So I went back down the mountain while it was blazing with fire, with the two tablets of the covenant in my hands.
Parallel translations
- WEB So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. The two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.
- KJV So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands.
- NKJV “So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire; and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.
- NASB “So I turned and came down from the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire, and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.
- NLT “So while the mountain was blazing with fire I turned and came down, holding in my hands the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.
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
Moses turned and came down the burning mountain holding the two tablets of the covenant. He descended to confront Israel's sin with the law in hand.
Overview
Moses descends from the fiery mountain carrying the covenant tablets to a people already in rebellion. The burning mountain signifies God's awesome holiness and presence. The scene sets the stage for the breaking of the tablets, dramatizing how Israel had already broken the covenant and underscoring humanity's need for the grace fulfilled in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Exod 19:18Mount 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.
- Deut 5:23And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me,
- Deut 4:11You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
- Exod 32:14–35So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.
- Exod 9:23So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
- Heb 12:18For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;
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 9:15 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.