12:18-24 What does "the mount that might be touched" refer to and how do we define Mt. Zion?
12:18-24 What does "the mount that might be touched" refer to and how do we define Mt. Zion?
The mount that might be touched is Mt. Sinai, where God manifested Himself to Moses and gave him the old covenant law.
Might be touched simply means that Mt. Sinai was a real mountain. Anyone or anything that literally touched it was killed (CP Ex 19:10-24; 20:18-21; De 4:11-13).
Mt. Zion is the spiritual mountain where God reigns - the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem (CP He 12:22 with Isa 2:2-3; Rev 14:1). In He 12:18-24 Mt. Sinai symbolizes the law of bondage under the Old Covenant, whereas Mt. Zion symbolizes the blessings of God through Christ's shed blood under the New Covenant (CP Ga 4:21-31).
The contrast between Mt. Sinai and Mt. Zion in He 12:18-24 is a warning to believers not to reject Christ (CP V25-29 with 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 2Pe 2:20-22).