Lives of Scripture
Mount Sinai
Also called: Horeb
“Sinai” means “a bush; enmity”Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary: “Sinai, a bush; enmity”
First named: Exodus 19:1
Traditional identification: Traditionally identified with Jebel Musa in the southern Sinai Peninsula, though the exact peak is disputed and not stated by the text.
The mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments amid thunder, smoke, and fire, and where Moses and Israel's elders later confirmed the covenant (Exodus 19-20; 24). Also called Horeb, it is where Moses first encountered God at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1) and where, generations later, Elijah fled and heard God speak in a gentle whisper rather than the wind, earthquake, or fire (1 Kings 19:8-13).
References: Exodus 19:1; Exodus 19-20; Exodus 24; 1 Kings 19:8
People connected to Mount Sinai
- Aaron (M) — went up with Israel's elders and saw the God of Israel, then made the golden calf at the mountain's foot
Exodus 24:9-11; Exodus 32:1-6
- Bezalel (M) — filled with God's Spirit here to design and build the tabernacle
Exodus 31:2-5
- Elijah (M) — fled to this mountain and heard God in a low whisper
1 Kings 19:8-12
- Elzaphan (M) — carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu out of the camp here
Leviticus 10:4
- Hobab (M) — asked by Moses to guide Israel onward from this mountain
Numbers 10:29-31
- Hur (M) — held up Moses's hands, and was left in charge while Moses climbed the mountain
Exodus 17:12; Exodus 24:14
- Joshua (M) — went up the mountain with Moses and came down with him to the golden calf
Exodus 24:13; Exodus 32:17
- Moses (M) — met God at the burning bush here, then received the Law and mediated the covenant on this mountain
Exodus 3:1-6; Exodus 19:20
- Oholiab (M) — appointed with Bezalel to build the tabernacle here
Exodus 31:6