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The moment Moses parts the Red Sea is one the most famous Biblical miracles.

But instead of relying on God to divide the water into two huge columns, as seen in the 1956 film, 'The Ten Commandments,' Moses may have instead used his knowledge of tides to guide the Israelites to safety and escape the Pharaoh's army.

This is the claim made by Dr Bruce Parker, an author, visiting professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, and former chief scientist of the of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA's) National Ocean Service.

Moses may have instead used his knowledge of tides to guide the Israelites to safety and escape the Pharaoh's army, according to Dr Bruce Parker, former chief scientist of the (NOAA's) National Ocean Service. A screenshot of the moment from Ridley Scott's new film, 'Exodus: Gods and Kings,' is pictured

In the Biblical story, Moses parts the sea, allowing the children of Israel to cross a dry seabed to the opposite shore, while the waters 'close' and drown the Pharaoh's soldiers, who are in pursuit.

The tale will feature in Ridley Scott's 'Exodus: Gods and Kings,' who claims that his version will be more 'realistic,' with the parting explained by a tsunami caused by an earthquake. This is because, before a tsunami strikes, coastal waters often recede.

However, Dr Parker writes in The Wall Street Journal that the explanation is flawed, because waters typically only drawback for up to 20 minutes, which could not have given the Israelites enough time to cross the dry seabed, thought to be at the Gulf of Suez, at the northern end of the Red Sea. 

Moses would not have been able to predict an earthquake and tsunami, unless he was tipped off by God, he added.

Instead, the expert believes that Moses used his local knowledge of tides to ensure his people got safe passage.

In the Gulf of Suez (stock image), the low tides mean that parts of the seabed can be dry for hours, before the waters make a sudden return. According to the Bible, the children of Israel were camped on the western shore of the Gulf when Pharoah's troops were spotted in the distance

In the Gulf of Suez, the low tides mean that parts of the seabed can be dry for hours, before the waters make a sudden return.

According to the Bible, the children of Israel were camped on the western shore of the Gulf when the Pharaoh's troops were spotted in the distance.

Dust clouds raised by chariots and horses of the approaching army would have allowed Moses to calculate their time of arrival, Dr Parker said.

Having lived in the wilderness, Moses would have known useful low tide Red Sea crossings and by looking at the moon, he could have predicted when low tide would occur.

This knowledge would not have been used by the soldiers who lived along the River Nile, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea and does not have dramatic tides.

Dr Parker writes: 'Knowing when low tide would occur, how long the sea bottom would remain dry and when the waters would rush back in, Moses could plan the Israelites' escape.'

The Biblical tale cites a full moon on the night of the dramatic escape, which would have meant that the low tide would be at its lowest, allowing the seabed to have stayed drier for longer, giving the people longer to cross.

If this was the case, the high tide would also have been higher and more likely to drown an army, as described in the Biblical story.

This is the parting of the Red Sea as depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster, 'The Ten Commandments'. Because water levels were higher in the Red Sea in Biblical times, the expert estimates that 'walls' of water may well have come crashing down on the Egyptian soldiers, but they wouldn't have parted in this way

In order for this to happen, Moses' timing would have had to be perfect, so that the last of the Israelites crossed the dry sea just before the return of the high tide – enticing the Pharaoh's army to follow them and letting the powerful returning waters catch them unawares.

Dr Parker says Moses may have managed this either by using some sort of delaying tactic, or by sending his most able-bodied people back to entice the soldiers to chase them across the seabed.

The Biblical story also mentions a strong east wind that helped to 'push back' the waters.

Dr Parker said that it is true that wind blowing across a shallow waterway pushes it back, so such a wind may have heightened the effect of low tide to reveal more dry seabed than normal.

Of course, such a wind could be attributed to divine intervention, but Dr Parker believes that Moses' timing 'had to be based on a tide prediction'.

Because water levels were higher in the Red Sea in Biblical times, the expert estimates that 'walls' of water may well have come crashing down on the Egyptian soldiers.

Dr Parker is not the first scientist to suggest this theory to explain the Red Sea miracle.

An account written by an ancient historian called Artapanus between 80 and 40 BC, says: 'Moses, being acquainted with the country, waited for the ebb and took the people across the sea when dry.'