Dale Pollard
Where is mount Sinai? It’s an important mountain in the Bible but today there’s several different peaks that claim to be the real deal. Let’s dig a little.
In Galatians 4:25, Paul states:
“Mount Sinai is in Arabia.”
Here’s the thing though. 1st century Arabia did not mean the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. It was the vast area of Arabia Petraea that included:
• Northwest Saudi Arabia
• The land of Midian
Well now, that last one is a juicy detail because Moses actually lived in Midian for decades (Exodus 2–3). If God met Moses “at the mountain of God” while he was in Midian, the most natural place for Sinai to be is near where Moses had been, not hundreds of miles away.
There’s more!
The Bible repeatedly ties Sinai to Midian. Here’s a quick recap:
- Moses flees Egypt, then settles in Midian.
- God appears to Moses at the mountain of God while shepherding there.
- Jethro (a priest of Midian) later visits Israel at Sinai.
If Sinai were deep in the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula, Jethro’s involvement doesn’t make much sense.
If Sinai were in or near Midian (which is in Arabia), the narrative flows nice and cleanly.
For these reasons, and more— many early Jewish and Christian traditions placed Sinai east of the Gulf of Aqaba.
Sinai had some strange things happening on its peak— just read Exodus 19. There’s thunder, lightning, trumpets blasting, and fire. It’s hard to wrap our minds around exactly what was taking place.
With all of that history in mind, there’s a site called Jabal al-Lawz. It’s an odd name but it’s a real interesting Candidate.
This mountain seems to have it all, including:
• A darkened summit
• Nearby ancient stone structures
• Rock art that appears to depict cows
• Large open plains suitable for a massive encampment
Is it the one? Who knows. Seems like a great place to do more investigation though.
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