Deuteronomy 4:12

Deuteronomy 4:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.

Context of Deuteronomy 4:12

10Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may have them hear My words so that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ 11You came forward and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud, and thick gloom. Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form--there was only a voice. 13So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, so that you would perform them in the land where you are going over to take possession of it.

Deuteronomy 4:12 word by word

וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם מִתּ֣וֹךְ הָאֵ֑שׁ ק֤וֹל דְּבָרִים֙ אַתֶּ֣ם שֹׁמְעִ֔ים וּתְמוּנָ֛ה אֵינְכֶ֥ם רֹאִ֖ים זוּלָתִ֥י קֽוֹל׃Read the interlinear

• Then the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• spokeדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• to you from the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• you heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• the soundקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: soundH6963
• of wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• but you sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• noאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
• formתְּמוּנָהtemûnâh temûnâh · likenessH8544
• onlyזוּלָהzûlâh · exceptionH2108
• a voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963

Cross-references for Deuteronomy 4:12

• Deuteronomy 5:4The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire,
• Deuteronomy 4:15“So be very careful yourselves, since you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,
• Numbers 12:8With him I speak mouth to mouth, That is, openly, and not using mysterious language, And he beholds the form of the Lord. So why were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”
• Isaiah 40:18To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
• Colossians 1:15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation:
• Deuteronomy 4:33Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived?
• Exodus 20:22Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
• 1 Kings 19:12And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing.
• Isaiah 30:21Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
• Isaiah 40:3The voice of one calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
• Matthew 3:3For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’”
• Matthew 17:5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!”
• John 12:28Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
• 2 Peter 1:17For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”--

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4:12

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Hero worship exhibited itself in the practice of setting up images of human form as household gods (Penates, compare Genesis 31:19; Genesis 35:2), or as local and civic divinities: a practice forbidden by Deuteronomy 4:16. Nature worship in its baser shapes is seen in the Egyptian idolatry of animals and animal figures, and is condemned in Deuteronomy 4:17-18: while its less ignoble flight, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, is forbidden in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-40Moses gave a long speech to the Israelites because of their recent failures and what he thought would happen in Canaan.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude--Although articulate sounds were heard emanating from the mount, no form or representation of the Divine Being who spoke was seen to indicate His nature or properties according to the notions of the heathen.Read the comment

Topics related to Deuteronomy 4:12

• Afflictions and Adversities
• God
• Law
• Obedience

In the dictionaries

• Add
• Consider
• Consuming
• Diminish
• Furnace
• Hearken
• Idol
• Criticism
• Deuteronomy
• Form

Commentaries on Deuteronomy 4

• 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