You may have seen it on television, or you may have noticed in the back of your Bibles in the maps section that the traditional Mount Sinai is in the area known as the Sinai Peninsula. Have you ever stopped to wonder how do they know something like that? Or how did they determine that is the right Mountain? Well, the origins story of how this location came to be called Mount Sinai goes back to Constantine’s Mother. His mother’s name was Flavia Julia Helena, commonly known as Helena of Constantinople. She lived from 246/248 to 330 AD. It is alleged that that she became a believer in Christianity and then went to different locations investigating and declaring biblical sites were found and then established them as holy sites by setting up monasteries. The term alleged is strong in the case of Mount Sinai because record of her traveling to the traditional Mount Sinai shows up much later in history. In 527 AD, Justinian commissioned the building of St. Catherine’s Monastery allegedly on the same location of Helena’s small church. Along with the attributive backstory to someone famous, the Sinai Peninsula was labeled as such due to this tradition. The scholarly academics have taken the position that the tradition is not to be questioned, and the location is settled.
However!!! There are many scholars now changing their position on this matter due many issues regarding lack of evidence. The traditional location does not have: any evidence of large number of people being in that location. Evidence would include pottery, tools, carvings on rocks or boulders, paintings, altars, housing structures, and even burial sites. The traditional location does not have any significant water sources to support a large amount of people with their animals. The traditional Mount Sinai does not have any blackened coloration to make it distinct. The mountain itself is very underwhelming with it not fitting the story that the Israelites could not see Moses up at the top as the top of the traditional site can be easily seen from below. The terrain at the base of the mountain is not conducive for 2.5 million people along with their animals. The most the significant issue facing the traditional Mount Sinai as the correct location is the fact that the traditional site is still in the territory of ancient Egypt during the time of the Exodus. The Sinai Peninsula was land controlled by Egypt due to some mining production and its buffer location for military advances. There were two important trade routes through the Sinai Peninsula which were controlled by the Egyptians all the way to Canaan and to Arabia.
Furthering on with this issue of location, the Bible says that the Israelites left Egypt and eventually Moses took them back to the land of Midian. The land of Midian has always been the north-west corner of Saudi Arabia. The ancient city of Midian where Jethro Moses’ father-in-law lived is now located in the modern town of Al-Bada, in Saudi Arabia. The evidence of the land of Midian is very well established and therefore, looking for Mount Sinai outside of this region makes no sense. Even while the Bible details where the location of Sinai is, many early church fathers also detail that Sinai is in Midian. Even the apostle Paul mentions Sinai is in Arabia in Galatians 4:25. Interesting enough in the ancient land of Midian (modern day Al-Bada) the people living there has had the tradition that Moses lived there dating far back before recorded history in that region. There are water areas, wells, traveling routes, and wadis all given names attributed with Moses in this area. Most important of all is there is a Mountain there in the land of Midian that they call the Mountain of Moses, Jabal Musa.
This mountain know as Jabal Musa to locals, is formally called Jabal Lawz which means the Mountain of Almonds. There are Almond trees that grow naturally (in small numbers) on this mountain. Seeing almond trees there brings to mind the story of Aaron and his almond tree staff budding. Jabal Lawz is really a one body of a mountain range. The whole range contains a blackened outer texture to the upper portion. The Northern peak of the Lawz mountain range is 8,400 feet in elevation, while the southern peak is 7,800 feet. Just below the southern peak is a peak on the eastern side of the mountain range is a peak that has been given the name of Maqla peak which in modern times by westerners has been translated as “place of quarries.” However, this translation is not Arabic and has no real meaning. Perhaps an alternative is that the someone misunderstood a local’s pronunciation. In Arabic, the word Malqa means place of meeting, which brings to mind the Tent of Meeting and where people met with God. Also, in Arabic the word Magla means frying pan, which also brings to mind the mountain being on fire at the presence of God. Both possible words are just a letter switch and sound very similar in Arabic.
At the base of Jabal Maqla we have a significant number of discoveries throughout the years that completely match the Bible’s description of events at Mount Sinai. There is an altar made of uncut stones right next to a water source that flows from the Mountain. There is a significant number of carvings and paintings all matching people that came from Egypt. There was initially found Hebrew writings at the base of mountain even containing Hebrew names mentioned in the Bible. Those inscriptions have since been removed and all that remains is pictures. Not too far from the base of this mountain is another structure with large boulders made into a pile which has paintings and carvings of Egyptian style bulls. Many of these carvings and paintings depict the same worship poses as those of Egyptian god’s worship of Apis and Hathor. This would certainly fit the Biblical narrative of the Israelites making a golden calf and worshipping. At this location there are many carvings throughout the region supporting the evidence of a large amount of people dwelling for a short time. This area is very land locked and far into the desert which also matches the Bible. There is also a large encampment plain that is approximately 20, 000 acres, which many painting residue and even Hebrew has been found in. About 5 miles away as the crow flies further north is a large mass burial. The people buried at this location were buried all at once. This fits with the story of the Levites killing 3,000 people for worshipping the golden calf and followed up with a plague from God, mentioned in the Bible. The evidence is mounting for this location being the real Mount Sinai. Every year more is being discovered. It is illegal for people to dig in this area without very special documentation which is extremely difficult to acquire. And therefore, time will bring out much more evidence. It is highly recommended that you watch the videos and check out the documentation of the evidence recorded by Bryan Scott Williams for Project Truth Ministries. You will not be disappointed.
Why is Mount Sinai so important?
Moses Spoke of Yeshua (Jesus)
- John 5:46-47 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
- Deuteronomy 18:15-19 “15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me (Moses) from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear, according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, nor let me see this great fire anymore, lest I die. And the Lord said to me: ‘What they have spoken is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.”
Historical Proofs of Location
- Galatians 4:25 “for this Hagar is Mont Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which is now is, and is in bondage with her children. (Greek word used means a straight line)
- Hebrews 12:18-19 “For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
- Philo (Philo On the Life of Moses, I 47) “As they urged these arguments to the king he [Moses] retreated to the contiguous country of Arabia [Midian], where it was safe to abide, entreating God that he would deliver his countrymen from inextricable calamities“
- Philo (Philo, On The Life Of Moses, 2:70) “For, having gone up into the highest and most sacred mountain in that district in accordance with the divine commands, a mountain which was very difficult of access and very hard to ascend,”
- Eusebius: “Choreh… The mountain of God in the land of Madiam. It lies beside Mount Sinai beyond Arabia in the desert.”
- Jerome: “Choreh… The mountain of God in the region of Madiam near Mount Sinai in the desert beyond Arabia, which joins the mountain and the desert of the Saracens which is called Faran. To me it seems the same mountain has two names, here called Sinai, there called Choreb.”
- Flavius Josephus on Mount Sinai, “was the highest of mountains in the city of Midian.”
Why Midian?
- Midian was the son of Abraham and Keturah, that means he was the half brother of Isaac.
- That would make Midian Jacob’s Uncle.
- That means Abraham was in Saudi Arabia. We know that he went through there to go to Egypt.
- Moses knew to flee to Midian.
- Jethro was Moses distant cousin.
- Jethro was the high priest of Midian. He would have maintained what was given to the Hebrews as law at this time.
- That is why we see Moses taking Jethro’s advice about judging and organizing the judicial system.
Why Midian?
This also explains what Jethro is doing in Exodus 18:12, “Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.”
– Why is he doing this and how does he know to do that?
He was familiar with God’s Law
