The crossing of the Red Sea stands as a profound moment of reversed nature, where stormy ocean depths transformed into a paved, dry road for the Israelites. God's powerful intervention altered reality itself, granting safe passage through a place of mortal danger.
The primary approach among commentators is that God pushed back the water by sending a fierce east wind [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי]. Others paint a more vivid picture, suggesting that God seemingly scolded the sea, causing the waters to retreat in shame before Him [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. As a result, the sea dried up completely [מצודת ציון], specifically in the exact area where the Israelites crossed [מאירי].
The people were led directly into the lowest, deepest parts of the ocean [אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד]. Naturally, walking into such depths would require a steep descent and a difficult climb back up. To prevent this, an additional miracle took place: the ocean floor rose, creating a straight and comfortable path for them to walk on [מלבי״ם].
This journey through the deep ocean is compared to walking through a desert. Physically, the Israelites marched on completely dry ground with no water underfoot, while the sea stood like a wall on either side [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מאירי]. This extreme dryness served a specific purpose regarding the people's doubts. They had been afraid that the sea floor would remain muddy and difficult to cross. To calm their fears, God dried the earth until it mirrored the absolute dryness of a desert, entirely silencing their complaints [אלשיך, מלבי״ם].
Beyond the physical conditions, the comparison highlights God's constant care. Just as He provided for all their needs in the actual wilderness so that they lacked nothing, He cared for them completely as they walked through the ocean depths [מנחת שי]. Additionally, an alternative reading suggests that the text is not making a comparison to a desert, but rather stating a geographical fact: the Red Sea was physically located within the wilderness region [רש״י, מנחת שי].