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Hebrew Bible · Exodus 19:12–18

Sinai: a mountain in smoke

EvidenceDocumentedThe text exists and is quoted from a published translation. What it describes is a separate question.What this means
ReferenceExodus 19:12–18
Writtenc. 900–500 BCE
SetThe Exodus
And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

Translation: KJV

Read it literally

A landing in fire, a loud trumpet sound growing louder, and a boundary: anyone who touches the mountain dies (19:12). A quarantine line around a hot landing zone.

What scholars say

Some scholars link the imagery to a volcano or a storm god tradition.

From the sky Looks like technology
People and places hereMount Sinai

Quick answers about Exodus 19:12–18

Where is Exodus 19:12–18 found?

Exodus 19:12–18 (Hebrew Bible). Translation quoted: King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with Apocrypha.

When was Exodus 19:12–18 written?

c. 900–500 BCE.

What do scholars say about Exodus 19:12–18?

Some scholars link the imagery to a volcano or a storm god tradition.

Sources

  1. King James Version (1611; standard 1769 text), with ApocryphaPrimary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

Updated