Mount Sinai
The mountain wrapped in smoke and fire where Exodus says God descended and gave Moses the Law.
- Named in
- Exodus 19–34; also called Horeb
- Traditional site
- Jebel Musa, South Sinai, Egypt
- Monastery
- Saint Catherine's, 6th century, oldest monastery in continuous use
- Status
- Saint Catherine Area, UNESCO World Heritage (2002)
- Other proposals
- Sites in Arabia, the Negev and elsewhere in Sinai
What is Mount Sinai known for?
Mount Sinai, also called Horeb, is where the Book of Exodus says God gave the Law to Moses. Exodus 19 describes the mountain 'altogether on a smoke', quaking, with fire, thunder, lightning and a loud trumpet blast as the LORD descends. Moses goes up into the cloud and returns with the tablets of the covenant.
Since late antiquity, Christian tradition has identified Sinai with Jebel Musa, the 'Mountain of Moses', in the south of the Sinai Peninsula. Saint Catherine's Monastery, founded at its foot in the 6th century, is the oldest Christian monastery still used for its original purpose, and the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.
The Bible does not give a precise location, and scholars have proposed many alternatives, including sites in northwest Arabia. The Book of Jubilees presents itself as secret history dictated to Moses on Sinai by an angel.
Exodus describes the mountain in smoke and fire as God descends; Jubilees claims to be revealed there.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeBook of Jubilees
- PassageSinai: a mountain in smoke (Exodus 19:12–18)
- PersonMoses
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 'Saint Catherine Area'Reference
- Exodus 19 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Saint Catherine's Monastery'Reference
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