Exodus 20 · Verse 22

Exodus 20:22

And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
Exodus 20:22, King James Version

Exodus 20:22 in other translations

BSBThen the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.
WEBThe LORD said to Moses, “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
ASVAnd Jehovah said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
YLTAnd Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Thus dost thou say unto the sons of Israel: Ye--ye have seen that from the heavens I have spoken with you;
DARBYAnd Jehovah said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: Ye have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens.
BBEAnd the Lord said to Moses, Say to the children of Israel, You yourselves have seen that my voice has come to you from heaven
WebsterAnd the LORD said to Moses, Thus thou shalt say to the children of Israel; Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

What does Exodus 20:22 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 20:22-23
22-23. the Lord said unto Moses--It appears from De 4:14-16, that this injunction was a conclusion drawn from the scene on Sinai--that as no similitude of God was displayed then, they should not attempt to make any visible figure or form of Him.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 I have talked with you from heaven - Though God manifested himself by the fire, the lightning, the earthquake, the thick darkness, etc., yet the ten words, or commandments were probably uttered from the higher regions of the air, which would be an additional proof to the people that there was no imposture in this case; for though strange appearances and voices might be counterfeited on earth, as was often, no doubt, done by the magicians of Egypt; yet it would be utterly impossible to represent a voice, in a long continued series of instruction, as proceeding from heaven itself, or the higher regions of the atmosphere. This, with the earthquake and repeated thunders, (see on Exo 20:18 (note)), would put the reality of this whole procedure beyond all doubt; and this enabled Moses, Deu 5:26, to make such an appeal to the people on a fact incontrovertible and of infinite importance, that God had indeed talked with them face to face.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 20:22-26
Moses having entered into the thick darkness, God there spake in his hearing all that follows from hence to the end of chap. 23, which is mostly an exposition of the ten commandments. The laws in these verses relate to God's worship. The Israelites are assured of God's gracious acceptance of their devotions. Under the gospel, men are encouraged to pray every where, and wherever God's people meet in his name to worship him, he will be in the midst of them; there he will come unto them, and will bless them.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Exodus 20:22 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.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
כֹּ֥הkohthusH3541
תֹאמַ֖רto.Maryou will sayH559
אֶל\־'el-toH413
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
אַתֶּ֣ם'a.TemyouH859
רְאִיתֶ֔םre.'i.Temyou have seenH7200
כִּ֚יkithatH3588
מִן\־min-fromH4480
הַשָּׁמַ֔יִםha.sha.Ma.yimthe heavensH8064
דִּבַּ֖רְתִּיdi.Bar.tiI have spokenH1696
עִמָּכֶֽם\׃'i.ma.Khemwith youH5973

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

Cross references for Exodus 20:22

  • Nehemiah 9:13

    Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

  • Deuteronomy 4:36

    Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I have talked.
De 4:36; Ne 9:13; Heb 12:25,26

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

Context

  • Exodus 20:21

    And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

  • Exodus 20:22

    And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

  • Exodus 20:23

    Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.

Read all of Exodus 20

Exodus 20:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: Así dirás á los hijos de Israel: Vosotros habéis visto que he hablado desde el cielo con vosotros.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel dit à Moïse: Tu diras ainsi aux fils d’Israël: Vous avez vu que j’ai parlé avec vous des cieux.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova sprach zu Mose: Also sollst du zu den Kindern Israel sprechen: Ihr habt gesehen, daß ich vom Himmel her mit euch geredet habe.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixit præterea Dominus ad Moysen: Hæc dices filiis Israël: Vos vidistis quod de cælo locutus sim vobis.