Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived?
Parallel translations
- WEB Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as you have heard, and live?
- KJV Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
- NKJV Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?
- NASB Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived?
- NLT Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
No other people has heard God's voice from the fire and survived. Israel's experience at Sinai was unique and awesome.
Overview
Moses points to the unprecedented reality that a whole nation heard the living God speak and yet lived. This highlights both God's holiness and his condescending grace in revealing himself. That sinners can hear God and live anticipates the fuller revelation in Christ, the Word made flesh, in whom God speaks finally and savingly (Hebrews 1:1-2).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Deut 5:24and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
- Judg 6:22When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
- Exod 33:20But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
- Deut 5:26For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived?
- Exod 24:11But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.
- Exod 20:18–19When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance.
- Deut 4:24–26For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
- Deut 9:10Then the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, inscribed by the finger of God with the exact words that the LORD spoke to you out of the fire on the mountain on the day of the assembly.
- Exod 19:18–19Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
- Exod 20:22Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is what you are to tell the Israelites: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 4:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.