Exodus 20 · Verse 18

Exodus 20:18

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.
Exodus 20:18, King James Version

Exodus 20:18 in other translations

BSBWhen 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.
WEBAll 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.
ASVAnd 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.
YLTAnd 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,
DARBYAnd all the people saw the thunderings, and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off,
BBEAnd all the people were watching the thunderings and the flames and the sound of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when they saw it, they kept far off, shaking with fear.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Exodus 20:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 20:18-21
18-21. all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings--They were eye and ear witnesses of the awful emblems of the Deity's descent. But they perceived not the Deity Himself.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 And all the people saw the thunderings, etc. - They had witnessed all these awful things before, (see Exo 19:16), but here they seem to have been repeated; probably at the end of each command, there was a peal of thunder, a blast of the trumpet, and a gleam of lightning, to impress their hearts the more deeply with a due sense of the Divine Majesty, of the holiness of the law which was now delivered, and of the fearful consequences of disobedience. This had the desired effect; the people were impressed with a deep religious fear and a terror of God's judgments; acknowledged themselves perfectly satisfied with the discoveries God had made of himself; and requested that Moses might be constituted the mediator between God and them, as they were not able to bear these tremendous discoveries of the Divine Majesty. "Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die;" Exo 20:19. This teaches us the absolute necessity of that great Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, as no man can come unto the Father but by him.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 20:18-21
This law, which is so extensive that we cannot measure it, so spiritual that we cannot evade it, and so reasonable that we cannot find fault with it, will be the rule of the future judgment of God, as it is for the present conduct of man. If tried by this rule, we shall find our lives have been passed in transgressions. And with this holy law and an awful judgment before us, who can despise the gospel of Christ? And the knowledge of the law shows our need of repentance. In every believer's heart sin is dethroned and crucified, the law of God is written, and the image of God renewed. The Holy Spirit enables him to hate sin and flee from it, to love and keep this law in sincerity and truth; nor will he cease to repent.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Exodus 20:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְכָל\־ve.kholand allH3605
הָעָם֩ha.'Amthe peopleH5971
רֹאִ֨יםro.'Im[were] seeingH7200
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַקּוֹלֹ֜תha.ko.Lotthe thunder clapsH6963
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
הַלַּפִּידִ֗םha.la.pi.Dimthe lightningH3940
וְאֵת֙ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
ק֣וֹלKol[the] sound ofH6963
הַשֹּׁפָ֔רha.sho.Farthe ram's hornH7782
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
הָהָ֖רha.Harthe mountainH2022
עָשֵׁ֑ן'a.ShensmokingH6226
וַיַּ֤רְאvai.Yar'and it sawH7200
הָעָם֙ha.'Amthe peopleH5971
וַיָּנֻ֔עוּvai.ya.Nu.'uand they trembledH5128
וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּvai.ya.'am.Duand they stoodH5975
מֵֽרָחֹֽק\׃Me.ra.Chokfrom a distanceH7350

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 20:18

  • 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. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

  • Jeremiah 23:23

    Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?

  • Hebrews 12:18-19

    For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

  • Psalms 139:7-8

    Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
And all.
19:16-18
they removed.
Ps 139:7,8; Jer 23:23

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 20:17

    Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

  • Exodus 20:18

    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.

  • Exodus 20:19

    And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Read all of Exodus 20

Exodus 20:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Todo el pueblo consideraba las voces, y las llamas, y el sonido de la bocina, y el monte que humeaba: y viéndolo el pueblo, temblaron, y pusiéronse de lejos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		*Et tout le peuple aperçut les tonnerres, et les flammes, et le son de la trompette, et la montagne fumante; et le peuple vit cela, et ils tremblèrent et se tinrent loin,
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und das ganze Volk gewahrte die Donner und die Flammen und den Posaunenschall und den rauchenden Berg. Und als das Volk es gewahrte, zitterten sie und standen von ferne;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cunctus autem populus videbat voces et lampades, et sonitum buccinæ, montemque fumantem: et perterriti ac pavore concussi, steterunt procul,