You said, ‘Behold, the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire; we have seen today that God speaks with mankind, yet he lives.
Parallel translations
- WEB and you said, “Behold, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives.
- KJV And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.
- BSB and 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.
- NKJV And you said: ‘Surely the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives.
- NLT They said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the heart of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak to us humans, and yet we live!
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
Israel acknowledged God's glory and marveled that they heard him speak and yet lived. They recognized the wonder of surviving God's presence.
Overview
The people confess that God has shown his glory and that, astonishingly, a person can hear God and still live. This captures both reverent awe and amazement at God's gracious condescension. That sinners can encounter the living God and live is supremely realized in Christ, through whom we have access to God (Ephesians 2:18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Exod 19:19When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.
- Deut 4:33Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as you have heard, and live?
- Exod 33:20He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”
- Gen 32:30Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
- Judg 13:22Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”
- Deut 5:4–5Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the middle of the fire,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 5:24 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.