God’s Word Translation
Exodus 19:20
20The Lord came down on top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up.
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
18All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had come down on it in fire. Smoke rose from the mountain like the smoke from a kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19As the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, Moses was speaking, and the voice of God answered him. The Lord came down on top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up. 21The Lord said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to force their way through ⌞the boundary⌟ to see the Lord, or many of them will die. 22Even the priests who are allowed to come near the Lord must set themselves apart as holy, or the Lord will violently kill them.”
Read all of Exodus 19Exodus 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 day after tomorrow. On that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai as all the people watch.
- Nehemiah 9:13You came from heaven to Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You gave them fair rules, trustworthy teachings, and good laws and commandments.
- Psalms 81:7When you were in trouble, you called out ⌞to me⌟, and I rescued you. I was hidden in thunder, but I answered you. I tested your ⌞loyalty⌟ at the oasis of Meribah. Selah
- Exodus 19:3Then Moses went up the mountain to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “This is what you must say to the descendants of Jacob. Tell the Israelites,
- Exodus 24:12The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the teachings and the commandments I have written for the people’s instruction.”
- Exodus 34:2Be ready in the morning. Then come up on Mount Sinai, and stand in my presence on the top of the mountain.
- Deuteronomy 9:9When I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, the tablets of the promise that the Lord made to you, I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights without food or 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
In the dictionaries
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
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