[Varda]

It's an interesting topic. I was taught that it was “Red Sea” and that the meaning of the name is unknown to modern research. There are apparently a number of ancient sources calling it the “Red Sea”.

“The notion that the Yam Suf is the modern-day Red Sea predates any English translation of the Bible by well over a thousand years. In fact, it seems that until the late eighteenth century no one questioned the translation and identification of Yam Suf with the Red Sea. 1”

But of course current Bible scholars like to make meanings of words current with modern culture so we have this idea that all those olden people didn't know what they were talking about.

[SunkenCiv]

Yuppers. The red/reed equation never made any sense to me, because the original language wasn't English, and (as the Rabbi notes) the Greek and Latin versions both have it as Red Sea. :^)