moses journey to mount sinai

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The Exodus Route: Wilderness of Sinai (camp for 11 months, 5 days)

Note: for more specific details on the final camp at Sinai, see: Mt. Sinai

Discussion:

a.        Israel arrived at the final camp in front of Mt. Sinai in the Wilderness of Sinai on day 47 from Goshen: Ex 19:1

b.       Scripture never says Israel camped in the Wilderness of Sinai then journeyed to the  foot of Mt. Sinai .

c.        Instead scripture equates the wilderness of Sinai as being equal to the final camp  in front of Mt. Sinai .

d.       " In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the  wilderness of Sinai . When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the  wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain . " (Exodus 19:1–2)

e.       In the Numbers 33 itinerary, the Wilderness of Sinai was the final camp spot for 11 months at Mt. Sinai: " They journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the  wilderness of Sinai . [11 months, 5 days pass] They journeyed from the  wilderness of Sinai  and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah. " (Numbers 33:15–16)

f.         Moses saw the burning bush in the wilderness of Sinai. The burning bush probably marked the spot where Israel would camp several month later after Moses returns with the Hebrews. “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai , in the flame of a burning thorn bush." (Acts 7:30)

g.        The west side of the Wilderness of Sinai was at the foot of Mt. Horeb: "Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed." (Exodus 3:1–2)

h.       The 11-month camp at Mt. Sinai was identical to the camp in the Wilderness of Sin.

2.       Israel's Arrival in the Wilderness of Sinai ends the most important stage of the journey. They have escaped the slavery of Egypt, have come to God and are about to receive the Law of Moses on Pentecost in a spectacular display of divine power (Heb 12).

3.       They did not camp at the foot of Mt. Sinai, but about 10 km due east from the foot of the mountain.

a.        "let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, 'Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death." Exodus 19:11-12

b.       Moses went into the wilderness of Sinai and the people journeyed to the foot of Mt. Sinai: "And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." Exodus 19:17

c.        Even at the foot of the mountain they were still some distance from the edge of the mountain: "So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. " Exodus 20:21

d.       All this leads us believe that the Hebrew camp in the wilderness of Sinai was likely 10 km due east from the foot of the mountain.

4.       Bible texts:

a.        "In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain." Exodus 19:1-2

b.       "They journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the wilderness of Sinai. They journeyed from the wilderness of Sinai and camped at Kibroth-hattaavah." Numbers 33:15-16

c.        "which the Lord commanded Moses at Mount Sinai in the day that He commanded the sons of Israel to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai." Leviticus 7:38

d.       "Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying," Numbers 1:1

e.       "just as the Lord had commanded Moses. So he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai." Numbers 1:19

f.         "But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron." Numbers 3:4

g.        "Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying," Numbers 3:14

h.       " Thus the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying," Numbers 9:1

i.          "They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did." Numbers 9:5

j.         "and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai. Then the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran." Numbers 10:12

k.        "But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai." Numbers 26:64

By Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections .

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Appendix 2. The Route of the Exodus.

The route of the Exodus has been hotly debated. Since there are no archaeological artifacts from the Exodus itself and place names seldom match places identifiable today, we are left to sort out the probable route based on clues from the biblical accounts and the land itself. Three main routes of the Exodus to Mt. Sinai have been proposed.

1. Northern Sinai Route

The Northern Route sees the "Reed Sea" as Lake Serbonis, then along the Mediterranean coast of Sinai. It finds Mount Sinai in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.  However, this route was heavily fortified by the Egyptians, since it constituted the route enemies would take to attack Egypt. This route is explicitly excluded by the text:

"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter . For God said, 'If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.' So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea." (Exodus 13:17-18)

Moreover, the present Lake Serbonis probably didn't yet exist at the time of Moses.

2. Central Sinai Route

A route directly east of the end of Wadi Tumilat across the center of the Sinai Peninsula doesn't have enough wells to support this body of people and animals.

I've recently seen a variation on this -- not held by any reputable scholar -- that claims the "real" Red Sea ("Reed Sea") is the Gulf of Aqaba, the "real" Mt. Sinai is Jebel el Lawz in Arabia. The theory holds that Pharaoh's chariots chased the Israelites across the center of the Sinai Peninsula, then down the steep canyon of Wadi Watir, across Nuweiba beach, and a slightly submerged land bridge into Arabia. 1 The problem with this view is that the Scripture shows the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses at the Red Sea before the trek across the Sinai Peninsula, not after it. It just doesn't fit the facts of Scripture.

3. Southern Sinai Route (Traditional)

Below is a map that shows the traditional route that makes the most sense to me.

The traditional route crosses the "Reed Sea" at perhaps Lake Timsah or the Bitter Lakes, then down Sinai's west coastlands, then east through the mountains and wadis to a southern Mount Sinai, perhaps Jebel Musa, then back up northeastward by Sinai's east coast and desert to Kadesh-barnea. This route has the advantage that it:

• Steers clear of nearly all Egyptian presence.
• The Shur desert was also called the desert of Etham (Numbers 33:8), in the latitude of the east end of Wadi Tumilat. So, moving through that desert for three days (if the middle way of Seir is excluded) has to be southward along the west coast of Sinai. 2
• The west coast of Sinai has a number of known watering places.

Of course, no one knows the route for sure. Very few of the stages of the journey outlined in Numbers 33 have been identified with any certainty, with the exception of Ezion Geber, Kadesh Barnea, and the plains of Moab.

Nevertheless, let's discuss some of the locations that we're more sure about -- plus a couple of others.

Ramses, Pithom, and Succoth (Exodus 12:37)

The locations of both Ramses and Succoth have been fairly well established. Scholars identify Rameses ("house of Rameses") as Qantir or Tell el-Dab`a, the ancient Avaris/Pi-Ramesse. 3 It was originally built on the eastern bank of the Pelusiac, the easternmost of the Nile's five ancient branches. Later, prior to 1069 BC, the course this branch of the Nile migrated away from the city, and the site was abandoned.

Succoth 4 (the modern Tell el-Maskhuta) is found in the Wadi Tumilat of the southeast delta. 5 The name Succoth in Hebrew means "temporary shelters, tents, booths," which corresponds to the Egyptian name Tjeku.

Kitchen makes a strong case to identify Pithom ("house of the god Atum") as Tell er-Retabe along the Wadi Tumilat, a few miles due west of Succoth. 6

Location of the Red Sea or yām sûp

We just don't know the exact location of the body of water identified in the text as the "Red Sea." The Hebrew is yām sûp , a term used in the Old Testament to identify a number of different bodies of water. Yām is used in the Old Testament over 300 times to refer to "sea" and about 70 times for "west" or "westward." 7 The word sûp means "reed, waterplant," a general term for marsh plants. 8 What we know as the Red Sea today lies to the south, with two northern branches, the Gulf of Aqabah to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Suez to the west of the Sinai Peninsula.

