tremendous loss! Could this prediction mean something else?

Because Israel in ancient times was not a sea-faring nation, the sea was a frightening place. Violent storms could arise unexpectedly even on small bodies of water like the Sea of Galilee. The Mediterranean was also a source of danger from overseas invaders. As the story of Jonah illustrated, the Israelites were aware that large marine predators lurked under the surface. Seen in this light, the prediction may simply mean these dangers won’t exist in Heaven. It will be a place of peace and safety.