For centuries, Christian tradition has placed Mount Sinai—the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments—within Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, specifically at Jebel Musa. Tourists flock there each year, climbing to the summit, taking in the views, and visiting the ancient St. Catherine’s Monastery. But what if they’re looking in the wrong place?
Modern archaeological and biblical evidence
suggests that the real Mount Sinai is actually in northwestern Saudi
Arabia—ancient Midian—at a mountain known as Jebel al-Lawz. And this being true not only reshapes
the biblical narrative but also challenges centuries of tradition rooted in
political and religious convenience.
Constantine’s
Misguided Mountain
The traditional Mount Sinai was “discovered”
during the 4th century A.D. by Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine.
Relying heavily on dreams and visions, Helena identified multiple “holy sites”
across the Middle East—including Jesus’ birthplace, burial, and crucifixion
sites—all based on revelations she claimed to receive.
Historians like Michael Grant and
archaeologists like Ernest L. Martin have noted that Helena’s identifications
lacked any biblical or archaeological grounding. Her selection of Jebel Musa as
Mount Sinai was driven by mystical visions and a desire to Christianize sacred
geography. There was no scriptural or historical evidence to support this
location.
The Bible
Points Elsewhere: Arabia
The Bible, however, is not silent on Sinai’s
location. In Galatians 4:25, Paul
explicitly writes:
“Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia…”
Not Egypt. Not the Sinai Peninsula. Arabia.
Furthermore, Exodus 3:1 recounts that Moses tended Jethro’s flocks in the
land of Midian, where he
encountered the burning bush “on the mountain of God.” Midian is geographically
located east of the Gulf of Aqaba, in present-day Saudi Arabia—not the Sinai
Peninsula.
Crossing the
Red Sea: Nuweiba to Midian
Supporting this eastern location is the
discovery of a submerged land bridge
beneath the Gulf of Aqaba at Nuweiba,
which connects Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula to the coast of Saudi Arabia. This
crossing point aligns with the biblical description of Israel being hemmed in
by the sea and mountains with Pharaoh’s army pursuing from behind (Exodus
14:3).
Amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt reported finding Egyptian chariot wheels and human remains submerged in the Gulf along this land bridge. While these claims are contested by unbelieving academics, satellite imagery and oceanography confirm the bridge’s presence—surrounded by 3,000-foot drop-offs on either side.
Jebel al-Lawz:
The True Mount Sinai
Standing 8,000 feet tall, Jebel al-Lawz fits the biblical
description of Mount Sinai:
·
It is the highest peak in the region,
·
It is located in Midian, where Moses lived for
40 years,
·
It is adjacent to a massive plain large enough
to accommodate the Israelite encampment,
·
Its summit appears scorched, consistent with Exodus 19:18:
“Mount Sinai was
altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire…”
Explorers like Bob Cornuke, Larry Williams,
and others who have visited the site report seeing:
·
A split rock with signs of water erosion
(possibly the rock Moses struck),
·
Petroglyphs of the Egyptian god Hathor
(suggesting the site of the golden calf altar),
·
A fenced-off archaeological zone under Saudi
government protection.
Josephus
Supports It
The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus corroborates this location, writing
that Moses “came to the city Midian, which lay upon the Red Sea.” He links the
place of the burning bush to the same mountain where the Law was later given.
This strengthens the case that Sinai was in Midian, not Egypt.
The Volcano
Theory
Descriptions in Exodus 19, Judges 5,
and Psalms 68 point to cataclysmic
geological events: fire, smoke, earthquakes, and a mountain trembling. Some
scholars—like Charles Beke and Immanuel Velikovsky—suggest that Mount Sinai may
have been a volcano, or part of
a volcanic field.
Interestingly, there are no volcanoes in the
Sinai Peninsula. However, Saudi Arabia—especially the region surrounding Jebel
al-Lawz—is filled with ancient lava fields (called “harras”) and volcanic rock
formations, reinforcing the plausibility of a fiery mountain in Arabia.
Why It Matters
If Jebel al-Lawz is indeed the real Mount
Sinai, it invalidates centuries of Christian tradition based on political
mythmaking. It also reshapes how we understand the journey of the Israelites
out of Egypt—not north toward the Mediterranean, but east across the Gulf of
Aqaba into Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, it emphasizes the reliability of the biblical text over ecclesiastical tradition. Scripture repeatedly ties Mount Sinai to Midian and Arabia. The traditional location in the Sinai Peninsula was imposed by Roman imperial fiat—not by divine revelation or historical accuracy.
Conclusion
The true Mount Sinai isn’t a tourist
attraction—it’s a test of truth. The Bible, archaeological findings, and even
ancient historians point to Jebel al-Lawz
in Saudi Arabia as the authentic mountain of God. And while political
and religious institutions may resist this revelation, seekers of truth can
take heart:
“When you have brought the people out of
Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12).
And now we know exactly where that mountain is.
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