The sea in the Bible

• The gathered waters were called “seas”Gen 1:9–10
  The verses

  Gen 1:9–10And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
• The great sea creatures were made on the fifth dayGen 1:21–23
  The verses

  Gen 1:21–23So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every bird of flight after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
• The sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures, where the ships passPs 104:25–26
  The verses

  Ps 104:25–26Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small. There the ships pass, and Leviathan, which You formed to frolic there.
• All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never fullEccl 1:7
  The verses

  Eccl 1:7All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
• The sand is a boundary the waves cannot crossJer 5:22, Job 38:8–11
  The verses

  Jer 5:22Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

  Job 38:8–11Who enclosed the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?
• Sailors on the waves mount up to the heavens and sink to the depthsPs 107:23–27
  The verses

  Ps 107:23–27Others went out to sea in ships, conducting trade on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised a tempest that lifted the waves of the sea. They mounted up to the heavens, then sunk to the depths; their courage melted in their anguish. They reeled and staggered like drunkards, and all their skill was useless.

Seas of the land

• The Great Sea was the western borderNum 34:6, Josh 1:4
  The verses

  Num 34:6Your western border will be the coastline of the Great Sea; this will be your boundary on the west.

  Josh 1:4Your territory shall extend from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great River Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites—and west as far as the Great Sea.
• The Salt Sea, where the Valley of Siddim had beenGen 14:3
  The verses

  Gen 14:3The latter five came as allies to the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea).
• The Jordan’s flow to the Salt Sea was cut off as Israel crossedJosh 3:16
  The verses

  Josh 3:16the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
• Borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the PhilistinesExod 23:31
  The verses

  Exod 23:31And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
• Solomon built a fleet at Ezion-geber on the shore of the Red Sea1 Kgs 9:26
  The verses

  1 Kgs 9:26King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea.
• Peter and Andrew cast nets into the Sea of GalileeMatt 4:18
  The verses

  Matt 4:18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

In the stories

• An east wind drove back the sea; Israel crossed on dry groundExod 14:21–22
  The verses

  Exod 14:21–22Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on their right and on their left.
• At daybreak the sea returned and covered Pharaoh’s chariotsExod 14:27–28
  The verses

  Exod 14:27–28So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea returned to its normal state. As the Egyptians were retreating, the LORD swept them into the sea. The waters flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had chased the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
• Jonah’s sailors threw the cargo overboard to lighten the shipJonah 1:4–5
  The verses

  Jonah 1:4–5Then the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
• When Jonah was thrown in, the raging sea grew calmJonah 1:15
  The verses

  Jonah 1:15At this, they picked up Jonah and cast him into the sea, and the raging sea grew calm.
• A great fish swallowed JonahJonah 1:17
  The verses

  Jonah 1:17Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
• Jesus slept on a cushion in the stern as the waves broke over the boatMark 4:37–39
  The verses

  Mark 4:37–39Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped. But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.
• Jesus walked on the sea in the fourth watch of the nightMatt 14:25–26
  The verses

  Matt 14:25–26During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.
• Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the waterMatt 14:28–29
  The verses

  Matt 14:28–29“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.” “Come,” said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
• A coin in the mouth of the first fish caughtMatt 17:27
  The verses

  Matt 17:27“But so that we may not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish you catch. When you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for My tax and yours.”
• 153 large fish, and the net was not tornJohn 21:11
  The verses

  John 21:11So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.
• About two thousand pigs rushed down the bank into the seaMark 5:13
  The verses

  Mark 5:13He gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.
• Soundings in the Adriatic: the water grows shallowerActs 27:27–28
  The verses

  Acts 27:27–28On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.

The Sea in the temple

• Solomon’s cast-metal Sea: a huge round basin1 Kgs 7:23
  The verses

  1 Kgs 7:23He also made the Sea of cast metal. It was circular in shape, measuring ten cubits from rim to rim, five cubits in height, and thirty cubits in circumference.
• It stood on twelve oxen, three facing each direction1 Kgs 7:25
  The verses

  1 Kgs 7:25The Sea stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The Sea rested on them, with all their hindquarters toward the center.

Sayings

• Descendants “like the sand on the seashore”Gen 22:17, Gen 32:12
  The verses

  Gen 22:17I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gates of their enemies.

  Gen 32:12But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’”
• Solomon’s understanding “like the sand on the seashore”1 Kgs 4:29
  The verses

  1 Kgs 4:29And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore.
• The storm-tossed sea cannot be still; its waves churn up mireIsa 57:20
  The verses

  Isa 57:20But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea, for it cannot be still, and its waves churn up mire and muck.