On the same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19:1)

The location of St. Catherine’s Monastery on Jebel Musa is the main reason for identifying this mountain with Mount Sinai. This monastery was built over what was alleged to be the location of the burning bush, though it is hardly believable that this bush survived and could still be identified nearly two thousand years after the time of Moses. It is more likely that a tradition about the location of Mount Sinai survived over time.

And Israel camped there in front of the mountain (Exodus 19:2).

This illustration is a late-19th century photograph of the Mina Valley (often referred to as “Tent City”) which hosts thousands of pilgrims during the annual “Hajj” to Mecca. Mina Valley is located about 11 miles (18 km) east-southeast of Mecca. This illustration comes from E. J. Brill, Bilder Aus Mekka, published in 1889. It comes from the New York Public Library and is in the public domain. This version of the photo has been colorized.

When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain (Exodus 19:13).

The “ram’s horn” (Heb. yobel) was a wind instrument made from the hollowed-out horn of a goat or sheep. Joshua 6:5 uses a fuller term to describe it as “the horn of a ram” (Heb. qeren hayobel), and in the following verse it is equated to a “trumpet” (Heb. shofar; Josh 6:6). This American Colony photograph was taken between 1934 and 1939.

And God answered him with thunder (Exodus 19:19).

In the Greco-Roman period the ability to wield lightning was attributed to several gods. The hand shown here belongs to a statue of Asclepius, the Greek god of healing and medicine. He is shown grasping a bundle of fire and lightning bolts. This statue dates to the late 2nd century AD and is thought to be a copy of a Greek original of the 4th century BC. It was photographed at the Naples Archaeological Museum.

The Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up (Exodus 19:20).

Rebuilt in 1934 on the ruins of a 4th- or 5th-century church, the chapel to the Holy Trinity is located at the summit of Jebel Musa. Inside, the chapel is decorated with frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Moses. Located slightly to the west of the chapel is a small mosque built in the 12th century. Beneath this mosque is reportedly the cave where Moses spent forty days and nights, and where the Lord met with Elijah.