Baal-zephon

Baal-zephon (meaning Baal of the north or lord of the watch-tower) was an Egyptian location on or near the shores of the Gulf of Suez, mentioned as a landmark in the account of Israel's departure from Egypt. Exodus 14:2 records God's instruction to Moses to tell Israel to encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon — the position that would appear to trap them against the water and prompt Pharaoh to pursue. Numbers 33:7 repeats the encampment at Pi-hahiroth, which is before Baal-zephon.

The site preserves the name of a Baal sanctuary in Egyptian territory, a reminder that Semitic religion and place-names had penetrated into the Delta region through centuries of cultural contact. The exact location remains disputed, as the identification depends on the broader question of the route of the Exodus, but it was evidently a recognizable landmark to both Israel and Egypt at the time of the crossing.