GALATIANS (24): Mount Sinai in Arabia (Galatians 4:23-29)

Paul compares the Old Covenant and its children to Hagar and Ishmael, pointing out that by its nature the Old Covenant (Hagar, the bond-slave) gives birth to children of bondage (Ishmael). He strengthens this identification by pointing out that the origin of the Old Covenant, Mount Sinai, is in Arabia, where Hagar and Ishmael settled after being cast out, from whom came the Arabs. Thus it is clear that the real Mount Sinai must be in Saudi Arabia, rather than in the Sinai Peninsula (a late tradition established during the Byzantine Empire). This agrees with earlier Jewish writings, and with other Scriptures, especially those that locate Mount Sinai in the region of Midian. We discuss the location and discovery of the real Mount Sinai and the split Rock, as well as the place of the Red Sea Crossing, pointing out that scriptures that speak of Yam Suph (translated as Red Sea) point to the Gulf of Aqaba, not the Gulf of Suez or its shallow marshy lakes, which means the parting of the waters was indeed a mighty miracle, just as the Bible describes. Although, the New Jerusalem (like Sarah) had been desolate of children (no one was born again before the New Covenant was established), now she is giving birth to an ever-increasing number of children, as Galatians 4:26-27 points out, by quoting a prophecy from Isaiah 54:1. Thus immediately after the classic prophecy of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection to establish the New Covenant in Isaiah 53, Isaiah 54 describes the wonderful results of His Sacrifice, including the new birth of multitudes of spiritual children in Christ. Finally, we see that, as always, those who are just born according to the flesh (like Ishmael) persecute those who are born according to the Spirit (like Isaac).