The mountain where God met Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law. The name "Sinai" refers to:
the mountain itself,
the desert around it (Leviticus 7:38), and
the entire Sinai Peninsula, between the two arms of the Red Sea—the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba (or Elath).
The name Sinai is probably related to the wilderness of Sin, and may be an alternate spelling (compare Exodus 16:1; 17:1; Numbers 33:11–12). Sin was the name of an ancient moon god that people living in the desert worshiped. The mountain is also called Horeb, mostly in Deuteronomy (see also 1 Kings 8:9; 19:8; 2 Chronicles 5:10; Psalm 106:19; Malachi 4:4).
The traditional location of Mount Sinai is among the mountains at the southern end of the Sinai Peninsula. Since the 4th century, Christians have honored Jebel Musa (which means "Mount Moses" in Arabic) as the place where God formed the families of Jacob into the nation of Israel. At the base of this 2,286-meter (7,500-foot) peak is St. Catherine's Monastery. It is a Greek Orthodox monastery that has remained there for over 1,500 years. Other possible sites for Mount Sinai include the nearby Jebel Katerina (which is 2,642.6 meters or 8,670 feet high) and Jebel Serbal (which is 2,072.6 meters or 6,800 feet high). Some scholars suggest a northern location near Kadesh-barnea. Others argue for a volcanic mountain across the gulf to the east in ancient Midian or Arabia (Exodus 3:1; Galatians 4:25).
Most references to Sinai appear in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Sinai is referenced 13 times in Exodus, 5 times in Leviticus, and 12 times in Numbers. These books describe the giving of the law and the two-year camp of the Israelites on the plains next to the mountain. Exodus 19 and 34 are especially full of references because these chapters describe the meetings between Moses and God (Yahweh) when the law was given.
In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, Sinai represents the place where God came down to meet his people. Sinai was remembered as the location of that important meeting in:
the blessing of Moses (Deuteronomy 33:2),
the song of Deborah (Judges 5:5),
the confession of the Levites in the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9:13), and
the speech of Stephen (Acts 7:30, 38).
In Galatians 4:21–26, the apostle Paul explains an allegory in which Mount Sinai represents the old covenant, slavery, and the present city of Jerusalem.