SPECIAL TOPIC: HOREB

SPECIAL TOPIC: HOREB

Notice that the place of the giving of the law is called “Horeb.” Horeb is a Hebrew word for “waste” or
“desolate” (BDB 352, KB 349). Sinai (BDB 696) is a non-Hebrew word, and they seem to both refer to the place
where Moses brought Israel to meet YHWH (e.g., Horeb, Exod. 3:1; Deut. 1:6,19; 4:10,15; 5:12 and Sinai, Exodus 19;
Lev. 7:38; 25:1; 26:46; 27:34; Num. 1:1,9; 3:1,4,14; 9:1,5).

Why the name “Horeb” is used most often in Deuteronomy and “Sinai” most often in Exodus is
unknown. There is literary variety in the writings of Moses. This could refer to:

oral traditions recorded by different scribes
Moses using different scribes
changes by later scribes for unknown reasons
literary variety