According to 1 Kings 9:26 and other passages, 9 the term yām sûp is used to describe Gulf of Aqabah (Elat), the body of water east of the Sinai Peninsula. Of course, in many many passages, yām sûp is the sea of the Exodus. 10

We conclude, then, that the "Red Sea" ( yām sûp ) refers to some body of water east of the Nile delta. Scholars have found evidence of ancient canals in this area. Here are the primary possibilities of bodies of water we see today along the line of the present-day 101-mile Suez Canal, which opened in 1869. North to south, these are:

• Lake Ballah
• Lake Timsah
• Great Bitter Lake
• Little Bitter Lake

Water tables, no doubt, are different now than they were 3,000 years ago, so we can't judge just by what we see today. Some believe that the Gulf of Suez gradually receded over the centuries, its coastline slowly moving farther and farther southward away from Lake Timsah and the Greater Bitter Lake to its present coastline today. 11 "It is plausible, even if they were marshy areas, that the Israelites crossed while the area was flooded, which occurred periodically." 12 The exact spot of the crossing is impossible to determine with certainty, but it probably occurred either at Lake Timsah or at the Great Bitter Lake.

The Sinai Coast

If, indeed, the Israelites took the traditional southern route, it would have been a difficult trip. Beno Rothenberg notes:

"Sinai's broad southern littoral [area near the shoreline] is for the most part a sandy waste. In the wadi-estuaries and in a few depressions between the sea and the mountains of Sinai the yellow sand is relieved by white patches of chalk and limestone, sometimes mingled with loess. In such parts there is water and vegetation: tamarisks, date-palms, and acacias. But the parched soil shrivels and crumples up in the fierce desert heat." 13

Marah (Exodus 15:23)

Marah has been traditionally identified with Ain Hawara, but there can be no certainty. Beno Rothenberg observed in 1957 that Ain Hawara is "a spring now completely buried in sand. Only a cluster of date-palms and a damp spot nearby are there to tell of its existence." 14

Elim (Exodus 15:27)

It has always been tempting for scholars to try to locate the oasis of Elim.

"Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water." (Exodus 15:27)

Elim ( ʾ�lim ) is the plural of ʾayil , "terebinth, great tree," so Elim means "(place of) great trees." 15 Some scholars identify Elim with the modern day Wadi Gharandel, located on the west coast of the Sinai Peninsula and the site of numerous palm trees, 16 but it is by no means proven.

Mount Sinai

The exact location of Mount Sinai (sometimes referred to as Mount Horeb) is unknown. There are three theories as to its general location:

• Northern Sinai . Candidates suggested are Jebel Helal, Jebel Kharif, Jebel Sin Bisher, Jebel Yeleq, Jebel Magharah, Jebel Karkom, or Kadesh-barnea itself.
• Arabia . Mountains suggested are present-day Petra, el-Khrob, or Hala el-Bedr. This has a long tradition, but is unlikely. 17
• Southern Sinai . The traditional southern route of the Exodus suggests four possible peaks, which I think are most likely, all clustered together: Jebel Musa ("Mountain of Moses") is 7,498 feet in elevation, Jebel Katarina is 8,551 feet, and Ras Safsafa is 7,113 feet. Jebel Serbal (6,739 feet) is west a few miles, near the Monastery of St. Catherine. Which of these peaks is the real Mount Sinai, God only knows, but each has its proponents. 19

The location of Rephidim is unknown. However, many have placed it near the Oasis of Feiran. Yohanan Aharoni comments:

"Wadi Feiran is one of the largest and most famous wadis in Sinai. It is 81 miles long and begins in the region of Jebel Musa, where it is called Wadi el Sheikh. Feiran boasts the chief oasis in Sinai, one of the wonders of the Peninsula. In the heart of the bleak and forbidding granite mountains a green parkland suddenly comes into view: over 6 miles of date-palm groves, tamarisks, reeds, rushes, and other vegetation, with a small sparkling stream to delight the eye, artesian wells, and even a petrol engine to draw up the water. The inhabitants are Bedouin." 20

Kadesh-Barnea

Kadesh is almost certainly to be identified with Ain el-Qudeirat in the Wadi el-Ain of the northern Sinai. "The vegetation near Ain el-Qudeirat and its ample supply of water suit very well the topographical requirements of the wilderness narratives." 21 Ain el-Qudeirat is the richest spring in the Sinai, having a flow of about 40 cubic meters per hour. 22

The actual location of Mount Hor is unknown, but was considered in Edomite territory. Josephus identified Mount Edom as Jebel Nebi Harim near Petra. But a more likely location might be Jebel Madura, about 15 miles northeast of Kadesh at the edge of Edom's territory. 23

Ezion-geber (Numbers 33:35; Deuteronomy 2:8)

Ezion-geber is almost surely located at Tell el-Kheleifeh at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Dizahab (Deuteronomy 1:1)

Dizahab must surely be related to the present town of Dahab, as both names are phonetic equivalents and both have to do with places of gold. 24

Jotbathah (Numbers 33:33)

Jotbathah is quite likely to be the oasis of Taba, located about seven miles south of Ezion-geber on the eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. 25

Of course there are many speculations as to other identifications, but these are the most likely.

1 . This view is "explained" in a series of slides on the Grace upon Grace Ministries website.� http://graceupongraceministries.org/video-feed� It is explained by Russell and Colin Standish, Holy Relics or Revelation (Rapidan, VA: Hartland Publications).

2 . This analysis draws heavily on K.A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the New Testament (Eerdmans, 2003), pp. 265-274. See also Peter Enns, "Exodus Route and Wilderness Itinerary," DOTP, pp. 272-280.

3 . P. Enns, "Exodus Route and Wilderness Itinerary," DOTP pp. 272-280, especially p. 273.

4 . Exodus 12:37; 13:20; Numbers 33:5-6

5 . W.L. Thompson, Jr., "Succoth," ISBE 4:648); Kitchen, Reliability , pp. 256-259.

6 . Kitchen, Reliability , pp. 256-259. J.H. Walton, "Exodus, Date of," DOTP, p. 262.

7 . Paul R. Gilchrist, yām , TWOT #871a.

8 . R.D. Patterson, sûp, TWOT #1479. Exodus 2:3, 5; Isaiah 19:6; Jonah 2:5.

