New English Translation
Exodus 19:18
18Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently.
Exodus 19:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
Context of Exodus 19:18
16On the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud horn; all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their place at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19When the sound of the horn grew louder and louder, Moses was speaking and God was answering him with a voice. 20The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Read all of Exodus 19Exodus 19:18 word by word
וְהַ֤ר סִינַי֙ עָשַׁ֣ן כֻּלּ֔וֹ מִ֠פְּנֵי אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרַ֥ד עָלָ֛יו יְהוָ֖ה בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַיַּ֤עַל עֲשָׁנוֹ֙ כְּעֶ֣שֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁ֔ן וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כָּל־הָהָ֖ר מְאֹֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- Sinaiסִינַיsîynay · SinaiH5514
- was altogether on a smokeעָשַׁן‛âshan · be angryH6225
- becauseאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- becauseפָּנֶהpânîym · face: becauseH6440
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- descendedיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
- upon it in fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
- and the smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227
- thereof ascendedעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- of a furnaceכִּבְשָׁןkibshân · kilnH3536
- quakedחָרַדchârad · to trembleH2729
- greatlyמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
Cross-references for Exodus 19:18
- Exodus 20:18All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking – and when the people saw it they trembled with fear and kept their distance.
- Deuteronomy 4:11You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it and yet dark with a thick cloud.
- Deuteronomy 5:22The Lord said these things to your entire assembly at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the cloud, and the darkness with a loud voice, and that was all he said. Then he inscribed the words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
- Deuteronomy 33:2He said: The Lord came from Sinai and revealed himself to Israel from Seir. He appeared in splendor from Mount Paran, and came forth with ten thousand holy ones. With his right hand he gave a fiery law to them.
- Judges 5:5The mountains trembled before the Lord, the God of Sinai; before the Lord God of Israel.
- Psalms 68:7O God, when you lead your people into battle, when you march through the desert, (Selah)
- Psalms 104:32He looks down on the earth and it shakes; he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
- Psalms 144:5O Lord, make the sky sink and come down! Touch the mountains and make them smolder!
- Exodus 19:13No hand will touch him – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being; he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may go up on the mountain.”
- Isaiah 6:4The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke.
- Revelation 15:8and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.
- Exodus 3:2The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked – and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!
- Exodus 24:17Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in plain view of the people.
- 2 Chronicles 7:1When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the Lord’s splendor filled the temple.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare.
Commentaries on Exodus 19:18
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18A furnace - The word in the original is Egyptian, and occurs only in the Pentateuch.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 19:18
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries