The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz
Stone cairns claimed as the fence Moshe set around the mountain
Found 1988 — Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams (1988); also reported by Ron Wyatt and later by the Caldwells
Where Plain around Jabal al-Lawz / Jabal Maqla, Tabuk Province (Saudi Arabia)
Dates from Unknown; such cairns span the Neolithic to the Islamic period · Undated stone cairns and alignments · Preparation for the giving of the Torah (claimed)
Now at Site (Saudi Arabia)
How The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz was found
Explorers noted piles of stones spaced across the plain at some distance from the mountain and interpreted them as boundary posts.
What it is
A series of rough stone heaps, each about waist-high, set roughly in a line on the desert floor some hundreds of metres from the mountain's base. They are built of uncut local rock with no inscriptions.
Why it matters for the Bible
Exodus 19 says YHVH ordered bounds set around the mountain so that no one would touch it. Proponents say these cairns are those bounds. Archaeologists reply that stone cairns are among the most common features of the Arabian and Sinai deserts, marking graves, routes, grazing rights and tribal boundaries across many periods, and cannot be dated without excavation. The entry is included so readers can see how a common desert feature has been read through one verse.
The Hebrew word: ge-VOOL
גְּבוּל
גְּבוּל is pronounced ge-VOOL and means border, boundary, limit (Strong's H1366).
People this discovery connects to
- Moses — מֹשֶׁה (moh-SHEH) — drawn out
Places
- Mount Sinai — הַר סִינַי (hahr see-NAI) — mountain of Sinai
Events
Setting bounds around the mountain (claimed location)
The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz in Scripture
Exodus 16:1 First mention of Sinai in Scripture.
Exodus 19:12 'Set bounds for the people round about'; the cairns are claimed as these bounds.
Exodus 19:23 Moshe reminds YHVH that the mountain has been fenced off and made holy.
Questions people ask
What is The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz?
A series of rough stone heaps, each about waist-high, set roughly in a line on the desert floor some hundreds of metres from the mountain's base. They are built of uncut local rock with no inscriptions.
When was The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz discovered?
It was found in 1988 by Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams (1988); also reported by Ron Wyatt and later by the Caldwells, at Plain around Jabal al-Lawz / Jabal Maqla, Tabuk Province.
Where is The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz today?
Site (Saudi Arabia).
Which Bible verses does The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz relate to?
Exodus 16:1, Exodus 19:12, Exodus 19:23.
Is The 'Boundary Markers' around Jabal al-Lawz authentic?
Undated cairns of a type common throughout the region; no excavation or dating has been done.
Related discoveries
- עַיִןMaqna 'Springs of Moses' (Arabian Elim and Marah claims)Palm-oasis springs on the Gulf of Aqaba offered as the twelve wells of Elim
- צוּרThe 'Split Rock of Horeb' near Jabal MaqlaA giant cleft boulder in Saudi Arabia claimed as the rock Moshe struck
- מַצֵּבָהThe 'Altar of Moses' and 'Twelve Pillars' at Jabal al-LawzStone structure and column fragments at the mountain's foot, claimed from Exodus 24
- חֹרֵבJebel al-Lawz (Arabian 'Mount Sinai' claim)A popular candidate in Saudi Arabia that specialists do not support
- יְהוָה נִסִּיThe 'Rephidim Battlefield' Claim near Al-Bad'Cairns and stone rings on the plain by the split rock, read as the fight with Amalek
- סִיןGabal Sin Bishar (Har-El's Mount Sinai)A low peak in western Sinai proposed by an Israeli geographer
Sources
- Biblical Archaeology Society, 'Did Amateur Archaeologists Find the Real Mt. Sinai?'
- Franz, 'Is Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia?' (ABR)
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