9 . Also Exodus 23:31; Numbers 14:25; 21:4; Deuteronomy 1:40; 2:1; Judges 11:16; Jeremiah 49:21.

10 . Exodus 15:4, 22; Joshua 2:10; 4:23; Psalm 106:7, 9, 22.

11 . "Suez Canal," Wikipedia, 12 Dec 2010, citing Édouard Naville, "Map of the Wadi Tumilat" (plate image), in The Store-City of Pithom and the Route of the Exodus (London: Trubner and Company, 1885); S Rappoport, History of Egypt (London, Grolier Society, undated, early 20th century), Volume 12, Part B, Chapter V: "The Waterways of Egypt," pages 248-257.

12 . P. Enns, "Exodus Route and Wilderness Journey," DOTP, p. 276.

13 . Ben Rothenberg, God's Wilderness , p. 93, plate 30.

14 . Ben Rothenberg, God's Wilderness , p. 94, plate 33.

15 . ʾAyil , BDB 18.

16 . Kitchen, Reliability , p. 269, who sees it "possible, but not proven."

17 . Arguments pro and con are presented in Beitzel, Atlas , pp. 90-91.

18 . Map relies on Beitzel, Atlas , pp. 86-87, map 25.

19 . Kitchen ( Reliability , p. 270) says, "In practical terms, the immediate conjunction of clear space plus impressive mountain at Gebel Musa suits the biblical narrative much better than does Gebel Serbal.... Certainty is not attainable, but Gebel Musa may lead Gebel Serbal by a short head."

20 . Yohanan Aharoni in God's Wilderness , pp. 135-136.

21 . R.K. Harrison, "Kadesh," ISBE 3:1-2

22 . Moshe Dothan, "The Fortress at Kadesh-Barnea," Israel Exploration Journal , 1965, pp. 134-51. A number of photos of Kadesh-barnea can be found in God's Wilderness , plates 10-17.

23 . Harrison, Numbers , p. 272.

24 . Beitzel, Atlas , p. 92 and Map 25.

25 . Beitzel, Atlas , p. 92 and Map 25.

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BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Searching for biblical mt. sinai.

The case for Har Karkom in the Negev and the case for Saudi Arabia

Where is Mt. Sinai? At a 2013 colloquium in Israel, an international group of scholars debated the question. At the center of the debate was Har Karkom, a mountain ridge in the Negev Desert that archaeologist Emmanuel Anati believes to be the Biblical Mt. Sinai. Or could Mt. Sinai be in Saudia Arabia, where Moses was thought to have fled after escaping Egypt? In “ Where Is Mount Sinai? The Case for Har Karkom and the Case for Saudia Arabia ” in the March/April 2014 issue of BAR , Hershel Shanks examines these candidates.

Emmanuel Anati stands before Har Karkom, a ridge in the Negev that he believes inspired the Biblical Mt. Sinai. Photo: Hershel Shanks.

Biblical Mt. Sinai has never been identified archaeologically with any scholarly consensus, though several sites have been considered. According to Shanks, none of the scholars who attended the colloquium in Israel discussed the traditional location of Mt. Sinai—the mountain called Jebel Musa looming over St. Catherine’s Monastery in the southern Sinai. Jebel Musa’s identification as Mt. Sinai developed in the early Byzantine period with the spread of monasticism into the Sinai desert. Curiously, no Exodus-related archaeological remains have been recovered in the Sinai Peninsula—through which the Israelites must have traveled out of Egypt—dating to the traditional period of the Exodus, around 1200 B.C.E.

FREE ebook: Ancient Israel in Egypt and the Exodus .

Having conducted more than 30 years of archaeological work on and around Har Karkom—a 2,700-foot ridge in the southern Negev—Emmanuel Anati is convinced that he has found the Biblical Mt. Sinai. At Har Karkom, Anati discovered 1,300 archaeological sites, 40,000 rock engravings and more than 120 rock cult sites. Between 4300 and 2000 B.C.E.—what Anati calls the Bronze Age Complex—Har Karkom was a religious center where the moon-god Sin was apparently worshiped. Rock art depicting ibexes, animals with crescent-shaped horns that may have symbolized the moon, are abundant. Even more intriguing, Anati believes Biblical motifs are represented on some of the rock art.

An abundance of rock art can be found at Har Karkom, including some that Emmanuel Anati interprets as Biblical motifs. A rectangular grid divided into ten spaces suggests the Ten Commandments Moses received on Mt. Sinai. In other rock art pictured in BAR , vertical and curvy lines may represent a staff and snake, recalling the story of Moses’ brother Aaron turning a staff into a snake as he stood before Pharaoh. Photo: Emmanuel Anati.

It was Har Karkom, Anati suggests, that the Biblical authors envisioned when they referred to Mt. Sinai. One major obstacle to this conclusion, Shanks notes, is that the religious center at Har Karkom flourished at least 800 years earlier than the traditional date of the Exodus. Emmanuel Anati prososes that the Exodus should be re-dated to the late third or early second millennium—if the Exodus, as described in the Bible, occurred at all. Anati believes the Biblical authors had been inspired by Har Karkom regardless.

Watch Emmanuel Anati’s lecture “ Har Karkom: Archaeological Discoveries on a Holy Mountain in the Desert of Exodus ” and other full-length lectures from the Out of Egypt: Israel’s Exodus Between Text and Memory, History and Imagination conference, which addressed some of the most challenging issues in Exodus scholarship. The international conference was hosted by Calit2’s Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego in San Diego, CA.

Shanks proposes that we reexamine another theory: the “Midianite Hypothesis.” According to this theory, Mt. Sinai was not in the Sinai Peninsula, but in Midian in northwest Saudi Arabia. In the Bible, Moses fled to Midian after escaping Egypt (Exodus 2:15). While tending to the flock of Jethro, the priest of Midian who became Moses’ father-in-law , Moses came to “the Mountain of God” (Mt. Horeb–one of two names for the Mountain of God in the Bible) and there received God’s call to take the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 3:1,17). In contrast to the archaeologically empty Sinai during the traditional date of the Exodus, the region of northwest Saudi Arabia was thriving in the 12th century—as attested by the proliferation of Midianite ware, pottery associated with the Midianites. This distinctive painted ware had even made its way north to an Egyptian temple at Timna in the Negev Desert—but not into the Sinai.

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The location of Mt. Sinai continues to be debated in scholarship. Subscribers: Read more about the evidence at Har Karkom and in Saudi Arabia in the full article “ Where Is Mount Sinai? The Case for Har Karkom and the Case for Saudia Arabia ” by Hershel Shanks as it appeared in the March/April 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review .

This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on February 14 2014.

