Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance New Living Translation When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. English Standard Version Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off Berean Standard Bible When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. King James Bible And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. New King James Version Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. New American Standard Bible And all the people were watching and hearing the thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance. NASB 1995 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. NASB 1977 And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Legacy Standard Bible And all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and the people perceived it, and they shook and stood at a distance. Amplified Bible Now all the people witnessed the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the smoking mountain; and as they looked, the people were afraid, and they trembled [and moved backward] and stood at a [safe] distance. Christian Standard Bible All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. Holman Christian Standard Bible All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance.” American Standard Version And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. Contemporary English Version The people trembled with fear when they heard the thunder and the trumpet and saw the lightning and the smoke coming from the mountain. They stood a long way off English Revised Version And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. GOD'S WORD® Translation All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram's horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance. Good News Translation When the people heard the thunder and the trumpet blast and saw the lightning and the smoking mountain, they trembled with fear and stood a long way off. International Standard Version All the people experienced the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram's horn, and the smoking mountain. And as the people experienced it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Majority Standard Bible When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. NET Bible All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking--and when the people saw it they trembled with fear and kept their distance. New Heart English Bible All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. Webster's Bible Translation And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. World English Bible All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand far off, Young's Literal Translation And all the people are seeing the voices, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and the people see, and move, and stand afar off, Smith's Literal Translation And all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and the people feared, and they will shake, and they will stand from far off. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking: and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off, Catholic Public Domain Version Then all the people considered the voices, and the lights, and the sound of the trumpet, and the smoking mountain. And being terrified and struck with fear, they stood at a distance, New American Bible Now as all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blast of the shofar and the mountain smoking, they became afraid and trembled. So they took up a position farther away New Revised Standard Version When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd all the people observed the thunderings and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw all of this, they were afraid and they stood afar off. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And all the people saw the voices and lamps lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, and the people saw and they were afraid and they stood at a distance. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. Brenton Septuagint Translation And all the people perceived the thundering, and the flashes, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and all the people feared and stood afar off, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Moses Comforts the People18When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”… Cross References Deuteronomy 5:22-27 The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. / And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, / and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. ... Hebrews 12:18-21 For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm; / to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken. / For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.” ... Exodus 19:16-19 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled. / Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. / Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. ... Deuteronomy 4:11-12 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. / And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words but saw no form; there was only a voice. Acts 7:38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us. 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, / will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? / For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! Matthew 17:5-6 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” / When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown in terror. Revelation 1:10-17 On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, / saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” / Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands, ... Psalm 68:8 the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain before God, the One on Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 1 Kings 19:11-13 Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. / After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice. / When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Ezekiel 1:24 When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. Job 37:1-5 “At this my heart also pounds and leaps from its place. / Listen closely to the thunder of His voice and the rumbling that comes from His mouth. / He unleashes His lightning beneath the whole sky and sends it to the ends of the earth. ... Isaiah 6:4-5 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke. / Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” Mark 9:6 For they were all so