Exodus 24 · Verse 17

Exodus 24:17

And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Exodus 24:17, King James Version

Exodus 24:17 in other translations

BSBAnd the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.
WEBThe appearance of the LORD’s glory was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
ASVAnd the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
YLTAnd the appearance of the honour of Jehovah is as a consuming fire on the top of the mount, before the eyes of the sons of Israel;
DARBYAnd the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain, before the eyes of the children of Israel.
BBEAnd the glory of the Lord was like a flame on the top of the mountain before the eyes of the children of Israel.
WebsterAnd the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel.

What does Exodus 24:17 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 The glory of the Lord was like devouring fire - This appearance was well calculated to inspire the people with the deepest reverence and godly rear; and this is the use the apostle makes or it, Heb 12:28, Heb 12:29, where he evidently refers to this place, saying, Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a Consuming Fire. Seeing the glory of the Lord upon the mount like a devouring fire, Moses having tarried long, the Israelites probably supposed that he had been devoured or consumed by it, and therefore the more easily fell into idolatry. But how could they do this, with this tremendous sight of God's glory before their eyes?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 24:12-18

A cloud covered the mount six days; a token of God's special presence there. Moses was sure that he who called him up would protect him. Even those glorious attributes of God which are most terrible to the wicked, the saints with humble reverence rejoice in. And through faith in the atoning Sacrifice, we hope for greater honour than Moses ever enjoyed on earth. Now we see through a glass darkly, but when he shall…

Read the full comment on Exodus 24:12-18 →

Exodus 24:17 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.

וּמַרְאֵה֙u.mar.'Ehand [the] appearance ofH4758
כְּב֣וֹדke.Vod[the] glory ofH3519
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
כְּאֵ֥שׁke.'Esh[was] like a fireH784
אֹכֶ֖לֶת'o.Khe.letconsumingH398
בְּרֹ֣אשׁbe.Roshon [the] top ofH7218
הָהָ֑רha.Harthe mountainH2022
לְעֵינֵ֖יle.'ei.Neito [the] eyes ofH5869
בְּנֵ֥יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל\׃Yis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

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

Cross references for Exodus 24:17

  • Hebrews 12:29

    For our God is a consuming fire.

  • Deuteronomy 4:24

    For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

  • Exodus 3:2

    And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

  • Hebrews 12:18

    For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

  • 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.

  • Habakkuk 3:4-5

    And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.

  • Exodus 19:18

    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.

  • Ezekiel 1:27

    And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about.

  • Nahum 1:6

    Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
like devouring fire.
3:2; 19:18; De 4:24,36; Eze 1:27; Na 1:6; Hab 3:4,5; Heb 12:18,29

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

Context

  • Exodus 24:16

    And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

  • Exodus 24:17

    And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

  • Exodus 24:18

    And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Read all of Exodus 24

Exodus 24:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y el parecer de la gloria de Jehová era como un fuego abrasador en la cumbre del monte, á los ojos de los hijos de Israel.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’apparence de la gloire de l’ Éternel était comme un feu dévorant sur le sommet de la montagne, aux yeux des fils d’Israël.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und das Ansehen der Herrlichkeit Jehovas war wie ein verzehrendes Feuer auf dem Gipfel des Berges vor den Augen der Kinder Israel.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Erat autem species gloriæ Domini quasi ignis ardens super verticem montis in conspectu filiorum Israël.