Related reading in Bible History Daily:

The exodus: fact or fiction, exodus in the bible and the egyptian plagues, who was moses was he more than an exodus hero.

Akhenaten and Moses

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library :

Mt. Sinai—in Arabia?

Has Mt. Sinai Been Found?

Where Is Mount Sinai? The Case for Har Karkom and the Case for Saudi Arabia

What Really Happened at Mount Sinai? Four biblical answers to one question

Related Posts

By: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff

Pharaoh’s Brick Makers

By: Marek Dospěl

53 Responses

Martin: If the Bible intimates that the Israeli host were already away from capture by the Pharaoh’s hosts in pursuit of them at the time of the first ascension up the mountain by Moses, then the place where they sojourned or languished was East of the Nile. Whether the modern boundaries are those identifiable by scholars as having been those known to the chroniclers and later corroborated by scientists, the biblical account of the travelling host out of Egypt suggests the absence of any more threat by the Egyptian pharaoh! The Israeli host included the live stock and the humans, both subject to the will of God! Forty years in the wilderness would have necessitated the means for sustenance of both. How else but by the Will of Almighty God could such provision be supplied? I rest my case, but remain open to “the truth”! M November 17, 2018, 0045, 24-hour clock.

I believe what I just read above. God have mercy on those who don’t trust and believe in u Lord God. Especially the Eaties who do not believe in u. Have mercy on them Lord.

Bill, Ron Wyatt was a total fraud. Please do your homework. Your making us Christians look stupid by falling for such schticks.

And I butchered the English language in my first post. I meant “you’re.”

Seems pretty likely to me that the “original” Mt. Sinai was an erupting volcano. Burning bush, covered in smoke and fire, Israelites marching toward it following a pillar of smoke/fire in the distance, etc.

I think Ron Wyatt was right when he found it in Saudi Arabia in 1979. He said it was Jabal al Lawz. He found the altar Moses built to worship God, the one Aaron built for the golden calf worship, the rock Moses split to bring forth water, the 12 pillars Moses built for each tribe, the boundaries Moses built to keep the masses away from the mountain. There is enough grasses there to feed animals and water, it all makes sense. Also on the mountain was the cave of Elijah. The top of the mountain is all black, while the bottom is not as if blackened by fire. You split the rocks and they are only black on the outside, not inside.

#3 Jonathon you are correct. More people need to see their evidence….once you see the barb wire, and the warning signs it pretty much down hill from there.

Exodus 19:1,2: In the third month of the Going Out, Of the sons of Israel From the land of Egypt – In this very day – They Have Come, Into the Wilderness of Sin. And they Journey, From Rephidim – And they Enter, the Wilderness of Sin – And they Encamp, In the Wilderness; And Israel Encampeth – There, Before the Mount.

This, is on the 60th day after Crossing Over of the muddy branch of the Nile in the Delta – Which surrounds – With its splitting into the four main threads of the time – What the confederation of oppressed Canaanites Tribes viewed to be, the northern part of the land of Cush. The land symbolized by the bee, and by the cow, and by the serpent…

Immediately after Passover, is when the windy season generally begins, in Egypt.

I always look to the Akkadian, for the nuances of Hebrew word meanings…

For Rephidim?

Rapasu(m), in Akkadian, refers to wideness; expanses. It also refers to beating; threshing. Also, to become broad; to expand; be wide; great; broad; extended.

Rappasu, is very wide.

Rapadu(m), is to roam, to wander – Especially in the outback – The desert.

Don’t you see?

Yes, Rephidim, is a place. For it is the plural, of the wide, expansive places –

Which are the Desert of the Moon, and the deserts and mountains beyond it.

Just saying…

60 days past the Sea of Reeds, the wandering in the desert, takes you to where?

Midian, is a journey of about 425 miles, using the easiest route out of the Delta and along the coast toward the Dead Sea, then southward, into Midian. As sheep graze at about 5.6 miles per day?

This would be about 76 days, if the sheep were left to just graze along…

But if you were cutting across the desert, below the Promised Land, west of the Negev?

You would shorten this journey, to about 345 miles – About 62 days, at 5.6 miles per day.

Anyway – It all works, for me…

Make of it, what you will.

If you really want to know where Mt Sinai is just google “Dr Kim and Jebel lawz.Scroll down and watch the video. You will be amazed!!!

So amazing to me.. how quickly people will chose to not believe the Bible.. Simply because they “don’t have enough evidence..”? If the first verse is true, then how come so many have such a hard time with the rest of it? Lol, and as far as “evidence”, there is so much, for so much of what has been written.. time would fail me here.. Wow it’s a complete miracle for instance, that anyone here, evem knows a Jewish person.. The Bible is so amazing awesome 🙂 I love it how it’s always showing itself correct in all ways.. over all decades.. it will only continue to do so 🙂

Not being an archaeologist this may seem ignorant. I disagree with the man that said that Mount Sinai was in Arabia just because Paul said so. Remember that when he wrote this, Arabia did indeed lay claim to the Sinai….until 106 AD which was during Paul’s life time. Median on very old biblical maps did lay claim to the eastern areas of the Sinai from Ezion Geber to the southern tip of the Sinai…an area maybe 30-45 miles wide. Personally I will go with Jebel el Tarif…it is the right distance from the starting point, and the right number of days to get to Kadesh.

The huge promotion of Ron Wyatt as a legitimate archaeologist in the comment sections of this website is great proof of how easily non-discerning Christians are fooled by cons.

Follow the highway from Magna to AlBad & the next intersection up to the left you will see a symbol to the left in Araibic & if you click on that I believe those are the Midian tombs. It used to say it in English but not now. But there are over 32 pictures. If anyone can translate they can confirm if it says Midian Tombs in Araibic script.

Look for Magna and the Well of Moses in Saudia Arabia to the north east is AlBad and somewhere near there are the Midian Tombs and to the right you can see the black topped mountains and where it looks like a great deal of water flowed once.

The evidence for the mountain in Midian is overwhelming if you do a Google map search. Look for where there are Midian graves and Well of Moses where Palm trees grow. This represents where the people complained about the water being bitter. In the book Mountain of God, there are pictures showing a mountain not far off with a cave (Elijah went into a cave on the Mountain if Moses) & a rock that looks split and evidence of water having flowed. This mountain is called Moses’ mountain by the locals. I will come back with name of towns close by so you can find it yourself in Saudia Arabia through Google Map 🙂

Well said Cheri.

