Exodus 19:20

Exodus 19:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up
• English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Context of Exodus 19:20

18Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19And it happened, as the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with [a voice of] thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up. 21Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through [the barriers around the mountain] to the Lord to see [Me], and many of them perish [as a result]. 22Also have the priests who approach the Lord consecrate (sanctify, set apart) themselves [for My sacred purpose], or else the Lord will break forth [in judgment] against them [and destroy them].”

Exodus 19:20 word by word

וַיֵּ֧רֶד יְהוָ֛ה עַל־הַ֥ר סִינַ֖י אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקְרָ֨א יְהוָ֧ה לְמֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָ֖ר וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶֽׁה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• came downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• upon mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• Sinaiסִינַיsîynay · SinaiH5514
• on the topרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: topH7218
• calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
• toאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
• went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927

Cross-references for Exodus 19:20

• Exodus 19:11and be ready by the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai [in the cloud] in the sight of all the people.
• Nehemiah 9:13Then You came down on Mount Sinai, And spoke with them from heaven; And You gave them fair ordinances and true laws, Good statutes and commandments.
• Psalms 81:7You called in [the time of] trouble and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
• Exodus 19:3Moses went up to God [on the mountain], and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Say this to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites:
• Exodus 24:12Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandments which I have written for their instruction.”
• Exodus 34:2So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.
• Deuteronomy 9:9When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I did not eat food or drink water.

Commentaries on Exodus 19:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The Lord came down - This was undoubtedly done in a visible manner, that the people might witness the awful appearance. We may suppose that every thing was arranged thus: the glory of the Lord occupied the top of the mountain, and near to this Moses was permitted to approach. Aaron and the seventy elders were permitted to advance some way up the mountain, while the people were only permitted to come up to its base. Moses, as the lawgiver, was to receive…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-25Verses 16-25 Never was there such a sermon preached, before or since, as this which was preached to the church in the wilderness. It might be supposed that the terrors would have checked presumption and curiosity in the people; but the hard heart of an unawakened sinner can trifle with the most terrible threatenings and judgments. In drawing near to God, we must never forget his holiness and greatness, nor our own meanness and pollution. We cannot stand…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-25The final preparation phase included events that helped people accept the covenant. Some of the experiences were visual: lightning and a cloud (19:16), smoke and fire (19:18). The people also heard thunder, a ram’s horn, and the voice of God (19:16, 19). The entire mountain shook violently (19:18). In the Bible, such unusual events are often associated with a theophany, which is a visible appearance of God’s holy presence.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-251. In the third month--according to Jewish usage, the first day of that month--"same day."--It is added, to mark the time more explicitly, that is, forty-five days after Egypt--one day spent on the mount (Ex 19:3), one returning the people's answer (Ex 19:7, 8), three days of preparation, making the whole time fifty days from the first passover to the promulgation of the law. Hence the feast of pentecost, that is, the fiftieth day, was the inauguration of…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 19:20

• God
• Law
• Miracles
• Reverence
• Sinai

In the dictionaries

• Moses
• Sinai
• Sinai, or Sinai
• Sinai, Horeb
• Commandments, the Ten
• Festivals, Religious
• Kingdom
• Return
• Sanctify
• Thunder

Commentaries on Exodus 19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings