The parting of the waters is clearly a supernatural event, the waters forming walls of protection for the fleeing Israelites, and then becoming the medium of God’s judgment on the pursuing Egyptians. Though the doomed Egyptians recognize God’s power in the end, the more important point is that the Israelites believe in him as their God and in Moses as their God-given leader. This recognition will be key to the Israelites’ cohesion as a people, and to their survival, in the coming wilderness journey.