It amazes me that so many Supposed learned people, dismiss men like Wyatt, who happened to have FOUND MT. Sinai , and focus instead on his lack of pedigree! When your argument is weak discredit a mans charactor? MWhat ever the reason, you find humility, self funding and using Scripture as completely accurate distasteful. It doesn’t, however, change the fact that Mr Wyatt did find Mt Sinai, along with Noah’s ark, and quite a few other sites that others “in the field” are still denying exist or are still hunting for.

Since most archeologist who hold a degree set out with the predisposed thinking of the Bible being crap, I for one find it refreshing to have someone go against the mainstream and think outside their BOX! This man nor his family have gained anything in their search except the satisfaction of knowing Yahovah’s Word is accurate and elitist men have been made foolish by the humble. ( paraphrase of Proverbs). Almost 20 years after his death the “REAL” archeologists are just now figuring out what this man knew to be true. Give men, any man the credit his lifes work is due. Don’t begrudge another his reward because you failed at his task. Blessing and peace.

A pharaoh of Egypt went to Mount Sinai and engraved his named there! In December 2013, two years after our book EXODUS was first published, an inscription made by a King of Egypt was found at Mount Gharib, which I have proposed as Mount Sinai. And more than a hundred years ago, a hieroglyphic inscription (stele) was found in the East Nile Delta, also made by a king of Egypt, describing an expedition to a location the scholars have hotly debated. But the location is now confirmed, for the same king made both inscriptions, and he found something there that only Israel could have left. This stele coupled with the inscription of the king of Egypt at Mount Gharib takes it out of the area of theory, plausibility, and circumstantial, and puts it in the arena of evidence.

Exodus by G. M. Matheny, now available on Amazon.com, Ebooks (Kindle etc.) are not available until Oct. 12th.

Saudi arabia is not 3 days from egypt through the land of the philistines. Therefore it must be in israel. The real question is where is egypt. The answer is jerusalem. 3 days north is mount meron.

And one more thing to the responder named ralph:

All that I can say is…Wow! The sixties were good to you!

I am astonished that people are still arguing about where Mt. Sinai is!!! Response # 3 and 4 are absolutely correct. Only someone with an agenda or an ignorant fool would try to deny the OVERWHELMING evidence that is to be seen in Saudi Arabia at Jabel el Lawz. This Mt. has been explored and photographed by at least three different expeditions as are mentioned previously in the above stated responses. So for the responder that said that there isn’t, “a shred of evidence” for the claims of Ron Wyatt, you are either a fool or a liar…or both!

Ron Wyatts claims are well documented by Bob Cornuke, Jim & Penny Caldwell, and Dr.David Kim. It angers me that people call Ron Wyatt a con man. Inspite of all of the evidence that he and others have brought forth they act like it is invalid because it hasn’t been “officially” documented and therefore it doesn’t count somehow and is not real. Hogwash!

It’s like, if I look out my window and see my next door neighbor’s house on fire and I call to report it, the operator telling me that because I am not a qualified fire marshall then I am not qualified to make such a report and that the house isn’t really on fire until a “qualified” fire marshall investigates to determine if indeed my neighbors house is on fire.

Gimme a break! Anyone with half a brain and a little common sense can see that the house is ablaze! And anyone who takes an honest look at Jabel el Lawz and compares it to what is described in God’s Word can plainly see that it fits the description to a tee.

Ron Wyatt was a sincere, humble, and honest man. He was interviewed on his deathbed and stuck to his story and never made even enough to cover his expenses for his work off of any of his books or dvd’s. It is easy to see that his motivation was NOT fame and fortune. It seems to me that it is just like the devil to try to discredit and invalidate Mr. Wyatt for the very reason that everything that he did say that he discovered is the truth.

Shame on anyone who speaks against this man’s reputation without doing some honest investigation because if you do you will see that when Mr. Wyatt said he found Mt. Sinai, or Noah’s Ark, or the Red Sea Crossing, or the Ark of the Covenant, etc., then that is what he found! And if any of it turns out to be incorrect ultimately it will not be because of dishonesty. It seems perfectly fitting that God would use such a lowly and humble man to find these things at a time that seems to be leading up to the fulfillment of God’s plan here on this earth.

First STOP with the e at the end…there IS NO ERA and while i am at it you egg heads can also STOP with the miscalculated calendar. WE ARE IN THE 20th CENTURY NOT THE 21st! Jesus walked the earth 33 years not a hundred.

The Jabal Haylan volcano http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/haylan.html is the only volcano in that area known to have been active around 1200…800 BC. The only problem is that it is literally far fetched: The distance is about 1850 km (1200 miles) from Eilat. There are some interesting aspects: According to Exodus 19:1 it took 60 days for Israel from Egypt to Sinai: that might be possible for the front group of that caravan. (I assume that the exodus population was far less than 600,000 men others – probably they did not use our 10-based numerical system for census. Maybe total max 30,000 people as they camped near Jabal Haylan?) And for Elijah it took 40 days to get there in 1 Kings 19:8, but he was a man in a good shape (1 Kings 18:42-46). Jabal Haylan is near Sana’a (=Sinai??). The town of Maʾrib is near, it was capital of the Sabaean kingdom from the early iron age onwards and has some Jewish and Ethiopian connections.The Maʾrib dam is near it and the first dam was built in the Middle Bronze age. Wadi Ḥarīb is near, and it sounds like Horeb. This area might be worth of some preliminary surface survey. I just wonder could archaeologists find remains of an encampment or settlement there that existed around 1200 BC and had more than average of Egyptian items? Also the eruption time of that Volcano should be double-checked with the modern methods.

Mount sinai has to be in israel. Since it is written that “the israelites didnt travel to the way of the philistines although it was closer.” Therefore it has to be past the philistines north. Perhaps the biggest miss understanding is the location of egypt. In hebrew it is written that mitzraim (egypt) had several sons. So when we are talking about the nation of egypy this includes the philistines. They israelites dwelt in egypt 430 years. Isaac was born in grar of the philistines since his time the israelittes dwell in egypt. So i beleive egypt is one of the other brothers of the philistines who dwelt near by. In jerusalem. 3 days journey from philistines grar to mount moriah. Moses says that he will travel 3 days journey to worship god. I beleive moriAh and sinai are the same.. another obvious point is the name sinai corrresponds to one of the sons of canaan. I beleive sinai and moriah and bet el are all the same mountain in israel. The garden of eden where gos choose to establish his name. Mount meron northern israel is the only mountain that can claim two of jacobs pillars that he built in bet el. Rachel was burried after they left bet el. Nahal amud is the pillar of rachel. The gilead happens to also be called gilgal rephaim or rujm el hiri and matches the description of being west of the gilgal in deuteronomy 11.

When Moses ran out of Egypt after killing the guard he fled into Midian .For the land of Egypt included the Sinai .So when the Israelite came out of Egypt they crossed the red sea into Midian were Moses got married and worked the land ,as he knew the land well there.

