When the Israelites left Egypt and slavery, they reached Mount Sinai by the third month, camping at the foot of the mountain. Here God gave the Ten Commandments and the Law (Exodus 19--20). Later Elijah visited this mountain, also called Horeb, and heard God speak to him in a quiet voice (1 Kings 19: 4-8). The exact location of Mount Sinai is uncertain, but since the 4th century A.D., a tradition has placed it near St. Catherine's Monastery, or Monastery of St. Catherines. This mountain of tradition is called Jebel Musa, or Mountain of Moses. Desert shrubs near Mount Sinai.