If you base your answer on popular opinion in not only the King James, but other versions of the Bible, the answer most of the time is yes he drowned. If you saw the movie The Ten Commandments with Charelston Heston as Moses or The Prince of Egypt, the animated movie, the answer is no. No contest hereScripture no matter what version or Hollywood. I agree with that logic as I am sure you do, but what does Scripture in fact say? Exodus 14:24-28 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand overe the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, uon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea aftere them; there remained not so much as one of them. there remained not so much as one of them. This statement is what many Biblical scholars base the premise that Pharaoh drowned too. We know for a fact that he was indeed there leading his army as it clearly states in Exodus 14 6:8 that he made ready his own chariot and took his people with him. 600 chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them. Exodus 14 10 says that the Israelites were trapped at the Red Sea (at Nuweiba Beach next to the Gulf of Aqaba which on an old map calls it Nuwayba al Muzayyinah or Waters of Moses Opening).
A commentary on the Torah by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald: Beshalach 57722011
says: We read of the splitting of the Red Sea and the miraculous salvation of the Israelites from the hands of Pharaoh and his mighty army. Although Pharaoh hastily chased the people of Israel out of Egypt, once the people had left he had a change of heart and decided to pursue them in order to bring them back to Egypt. Exodus 14: 5 Mah zoht ahseenoo kee shelahchnoo et Yisrael may anvdaynoo? May all the Rabbis forgive my pronunciation! Which says, as it does in our KJV: What have we done that we have sent away Israel from serving us? In other words whos going to make bricks now? Perhaps, my pyramid is only half done or something like that? The Torah and the KJV both tell the exact same description of what happens when God parts the Red Seathe Israelites cross on dry landthe Egyptians follow become mired downchariots fall apartEgyptians turn to fleeGod drowns them. The Torah and the Christian Old Testament concludes by describing the resounding triumph over Egypt. In the very next chapter Exodus 15, Moses leads the men of Israel in song and Miriam leads the women in song and dance with timbrels. Thats the last of Pharoah we we hear of or is it? The Haamek Davar by Yehudah Berlin offers a literal interpretation of the Torahs words echoed in our Old Testament not one remained. Berlin says that not only did every soldier and every chariot rider succumb to the powers of the sea, but even those who were not warriors perished as well. All those allied with the Egyptians who only assisted in caring for the chariots were drowned in the Red Sea. NOT ONE REMAINED! However, not all commentators accept the literal interpretation of the Biblical text. Some insist that Pharaoh drowned in the sea together with his army and others have a different opinion. Rabbis and Christian Bible scholars are troubled by the translation of the Hebrew there remained not a one of them which has also been translated as even one or as much as one. They maintain that the one means Pharoah survived the churning seas so that he could serve as living proof and retell firsthand the account of the wonders that God had performed on behalf of the people of Israel. He could return to Egypt by himself on foot in complete defeat.
The commentators note that confirmation of Pharaohs death is glaringly absent
from the Song of Moses. Exodus 15:4 Pharaohs chariots and army he threw into the sea and the pick of his officers were mired in the Sea of Reeds. This is direct from the Jewish text. It fails to mention anything about Pharaoh himself. Again at the conclusion of the song, the Torahs Exodus 15:18 When Pharaohs cavalry came with his chariots and his horsemen, into the sea and God turned back the waters of the sea upon them, the Children of Israel walked in the dry land amid the sea. The King James Version in Exodus 15:19 the same says For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; why would Pharaohs horse go in without Pharaoh. This is almost a philosophical discussion isnt it. I have seen horse races where a jockey has been thrown off his horse and his horse continues around the track running after the other horses leaving the jockey behind. We can only make assumption here that the Bible says that Pharaohs horse continued without Pharaoh who watched his entire hand-picked forces perish before his eyes. Every time that God showed him a sign he hardened his heart. Here way be that final episode where Pharaoh can truly watch the awesome power of Almighty God with the power to do nothing about it but wring his hands in utter defeat. Professor Louis Ginzberg in The Legends of the Jews records this incident as Thus all the Egyptians were drowned. Only one was sparedPharaoh. When the children of Israel raised their voices on the other side of the Red Sea in song and dance, Pharaoh could hear it as he was jostled hither and thither by the billows and he pointed his finger heavenward and called out I believe in you O God. You are righteous and I and my people are wicked and I acknowledge now that this is no god in the world beside You. Had Pharaoh simply drowned in the sea along with the Egyptian hosts, their chariots and their horses, it would not have been nearly as profound as knowing that Pharaoh survived to proclaim the truth of the LORD. The man whos heart was hardened by God every time was given the opportunity to reflect over and over to his death of the awesome power of the God of the Isrealites, OUR GOD, too.
One of my favorite hymns is Our God is an Awesome God.
Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, in wisdom truth and love, our God is an awesome God. Ive presented the facts from the Torah and The Bible and the opinions of scholars. You decide whether Pharoah drowned or not. I think that the truth here is not whether he drowned or not in Exodus Chapter 14 but of the awesome power of Almighty God who can part the Red Sea; who can destroy a mighty army with the wave of His Hand and let his people pass on dry land. Reflect on that thought. May God bless you this week in all that you do. ###