You are all wrong. Ex 15. Now the lord led them not by way of the philistines although it was closer. If they were coming from egypt to sinai or even saudi arabia neither way is closer if they passed the philistines who dwelt in by the western sea. Therefore mount sinai must be north of philistines. In otherwords in canaan. This is the riddle nobody can figure out. Mount meron is the real mount sinai. Arizukertorah.wordpress.com

[…] is Mt. Sinai? The investigation and study of Har Karkom has been the life work of Emmanuel Anati, an 83-year-old Italian archaeologist who has been documenting finds at the site for more than 30 […]

If we read the Bible, that is if we read the Bible, then Mt. Sinai has to be in the Land of Midian. Where is the land of Midian? Check your map, it is in Arabia. As for Mt. Karkom, yes! I believe the Hebrews were there 100% and that it is the true Kadesh Barnea.

Thanks for listening! vom

In 1985 Ron Wyatt and Dave Fasold were searching for Mt Sinai in Arabia. They thought Jabel el Lawz was the biblical Mt Sniai because the high peak of the mountain range was distinctly black. It looked as if it was solid coal . The very top portion of the entire range had been evenly scorched.. EX 19:18 And Mt Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire.. At the foot of the mountain Ron Wyatt found columns similar to the large Egyptian columns in Egypt. These were markers for a fence or border. Each was 18 ft. diameter . In Ex 19 ti tells of how a border should be put to be sure no one crossed to step on the mountain or they would die. The columns were buried only the tops showed . The Saudis do not want tourists nosing around so they could only dig around one to see what it was.. They told a Soudi Archeologist about some rock drawings of Egyption cattle.. Right after that the Saudis built a guard station and put a fence all around so no one would explore. The Saudi Bedowins call it the mountain of Moses.

The Israelites crossed the Red sea and went into Midiam .

-No, they did not.

It is not really a mystery that Mt. Sinai is in Arabia.

-‘Cause borders never change, right, John? @ralph -You may be right about the horned altar. You are incorrect about Sinai.

Har Karkom is NOT a volcano as the Bible expressly indicates.

-Nobody in all Iron Age Judah ever saw a volcanic eruption. Sometimes, a thunderstorm is just a thunderstorm.

-E. Harding, author of the Against Jebel al-Lawz site.

Like my own, reports of God’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

I heard that God was killed in tribal warfare.

The Exodus of the Children of Israel is my favorite Bible story. The story is so wonderful and I truly want to believe it occurred just as it is described in the scriptures. Yet no matter how much we search for its certain archaeological evidence it alludes us. What then are we left to conclude? Does no archaeological evidence exist? If so, then why? Was it simply because the footsteps of a pastoral people quickly disappeared in the harsh environment? Or perhaps evidence still exists that is yet to be discovered. And if evidence does still exist what could it be to substantiate such a great story to everyone’s satisfaction? My take is that after all this time if we cannot even agree on where Mt. Sinai is then we may never be able to prove that the Exodus as described even occurred at all. But I’m hoping for the miracle discovery because I want to believe. Personally I still believe in the traditional location at Jebel Musa.

[…] Searching for Biblical Mt. Sinai: The case for Har Karkom in the Negev and the case for Saudi Arabia… […]

P.S. That image of rock art is actually a Judaic horned altar. It is blocks of stone making a cubic shape, surmounted by the standard ‘horns’ that appear on the corner of all Judaic altars.

For Jonathan, The Old Midianite Hypothesis is not new, and such scholars as George Mendenhall, Larry Stager, P. Kyle McCarter Jr., and the late Frank Moore Cross Jr., have long argued for it being the most reasonable view.

See H. St. John Philby, The Land of Midian (London: Ernst Benn, 1957). M. C. A. MacDonald, “Along the Red Sea,” in Jack Sasson, et al., eds., Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, 4 vols. (N.Y.: Scribner’s Sons, 1995), 2:1350.

The solar boar of Nuah (ie: Nu) at Mt Sinai (ie: the Great Pyramid). http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_jzOLtCnfZ2w/SwXUxUr0xPI/AAAAAAAAA9c/mtlMag_c-Is/s1600/Giza+-+Solar+Boat.jpg

The dove as an image of the flying Sun-disk. The Phoenix. St Peter’s Rome. http://puzzles-games.eu/data/media/30/Alabaster-Window-with-Dove-in-Cathedra-Petri-Basilica-Saint-Peter-Vatican-Rome-Italy-Close-up.jpg

. As to Noah’s Ark, that too is at the Great Pyramid.

Beside the Great Pyramid are the two great Solar Boats that rode the celestial waters of Nu (ie, Nuah). There were two boats, one for the day, one for the night (in pairs, you see). In Egyptian mythology, these boats searched for the Primaeval Mound that appeared in the chaotic waters of Nu. And the mound broke open to reveal the Phoenix, the flying Sun-disk, just as Christian iconography portrays the dove as being an image of the Sun.

. The final proof that Mt Sinai is the Great Pyramid, is the story of the wanderings for 40 years. This is not possible in reality, because 2 million people cannot live in the Sinai for 40 years. So what does this reference to 40 mean?

Actually, it is a reference to the Great Pyramid, because the GP is a 40 times copy if Pi.

If you had been initiated into the mysteries of the GP, you attached the number 40 to your story – 40 days in the wilderness, 40 years in the wilderness, or 40 years reign length. etc: etc:

The Torah account is all true, but not in the manner you expect. Ralph

. There is only one mountain that conforms to all the descriptions of Mt Sinai.

Mt Sinai was said to be: A sacred mountain of god. The tallest mountain, but small enough to be cordoned off, sharp and difficult to climb, on the edge of a desert, and with a cavern inside it. Finally, it had a black pavement at the base, that looked like the night sky. So what mountain conforms to all these points? Easy.

The Great Pyramid. And the black pavement is the black basalt pavement at the base of the GP.

See Tempest & Exodus. Ralph.

I received newsletters from Ron Wyatt from when he first started looking for Biblical things. He found chariot wheels with rims of gold and they can be found in a museum in Egypt.. He always told the Archeology people from each country what he found. Noahs Ark was found in Turkey and the Turkish Govt . was going to make it a tourist place but because of wars could not do it..Archeologists in Turkey know where it is and they tested the place..

