← H5513 H5515 →

סִינַי

𐤎𐤉𐤍𐤉

Sinay

H5514 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A mountainous location in the biblical narrative, best known as the site where the Israelites received the covenantal laws following the exodus from Egypt; Mt. Sinai serves as both a geographical designation and as a symbol of divine revelation and covenantal encounter. In specific contexts, the word refers to the mountain itself, while in others it evokes the surrounding wilderness region or functions metonymically for the event of lawgiving.

Semantic Range

name of a mountain (Mt. Sinai), region surrounding the mountain, symbol of revelation or lawgiving, site of covenantal encounter

Root / Etymology

Etymology uncertain. The form סִינַי (Sinai) does not derive transparently from attested Hebrew roots, and its origin remains debated among scholars. Various suggestions link it to possible Egyptian, Northwest Semitic, or Hurrian origins, but there is no scholarly consensus.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, סִינַי primarily refers to the mountain where the Israelites experience a transcendent encounter with their deity and receive the covenantal laws (Exodus 19–34, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). The mountain also functions symbolically as the site of foundational revelation and authority for Israelite law and identity. The precise geographic location of Sinai remains uncertain, with various identifications in the southern Sinai Peninsula, northern Arabia, and northwestern Arabia having been proposed historically and in modern scholarship. In early Israelite literature (e.g., Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers), סִינַי is used predominantly for the mountain; in later texts, the designation sometimes carries broader associations, such as representing the entire wilderness region (see, e.g., Nehemiah 9:13). The biblical term is occasionally rendered in later translations and literature as 'Horeb,' which may refer to the same location or broader area, though these two terms sometimes retain distinct narrative or theological valences. Traditional English translations retain the Hebrew form 'Sinai,' though later interpretive traditions associate it with varying theological and spiritual symbolism not inherent in the biblical text. The term does not inherently refer to a later Israelite, Judahite, or Samaritan religious identity; rather, its historical reference is to a specific geocultural feature with major significance in Israelite tradition.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; Sinai, mountain of Arabia; Sinai.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

סיני (uncertain) (s-y-n-y (uncertain)) — uncertain; mountain name, covenant mountain, wilderness region

Root uncertain uncertain; possible relation to a mountain, rock, or desert region (if at all)

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H5514-02 סִינָ֑י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay 34
H5514-01 מִ/סִּינַ֥י misinay HR/Np from Sinai from Sinai from Sinay 1

Occurrences in Scripture

35 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H5514-02 Exodus 16:1 סִינָ֑י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 19:1 סִינָֽי sinay HNp of Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 19:2 סִינַ֔י sinay HNp of Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 19:11 סִינָֽי sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 19:18 סִינַי֙ sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 19:20 סִינַ֖י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 19:23 סִינָ֑י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 24:16 סִינַ֔י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 31:18 סִינַ֔י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
H5514-02 Exodus 34:2 סִינַ֔י sinay HNp Sinai Sinai Sinay
← H5513 Hebrew Lexicon H5515 →