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Is Mt. Sinai the Mountain of YEHOVAH? 17

The location of Horeb, or Sinai, somewhere in the land of Midian is evidently well sup-
ported....Examination of the [biblical] narrative tends to confirm this view. "When thou
hast brought forth the people out of Egypt ye shall serve God upon this mountain." This was
spoken to Moses at Horeb, "the MOUNTAIN OF GOD," IN MIDIAN; and indicates that
the Exodus would be completed on the arrival of the Israelites at HOREB, WHERE
MOSES STOOD WHEN "THE ANGEL OF THE LORD" APPEARED TO HIM." (On the
Track of the Exodus, by C.C. Robertson. Artisan Sales, Thousand Oaks, CA. 1990. P. 87.).

Paul’s Supporting Statement

Any doubt that might remain is dispelled by a statement of the apostle Paul found in
Galatians 4: "For these are the two covenants: the one from MOUNT SINAI which gives birth to
bondage, which is Hagar -- for this Hagar is MOUNT SINAI IN ARABIA, and corresponds to Jeru-
salem which now is, and is in bondage with her children..." (Verses 24-25).

The reference to HAGAR also indicates WHERE the Mountain of God is situated. Peake's
Commentary on the Bible explains: "Their mothers likewise represent the two dispensations.
Hagar represents that given on Mt. Sinai, and, Paul notes in passing the appropriateness of the fact
that Mt. Sinai is IN ARABIA, the land to which HAGAR was exiled (p. 977).

James A. Montgomery, in his book Arabia and the Bible, takes this a step further:

This experience of St. Paul with the Nabataean government of Damascus was preceded
by his retirement into Arabia immediately after his conversion, as he briefly relates in
Gal.1:17. The region no doubt was what the Romans came to call Arabia Petraea,
Trans-Jordan; he returned thence to Damascus. There were 'desert' districts therein plenty
to gratify his desire for solitude; again one of the great souls of the True Religion started
his career from the desert. That this Arabian experience of the apostle brought him actually
to Sinai, in the footsteps of Moses and Elijah, has been advanced by some scholars, in view
of his subsequent reference, in the same epistle, to SINAI AND HAGAR, 4:24, 25.

Montgomery now looks at the Textus Receptus –

The textus receptus of the Greek is represented by the American Standard Version:
"Which things contain an allegory; for these women are two covenants; one from Mount
Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai IN
ARABIA and answereth to the Jerusalem that is now." But the second 'Hagar' is now
generally admitted to be a gloss, and there remains the question how to interpret the
sentence with the excision. I suggest the meaning is: "This is Mount Sinai in Arabia (then
the gloss) that is Hagar," i.e. THE LAND OF THE HAGARENES; and so the gloss is
interpretatively correct, although out of place.

Montgomery now shows where the "Sons of Hagar" were located –

The Berean Voice September-October 2002