A not-so-gullible Christian responds: Wyatt should not be considered an archaeologist. He’s a showman, and a rather poor one at that. To bring the discussion back to archaeology, we need to understand there are two approaches. One is a traditional approach that will allow for the miraculous provision of many Israelites living and traveling through a place with very few sources of water or food. This would put Jebel Musa back on the map. The other approach insists the myth of Mt. Sinai is either complete fabrication or at least something heavily exaggerated. This idea demands a naturalistic approach: the Israelites could have survived in NW Arabia easily enough, if they could get there. But before settling on one approach or the other, let’s stop pretending the argument can be settled by dismissing miraculous accounts as poo, just because we think we’ve seen it all. What lies at the heart of locating Mt. Sinai isn’t just scientific curiosity, after all.

An appeal to Ron Wyatt is counter-productive and this fellow claimed to have discovered, not only Mount Sinai, but also Noah’s ark, the ark of the covenant, the blood of Jesus, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet he never had a single shred of proof for any of his claims. What he did do is to sell a bunch of DVD’s to gullible Christians.

As to the Saudi Arabian proposals for a location to Mount Sinai, none of them explain why the Israelites subsequently attempted to enter the Promised Land via Kadesh Barnea and only then had to circumnavigate around the land of the Edomites in order to approach the land of Moab.

The Wilderness of Sinai The harsh conditions found in the Sinai Peninsula are vividly portrayed in the Bible account of Israel’s wanderings. (Deuteronomy 8:15) So, could a whole nation assemble at the base of Mount Sinai to receive God’s Law and later withdraw to stand “at a distance”? (Exodus 19:1, 2; 20:18) Is there a place large enough to allow for such movement of a crowd estimated to have numbered three million? A 19th-century traveler and Bible scholar, Arthur Stanley, visited the area of Mount Sinai and described the sight that confronted his party on climbing Ras Safsafa: “The effect on us, as on every one who has seen and described it, was instantaneous. . . . Here was the deep wide yellow plain sweeping down to the very base of the cliffs . . . Considering the almost total absence of such conjunctions of plain and mountain in this region, it is a really important evidence to the truth of the narrative, that one such conjunction can be found, and that within the neighbourhood of the traditional Sinai.” http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/mp/r1/lp-e/Rbi8/1984/0 http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001061223?q=Mt . Sinai&p=par http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200275350

Har Karkom is NOT a volcano as the Bible expressly indicates. Neither is it in Midian where Moses began his journey and ended it with the Israelites. Just because a Roman women thought it might be in Sinai “scholars” have simply accepted her choice as fact. The north-western arm of the Red Sea is a – if not THE – Reed Sea. Why scholars should ever have thought (if they troubled to do that at all) that the Israelites in flight would have stayed in Sinai within Egyptian territory rather than go to a country – Midian – OUTSIDE Egyptian control. It was here that Moses worked and lived, had his family and connections and more importantly, knew the territory.

The description of Mt Sinai in Exodus is similar to ancient descriptions of erupting volcanos. We should be looking for an ancient volcano.

Read up on Ron Wyatt’s web site, wyattarchaeologicalresearch.com. He was there in 1984 and claims that in Saudi Arabia at Jabel el Lawz (the mountain of God) that all the things described in Exodus are found there. I have read both accounts ,the one in Negrev desert and I think Ron Wyatt was correct.

[…] Searching for Biblical Mt Sinai: Where is Mt. Sinai? At a recent colloquium in Israel, an international group of scholars debated […]

Saudi Arabia location has already been explored by Ron Wyatt, Bob Cornuke, and Jim & Penny Caldwell through the past 50 years. Why are the bigger organizations just now getting to it? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1VKIyNSbUk&feature=share&list=PLjSdjA_31Wszi2MTlhW-MMqVmCIfY9a6u&index=1

In the book of Exodus it says that Moses fled to Midian ( which is in Arabia ) .The Israelites crossed the Red sea and went into Midiam . Moses new the land for he spent allot of time there before he returned to Egypt . (Exodus 2:11 ) .

It is not really a mystery that Mt. Sinai is in Arabia. Paul told us that in Galatians 4:25 — “Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.” (NIV)

Plus, as mentioned in the article above, Moses fled to Midian. Every Bible map I’ve ever seen places Midian in Arabia.

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The Journey to Mount Sinai

Scholars disagree about the precise route of the exodus, but most agree that Mount Sinai is the site that today is called Jebel Musa (“Mountain of Moses”).

Exodus 19 New Catholic Bible

The covenant at mount sinai, the covenant and the ten commandments [ a ].

God Proposes His Covenant. [ b ] 1  Three months to the day after the children of Israel left the land of Egypt, they arrived in the Sinai Desert. 2  They left the camp at Rephidim and arrived in the Desert of Sinai. There Israel camped in front of the mountain.

3  Moses climbed up to meet God, and the Lord called out to him from the mountain, saying, “You will say this to the house of Jacob and announce it to the children of Israel: 4  ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I lifted you up on eagles’ wings and brought you here to me. 5  Now, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession from among all the peoples, for the entire earth is mine. 6  You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for me.’ These are the words you will speak to Israel.” [ c ]

7  Moses went and summoned the elders of the people and told them what the Lord had commanded him. 8  All the people answered together and said, “We will do what the Lord has said.” Then Moses returned to the Lord and told him what the people had said.

9  The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to approach you in a thick cloud so that the people will hear when I speak to you and always believe in you.”

10  The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes 11  and have them ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai to visit all the people.

12  “You shall establish a boundary around it, saying, ‘Take heed not to climb up the mountain or even touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death.’

13  “No hand must touch that person, however, for he must be stoned or shot with an arrow. Whether it be a human or an animal, he is not to live. They can come up the mountain only when you blow the trumpet.”

14  Moses went down the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people and had them wash their clothes. 15  Then he said to the people, “Be ready in three days’ time. Abstain from sexual relations.”

16  The Great Theophany. On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, lightning, a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of loud trumpets. All the people in the camp were filled with fear.

17  Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They stood on foot at the base of the mountain.

18  Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord had descended upon it in fire and the smoke rose up like the smoke of a furnace. The entire mountain trembled. 19  The sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Moses spoke and God responded with the sound of a trumpet.

20  The Lord thus descended upon Mount Sinai, on the mountain peak, and he called out to Moses upon the mountain peak. Moses went up the mountain.

21  The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to gaze upon the Lord ; otherwise many will die.

22  “Let the priests consecrate themselves before they approach the Lord . Otherwise the Lord will burst forth upon them.”

23  Moses said to the Lord , “The people cannot climb up Mount Sinai, for you yourself have warned us saying, ‘Establish a boundary around the mountain and declare it to be holy.’ ”

24  The Lord told him, “Go, descend, then come back up with Aaron. But the priests and the people are not to break through to climb up to the Lord . Otherwise, he will burst forth against them.”

