2 Ne 8:9-10 Art thou not he that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the
dragon?
Who hath cut Rahab and wounded the dragon? What does this mean? Reynolds and Sjodahl clarified that Rahab represents Egypt (Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 290) and Ezek. 29:3 refers to Pharaoh as ¡®the great dragon.¡¯
Therefore, we may paraphrase this passage as follows: ¡°Art thou not he (the Great Jehovah) who hath cut off Egypt, and wounded Pharaoh? Art thou not he who hath dried the red sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the red sea a way for the ransomed children of Israel to pass over?¡±
This famous
scriptural event is symbolic in many ways. The Egyptian armies were the most
powerful military force on the face of the earth at the time that Moses
confronted them. Still, the power of the Lord was strong enough to destroy them
and save his people. This event will be repeated in the redemption of Zion and
Jerusalem. In that day, the power of the Lord will rest with the saints to such
a degree that ¡®it shall be said among the wicked;
Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are
terrible; wherefore we cannot stand.¡¯ (DC 45:70) Similarly, Jerusalem
will be saved from the fiercest army ever assembled in the history of the world
(Rev. 9:16), and a careful review of the plagues listed in Revelation shows a
striking similarity to the plagues of Egypt (compare Ex. 7-9 to Rev. 8-9).
Therefore, when we think of the triumph of the children of Israel over the
power of Pharaoh, we should see the latter-day symbolism. The power of the Lord
was wielded on behalf his people then, and that same power will be wielded
again in just as dramatic a fashion.