And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Parallel translations
- WEB The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
- KJV And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
- NKJV So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.
- NASB So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
- NLT As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.
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
The people stood far off while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. The mediator draws near to God on the people's behalf.
Overview
As the people keep their distance, Moses alone enters the dark cloud of God's presence. His unique nearness underscores his mediatorial role. This points to Christ, who enters the very presence of God for us and, unlike the people at Sinai, brings His own near rather than leaving them at a distance (Heb. 9:24).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Kgs 8:12Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
- Ps 97:2Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
- Ps 18:9He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
- 1 Tim 6:16He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- 2 Chr 6:1Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud;
- Ps 18:12From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
- Exod 19:16–17On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
- Deut 5:5At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said:
- Ps 104:2He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
- Deut 5:22The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 20:21 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
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