25  Moses went down and spoke to the people.

• Exodus 19:1 The entire past of Israel converges on the event at Sinai. The call of Abraham and the deliverance from the Egyptian yoke show God’s intention to his people. The time has come for that people to respond to the divine preferences. The Covenant is not a contract between equals, in which offer and response are on the same level; rather, the initiative is entirely the Lord’s. Israel does, however, have an obligation to agree to the “salvation” offered to it and to express a desire to commit itself to fidelity to the law of the Lord. The text of the Covenant will be Israel’s religious and social constitution.
• Exodus 19:1 The Hebrews have reached the southern part of the Sinai peninsula; it is the imposing countryside dominated by this summit that serves as a backdrop for their meeting with God. In submitting themselves to the Lord, they will become a consecrated people. Thus, the People of God is truly born of the Sinaitic Covenant.
• Exodus 19:6 A people taken from among the nations and consecrated to God ( Isa 61:6 ; 1 Pet 2:5-9 ; Rev 1:6 )

Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.

• Moses at Mount Sinai

Exodus 19:1-25 . God called Moses up Mount Sinai and gave him the Ten Commandments.

Moses arrived at Mount Sinai three months after leaving Egypt. This day is known as the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Harvest, or by its Hebrew name, Shavuot. This feast is in late May or early June which is late spring in Israel.

In the New Testament, this day is called Pentecost, which means the fiftieth day after Passover.

Sinai in Hebrew means: cliffs .

Background Reading:

The israelis reach mount sinai.

19:1 On the third New Moon after the Israelis went out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came to the desert of Sinai. 2 They had set out from Rephidim and arrived at the desert of Sinai where they camped in the desert. Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain: “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and declare to the sons of Israel, 4 ‘You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 And now if you carefully obey me and keep my covenant, you are to be my special possession out of all the peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me, 6 but you are to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to me.’ These are the words you are to declare to the Israelis.”

7 When Moses came, he summoned the elders of the people and told them everything that the LORD had commanded him. 8 All the people answered together: “We’ll do everything that the LORD has said!”

Then Moses reported all the words of the people back to the LORD. 9 The LORD told Moses, “Look, I’m coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may listen when I speak with you and always believe you.” Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

Preparation for the Covenant

10 The LORD told Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes, 11 and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 You are to set boundaries for the people all around: ‘Be very careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch the side of it. Anyone who touches the mountain is certainly to be put to death. 13 No hand is to touch that person, but he is certainly to be stoned or shot; whether animal or person, he is not to live.’ They are to approach the mountain only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast.”

14 When Moses went down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. 15 He told the people, “Be ready for the third day; don’t go near a woman.”

The LORD Appears on Mount Sinai

16 When morning came on the third day, there was thunder and lightning, with a heavy cloud over the mountain, and the very loud sound of a ram’s horn. All the people in the camp trembled. 17 Moses brought the people from the camp to meet God, and they stood at the base of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the LORD had come down in fire on it. Smoke went up from it like smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer with thunder. 20 When the LORD came down on Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 The LORD told Moses, “Go down and warn the people so they don’t break through to look at the LORD, and many of them perish. 22 Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves. Otherwise, the LORD will attack them.”

23 Moses told the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai because you warned us: ‘Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.’”

24 The LORD told him, “Go down, and come back up with Aaron, but the priests and the people must not break through to go up to the LORD. Otherwise, he will attack them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. Exodus 19:1-25

Other slides in this module:

• In the beginning, God created the earth – Undated Past
• The 7 or Seven Days of Creation – Undated Past
• Adam was the first created man specifically named in Scripture
• Eve the first woman specifically named in Scripture
• Cain the first human murderer and older brother of Abel
• Abel a righteous man
• Enoch did not die,
• 1100 Years gap Between Adam and Noah
• Noah built an ark with God’s instructions
• Noah builds an Ark for God
• 400-year gap between Noah and Abraham
• Abraham the father of nations
• Sarah was the wife of Abraham
• Rebekah married Isaac
• Esau the son of Isaac
• Jacob steals Isaac’s blessing
• Jacob marries Rachel the daughter of Laban
• Death of Joseph at one hundred and ten years old
• 300-year gap between Joseph and Moses
• Miriam kept eye on Moses after he had been placed as a baby in a boat
• God spoke to Moses out of a burning bush
• Moses was asked to take off his sandals by God
• Moses the friend of God
• Manna means ‘What Is It’?
• Water From The Rock
• The Golden Calf the idol made by Aaron
• Speak to the Rock “Give Water”
• Joshua God’s warrior
• The two scouts or spies were Joshua’s eyes
• Rahab helped Israel to take Jericho
• Rahab saved from death
• Deborah the 4th Judge of Israel
• Gideon the fifth Judge of Israel
• Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David
• Samson the 14th Judge of Israel
• Samuel the fifteen Judge of Israel anoints Saul
• King Saul tries to kill David with a spear
• David uses his slingshot
• King Solomon’s reign established
• King Rehoboam 1st king of Judah
• Jonah a Prophet of God and the Whale
• Isaiah the prophet (739BC-690BC) wrote the book Isaiah
• Jeremiah the prophet of God is put down a well
• Daniel in the Lions Den
• Esther becomes the Queen of Persia
• Nehemiah rebuilds the walls
• Malachi a prophet of God
• 400-year gap, The gap between Malachi and Jesus
• Angel Gabriel God’s Messenger
• The cross a Roman method of killing people
• Jesus – The author and giver of all faith
• Old Testament Overview – Questions and Answers 1-11
• Old Testament Overview – Questions and Answers 12-22
• Old Testament Overview – Questions and Answers 23-32
• Old Testament Overview – Questions and Answers 33-42
• Old Testament Overview – Questions and Answers 43-52
• Next Module – Back to the beginning The Book of Genesis » »

A Pictorial explanation of the Bible

Journey to Mount Sinai

Can Investigative filmmaker Timothy Mahoney find the mountain where Moses encountered the burning bush and where multitudes of Israelites camped for nearly a year?

Mahoney uses the trusted Patterns-of-Evidence approach and the new Mount Sinai Scorecard to investigate six of the most popular locations proposed for Mount Sinai. Examining details for five major criteria in the biblical account compared to geographical and archaeological information, he sets out to pin-point the mountain’s true location. Journey to Mount Sinai is a 2-part film series that picks up the exploration of the Exodus where the Red Sea Miracle films left off. Each film will examine three of the primary candidates.

Bonus Features:

• Film trailers, Additional Resources
• SCREEN FORMAT: Widescreen
• AUDIO: 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL
• RUN TIME: 120 minutes
• SUBTITLES: English, Spanish

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