EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Hebrews 12:18
18You have come near to God. But you have not come to a place that you can touch, like Sinai mountain. That mountain burned with fire. But where the people stood, it was completely dark. They could not see at all. There was also a very strong wind and a storm.
Hebrews 12:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
- New International Version (NIV)You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm;
- English Standard Version (ESV)For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest
- New King James Version (NKJV)For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest,
Context of Hebrews 12:18
16Make sure that nobody among you has sex in a wrong way. Be careful that nobody is careless about God's rules, like Esau was long ago. He gave away everything that he would have received as his father's first son. He gave it all away so that he could get only one meal. 17As you know, after that, he still wanted to receive those good things from his father. He wanted his father to ask God to bless him. But his father refused to do that. Esau cried very much when he asked his father to give him those good things. But there was no way that Esau could change what he had done. You have come near to God. But you have not come to a place that you can touch, like Sinai mountain. That mountain burned with fire. But where the people stood, it was completely dark. They could not see at all. There was also a very strong wind and a storm. 19There was the loud sound of a trumpet. There was a powerful voice that spoke to them. When the people heard that voice, they were very afraid. So they asked that the voice would not speak to them any more. 20They were very afraid of what God had told them. God had said, ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, you must kill it with stones.’
Read all of Hebrews 12Hebrews 12:18 word by word
Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ψηλαφωμένῳ καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ καὶ γνόφῳ καὶ ζόφῳ καὶ θυέλλῃRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forγάρgar · forG1063
- ye areπροσέρχομαιproserchomai · to come near/agreeG4334
- notοὐou · noG3756
- the mountὄροςoros · mountainG3735
- that might be touchedψηλαφάωpsēlaphaō · to touchG5584
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- that burnedκαίωkaiō · to kindle/burnG2545
- with fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
- unto blacknessγνόφοςgnophos · darknessG1105
- darknessσκότοςskotos · darknessG4655
- tempestθύελλαthuella · stormG2366
Cross-references for Hebrews 12:18
- Exodus 19:12Make a line round the edge of the mountain so that the people do not cross it. Say to them, “Be careful! Do not go up the mountain or even touch the edge of it. If any people or animals touch the mountain, they must die.
- Exodus 20:18The people heard the loud thunder and they saw the bright lightning. They heard the noise of the trumpet. They saw the smoke on the mountain. They were so afraid that their bodies were shaking. They would not come near.
- Exodus 24:17The people could see the Lord's bright glory. To them, it looked like a fire that was burning the top of the mountain.
- Deuteronomy 4:11At that time, you came and you stood at the edge of the mountain. You saw that the fire on the mountain reached up to the sky. But the sky was full of black clouds and it was dark.
- Deuteronomy 5:22These are the commands that the Lord spoke to you. You were all there together at the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the middle of a great fire. There was a cloud and it was very dark. He gave only those commands. Then he wrote them on two flat stones and he gave them to me.
- Romans 6:14Sin will no longer have authority over you. You do not have a new life because you obey the Law which God gave to Moses. You have a new life because God is very kind to you.
- Romans 8:15The Spirit that you have received from God does not make you serve him like slaves. That would make you afraid again. No. The Spirit that God has given to you causes you to become God's children. Now he takes care of you. God's Spirit makes us call God: ‘Abba, our Father.’
- 2 Timothy 1:7Be strong, because God has given us his Spirit. And his Spirit does not cause us to be afraid. Instead, his Spirit causes us to be powerful to serve God. He helps us to love God and other people. And he helps us to control ourselves properly.
Commentaries on Hebrews 12:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched - I believe the words ͅ should be translated to a palpable or material mountain; for that it was not a mountain that on this occasion might be touched, the history, Exodus 19:12, Exodus 19:13, shows; and the apostle himself, in Hebrews 12:20, confirms. It is called here a palpable or material mount, to distinguish it from that spiritual mount Sion, of which the apostle is speaking. Some contend that…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18For ye are not come - To enforce the considerations already urged, the apostle introduces this sublime comparison between the old and new dispensations; Hebrews 12:18-24. The object, in accordance with the principal scope of the Epistle, is, to guard them against apostasy. To do this, he shows that under the new dispensation there was much more to hind them to fidelity, and to make apostasy dangerous, than there was under the old. The main point of the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-29Verses 18-29 Mount Sinai, on which the Jewish church state was formed, was a mount such as might be touched, though forbidden to be so, a place that could be felt; so the Mosaic dispensation was much in outward and earthly things. The gospel state is kind and condescending, suited to our weak frame. Under the gospel all may come with boldness to God's presence. But the most holy must despair, if judged by the holy law given from Sinai, without a Saviour…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18The descriptions of Mount Sinai are based on God's meeting with Israel there (see Exodus 19:16–22; 20:18–21; Deuteronomy 4:11–12; 5:23–27). These images show separation from a holy God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. For--The fact that we are not under the law, but under a higher, and that the last dispensation, the Gospel, with its glorious privileges, is the reason why especially the Hebrew Christians should "look diligently," &c. (He 12:15, 16). are not come--Greek, "have not come near to." Alluding to De 4:11, "Ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire ... with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness." "In your coming near unto…Read the comment
Topics related to Hebrews 12:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Hebrews 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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