What is…
Horeb and Mount Horeb

Hebrew: חֹרֵב —transliteration: Choreb —meaning: waste or desert, or mountain of the dried-up ground —occurrences: 17 (in Exodus, Deuteronomy, 1 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Malachi)

Greek: Χωρήβ

Horeb is a general name for the whole mountain range of which Sinai was one of the summits (Exodus 3; 17:6; 33:6; Psalm 106:19, etc.)

This is the area where Moses encountered by miraculous burning bush.

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of the bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said,

“I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burned up?”

And Yahweh saw that he turned aside to look, so God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said,

“Do not come near here. Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. —Exodus 3:1-6 LSB

Other events in Horeb

• The Israelites’ various awesome encounters with God at the Mountain of YHWH, including the punishment of Israelite idolatry that was allowed and aided by Aaron

  • Names and Titles of God
  • What are judgments of God in the Bible?
  • About the miracles of the Bible, with comprehensive list

• Water flows from a rock at Moses command

  Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the contending of the sons of Israel, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is Yahweh among us or not?” —Exodus 17:6-7 LSB

• Giving of the 10 Commandments

  • What are the 10 Commandments?
  • The Decalogue

• Moses saw the glory of Yahweh (Exodus 33:12-23)

• God made a covenant with the Israelites

  Then God said, “Behold, I am going to cut a covenant. Before all your people I will do wondrous deeds which have not been created in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to do with you. “Be sure to keep what I am commanding you this day… —Exodus 34:10-11 LSB excerpt

  • Deuteronomy 5:2
  • Covenant

• The shining face of Moses

  Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. Then Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.

  And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them everything that Yahweh had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. Then Moses finished speaking with them and put a veil over his face. But whenever Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and then he would come out and speak to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, and the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would return the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him. —Exodus 34:29-35 LSB

  See: The man who wanted to see God

• The Israelites stripped off their ornaments (Exodus 33:1–6)

Modern name

The modern name of the whole range is Jebel Musa (Jabal Mousa). It is a huge mountain block, about 2 miles long by about 1 in breadth, with a very spacious plain at its northeast end, called the Er Rahah, in which the Israelites could encamp for nearly a whole year.

More information

• Sinai
• Midian
• About wilderness in the Bible
• Mountains of the Bible
• About GOD
• What is “THE FEAR OF THE LORD”? and Why is it important? Answer
• What is HUMILITY? and WHY is it important to be humble? Answer
• About the miracles of the Bible, with comprehensive list
• Is it logical to believe that the biblical miracles really happened? Answer
• “Miracles are not possible,” some claim. Is this true? Answer
• What is The Exodus?
• Places of the Bible