Both ancients and moderns sometimes prefer mountain settings to the formal worship which God has commanded, both Old Testament and New Testament. When King Balak was trying to get Balaam to help him, it says,

“It happened in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal; and he saw from there the utmost part of the people.”
Num 22:41 WEB

So “the high places” became a snare to Israel

It says even of Solomon, even at the time when God was truly blessing to him,

“Solomon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places. ”
1Kgs 3:3 WEB

It was overlooked by God at that time, but later it became a snare to Solomon, and to Israel.

“For they also built them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree;”
1Kgs 14:23 WEB

Then the high places became places to practice all that was wicked and evil in religion.

“The children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against Yahweh their God: and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city; ”
2Kgs 17:9 WEB

And some mountains oppose others

“15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains.
The mountains of Bashan are rugged.
16 Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains,
At the mountain where God chooses to reign?
Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.”
Psa 68:15-16 WEB

The text goes on of the chariots of God leading from Mount Sinai to God’s Holy Mountain.

“17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands.
The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
18 You have ascended on high.
You have led away captives.
You have received gifts among men,
Yes, among the rebellious also, that Yah God might dwell there.”
Psa 68:17-18 WEB

Of course Psa 68:18 is quoted in Eph 4:8-10 of Jesus return to heaven to await the last day.

Mystery Babylon is seated on seven mountains

“Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.”
Rev 17:9 WEB

The Greek is indeed mountains, oros in Greek, not hills as it is in some translations. Now ancient Roman was situated on seven hills. Hills, not mountains. Mystery Babylon the Great is seated on seven mountains.

And mountains are allegories of religions

“24 These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. 25 For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
Gal 4:24-26 WEB

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901

When Abraham was being tested by God, the testing was associated with a certain mountain.

“He said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.””
Gen 22:2 WEB

Then when it is talking about the blessing of God which will come to His own, it says,

“Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh-jireh.a As it is said to this day, “In Yahweh’s mountain it will be provided.””
Gen 22:14 WEB

And it was on that mountain where Abraham symbolically was sacrificing his very own son,

“accounting that God is able to raise up even from the dead. Figuratively speaking, he also did receive him back from the dead.”
Heb 11:19 WEB

And that also had later associations and became God’s special mountain.

“Then Solomon began to build the house of Yahweh at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared to David his father, which he made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ”
2Chron 3:1 WEB

It is common, very natural, to associate Mountains
with high and exalted worship

Many talk about feeling so close to God when they worship on some high mountain viewing much of the earth in the distance. Mountain are often referred to as if a religious blessing.

“ The blessings of your father
Have prevailed above the blessings of the ancient mountains,
Above the bounty of the age-old hills.
They will be on the head of Joseph,
On the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers.”
Gen 49:26 WEB

Then when God came to call Moses

“Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain, to Horeb.”
Ex 3:1 WEB

God’s instructions then were to come back to this very same mountain.

He said, “Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.””
Ex. 3:12 WEB

And that is what they did.

“Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.”
Ex 18:5 WEB

And God came to Mount Sinai

“Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.”
Ex 19:14

And God came to Sinai.

“Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”
Ex 19:20

If you take the entire context of Scripture, it is easy to see the associations between mountains and religion.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901