terrified that Peter did not know what else to say. Luke 9:34-35 While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. / And a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen. Listen to Him!” Treasury of Scripture And all the people saw the thunder, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. and all Exodus 19:16-18 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled… they removed Psalm 139:7,8 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? … Jeremiah 23:23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Jump to Previous Afar Afraid Distance Far Flashes Heard Horn Kept Lightnings Mount Mountain Noise Perceived Removed Smoke Smoking Sound Stood Thunder Thunderings Trembled Trumpet Voice Voices WatchingJump to Next Afar Afraid Distance Far Flashes Heard Horn Kept Lightnings Mount Mountain Noise Perceived Removed Smoke Smoking Sound Stood Thunder Thunderings Trembled Trumpet Voice Voices WatchingExodus 20 1. The ten commandments are spoken by Jehovah18. The people are afraid, but Moses comforts them 21. Idolatry is forbidden 23. Of what sort the altar should be When all the people This phrase emphasizes the collective experience of the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "people" is "עָם" (am), which often refers to a community bound by shared identity and covenant with God. This communal aspect underscores the unity and shared responsibility of the Israelites as they encounter God's presence. It reminds us that faith is not just an individual journey but a collective experience within the body of believers. witnessed the thunder and lightning the sound of the trumpet and the mountain in smoke they trembled and stood at a distance (18-21) The delivery of the Ten Commandments by a voice manifestly superhuman impressed the people with an awful fear. They felt the near contact with God to be more than they could bear. Even Moses was so deeply moved that he exclaimed, "I exceedingly fear and quake" (Hebrews 12:21). The people were still more afraid, and felt compelled to withdraw to a distance, beyond the sound of the terrible voice. From Deuteronomy we learn that they retired within their tents (Deuteronomy 5:30), having first sent a deputation to Moses, with a request that he would thenceforth act as their intermediary. It pleased God to assent to this proposal; and the remainder of the Law was communicated by God to Moses, and by Moses to the Israelites. (18) And all the people saw the thunderings --i.e., Perceived them. On the true character of the Sinaitic manifestation, see Note on Exodus 19:16-20. They removed.--Moses had brought the representatives of the people as near to Sinai as possible--close to the foot of the great precipice of Ras Sufsafeh (Exodus 19:17). The wide plain of Er-Rahah allowed of a removal to a considerable distance. . . . Verses 18-21. - WITHDRAWAL OF THE PEOPLE, AND NEARER APPROACH OF MOSES TO GOD. The effect produced upon the people by the accumulated terrors of Sinai - "the thunderings and the lightnings, the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking" - the cloud, and the voice out of the cloud - was an awful and terrible fear. They could not bear the manifestation of the near presence of God; and therefore "they removed and stood afar off." It seemed to them as if, on hearing the voice of God, speaking out of the thick darkness, they must die (ver. 19). Moses, upon their expressing these feelings, comforted them with an assurance that God had shown his terrors, not for their injury, but to put his fear in their hearts (ver. 20), and allowed them to retire to a distance from the mount, while he himself "drew near unto the thick darkness where God was" (ver. 21). Verse 18. - The people saw the thunderings. The use of a specific verb for a generic one, with terms to all of which it is not, strictly speaking, applicable, is common to many writers, and is known to grammarians as zengma. "Saw" here means "perceived, witnessed." The mountain smoking. Compare Exodus 19:18. In Deuteronomy 5:23 it is said that "the mountain did burn with fire." When the people saw it, they removed. It appears, from Deuteronomy 5:23, that. before retiring, the people sent a deputation of heads of tribes and elders up to Moses in the mount, to convey to him their wishes, and suggest that he should be their intermediary with God. Moses laid their wishes before God, and was directed to give them his sanction, whereupon they withdrew to their tents (ib, 30).Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Allוְכָל־ (wə·ḵāl) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every the people הָעָם֩ (hā·‘ām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock witnessed רֹאִ֨ים (rō·’îm) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural Strong's 7200: To see the thunder הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת (haq·qō·w·lōṯ) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 6963: A voice, sound and lightning, הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם (hal·lap·pî·ḏim) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 3940: A flambeau, lamp, flame the sound ק֣וֹל (qō·wl) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6963: A voice, sound of the trumpet, הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר (haš·šō·p̄ār) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7782: A cornet, curved horn and the mountain הָהָ֖ר (hā·hār) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country in smoke. עָשֵׁ֑ן (‘ā·šên) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 6226: Smoking And when the people הָעָם֙ (hā·‘ām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock saw [this], וַיַּ֤רְא (way·yar) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 7200: To see they trembled וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ (way·yā·nu·‘ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5128: To quiver, wave, waver, tremble, totter and stood וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ (way·ya·‘am·ḏū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations at a distance. מֵֽרָחֹֽק׃ (mê·rā·ḥōq) Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 7350: Remote, of place, time, precious Links Exodus 20:18 NIVExodus 20:18 NLT Exodus 20:18 ESV Exodus 20:18 NASB Exodus 20:18 KJV Exodus 20:18 BibleApps.com Exodus 20:18 Biblia Paralela Exodus 20:18 Chinese Bible Exodus 20:18 French Bible Exodus 20:18 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 20:18 All the people perceived the thunderings (Exo. 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