Meaning of “Sinai”

1. Sinai — of Sin (the moon god), called also Horeb, the name of the mountain district which was reached by the Hebrews in the third month after the Exodus. Here they remained encamped for about a whole year. Their journey from the Red Sea to this encampment, including all the windings of the route, was about 150 miles. The last twenty-two chapters of Exodus, together with the whole of Leviticus and Num. ch. 1-11, contain a record of all the transactions which occurred while they were here. From Rephidim (Ex. 17:8-13) the Israelites journeyed forward through the Wady Solaf and Wady esh-Sheikh into the plain of er-Rahah, "the desert of Sinai," about 2 miles long and half a mile broad, and encamped there "before the mountain." The part of the mountain range, a protruding lower bluff, known as the Ras Sasafeh (Sufsafeh), rises almost perpendicularly from this plain, and is in all probability the Sinai of history. Dean Stanley thus describes the scene:, "The plain itself is not broken and uneven and narrowly shut in, like almost all others in the range, but presents a long retiring sweep, within which the people could remove and stand afar off. The cliff, rising like a huge altar in front of the whole congregation, and visible against the sky in lonely grandeur from end to end of the whole plain, is the very image of the 'mount that might be touched,' and from which the voice of God might be heard far and wide over the plain below." This was the scene of the giving of the law. From the Ras Sufsafeh the law was proclaimed to the people encamped below in the plain of er-Rahah. During the lengthened period of their encampment here the Israelites passed through a very memorable experience. An immense change passed over them. They are now an organized nation, bound by covenant engagement to serve the Lord their God, their ever-present divine Leader and Protector. At length, in the second month of the second year of the Exodus, they move their camp and march forward according to a prescribed order. After three days they reach the "wilderness of Paran," the "et-Tih", i.e., "the desert", and here they make their first encampment. At this time a spirit of discontent broke out amongst them, and the Lord manifested his displeasure by a fire which fell on the encampment and inflicted injury on them. Moses called the place Taberah (q.v.), Num. 11:1-3. The journey between Sinai and the southern boundary of the Promised Land (about 150 miles) at Kadesh was accomplished in about a year. (See MAP facing page 204.)

2. Sinaiticus codex — usually designated by the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, is one of the most valuable of ancient MSS. of the Greek New Testament. On the occasion of a third visit to the convent of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai, in 1859, it was discovered by Dr. Tischendorf. He had on a previous visit in 1844 obtained forty-three parchment leaves of the LXX., which he deposited in the university library of Leipsic, under the title of the Codex Frederico-Augustanus, after his royal patron the king of Saxony. In the year referred to (1859) the emperor of Russia sent him to prosecute his search for MSS., which he was convinced were still to be found in the Sinai convent. The story of his finding the manuscript of the New Testament has all the interest of a romance. He reached the convent on 31st January; but his inquiries appeared to be fruitless. On the 4th February he had resolved to return home without having gained his object. "On that day, when walking with the provisor of the convent, he spoke with much regret of his ill-success. Returning from their promenade, Tischendorf accompanied the monk to his room, and there had displayed to him what his companion called a copy of the LXX., which he, the ghostly brother, owned. The MS. was wrapped up in a piece of cloth, and on its being unrolled, to the surprise and delight of the critic the very document presented itself which he had given up all hope of seeing. His object had been to complete the fragmentary LXX. of 1844, which he had declared to be the most ancient of all Greek codices on vellum that are extant; but he found not only that, but a copy of the Greek New Testament attached, of the same age, and perfectly complete, not wanting a single page or paragraph." This precious fragment, after some negotiations, he obtained possession of, and conveyed it to the Emperor Alexander, who fully appreciated its importance, and caused it to be published as nearly as possible in facsimile, so as to exhibit correctly the ancient handwriting. The entire codex consists of 346 1/2 folios. Of these 199 belong to the Old Testament and 147 1/2 to the New, along with two ancient documents called the Epistle of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas. The books of the New Testament stand thus: the four Gospels, the epistles of Paul, the Acts of the Apostles, the Catholic Epistles, the Apocalypse of John. It is shown by Tischendorf that this codex was written in the fourth century, and is thus of about the same age as the Vatican codex; but while the latter wants the greater part of Matthew and sundry leaves here and there besides, the Sinaiticus is the only copy of the New Testament in uncial characters which is complete. Thus it is the oldest extant MS. copy of the New Testament. Both the Vatican and the Sinai codices were probably written in Egypt. (See VATICANUS »T0003766.)

2 results from Easton's Bible Dictionary

You may wish to look at these similar words...
Semei Senaah Seneh Shammah Shammua Shem Shema Shemaah Shemaiah Shen Shihon Shimea Shimeah Shimei Shimhi Sihon Sin Sin, Wilderness of Sin-offering Sinai Sion Snow Son of God Son of man Sun Swan Swine Syene

Bible Search for “Sinai”

1. Exodus Chapter 16 Verse 1 — And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

2. Exodus Chapter 19 Verse 23 — And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

3. Exodus Chapter 19 Verse 20 — And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

4. Exodus Chapter 19 Verse 18 — And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

5. Exodus Chapter 19 Verse 11 — And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

6. Exodus Chapter 19 Verse 2 — For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

7. Exodus Chapter 19 Verse 1 — In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

8. Exodus Chapter 24 Verse 16 — And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

9. Exodus Chapter 31 Verse 18 — And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

10. Exodus Chapter 34 Verse 32 — And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

11. Exodus Chapter 34 Verse 29 — And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

12. Exodus Chapter 34 Verse 4 — And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

13. Exodus Chapter 34 Verse 2 — And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

14. Leviticus Chapter 7 Verse 38 — Which the LORD commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to offer their oblations unto the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai.

15. Leviticus Chapter 25 Verse 1 — And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

16. Leviticus Chapter 26 Verse 46 — These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.

17. Leviticus Chapter 27 Verse 34 — These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

18. Numbers Chapter 1 Verse 19 — As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the wilderness of Sinai.

19. Numbers Chapter 1 Verse 1 — And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

20. Numbers Chapter 3 Verse 14 — And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying,

21. Numbers Chapter 3 Verse 4 — And Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD, when they offered strange fire before the LORD, in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children: and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest's office in the sight of Aaron their father.

22. Numbers Chapter 3 Verse 1 — These also are the generations of Aaron and Moses in the day that the LORD spake with Moses in mount Sinai.

23. Numbers Chapter 9 Verse 5 — And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.

24. Numbers Chapter 9 Verse 1 — And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,

25. Numbers Chapter 10 Verse 12 — And the children of Israel took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of Paran.

26. Numbers Chapter 26 Verse 64 — But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

27. Numbers Chapter 28 Verse 6 — It is a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet savor, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD.

28. Numbers Chapter 33 Verse 16 — And they removed from the desert of Sinai, and pitched at Kibrothhattaavah.

29. Numbers Chapter 33 Verse 15 — And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the wilderness of Sinai.

30. Deuteronomy Chapter 33 Verse 2 — And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

31. Judges Chapter 5 Verse 5 — The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.

32. Nehemiah Chapter 9 Verse 13 — Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

33. Psalms Chapter 68 Verse 17 — The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

34. Psalms Chapter 68 Verse 8 — The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

35. Galatians Chapter 4 Verse 25 — For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

36. Galatians Chapter 4 Verse 24 — Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.

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