And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.
Parallel translations
- WEB The appearance of Yahweh’s glory was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
- KJV And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
- NKJV The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
- NASB And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.
- NLT To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.
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
To the watching Israelites, God's glory looked like a devouring fire on the mountaintop. God's presence is majestic, holy, and not to be treated lightly.
Overview
The 'devouring fire' imagery conveys God's holiness and the danger of approaching Him carelessly. The whole nation witnessed this awesome sight, reinforcing reverence and the seriousness of the covenant. Fire often signifies both God's purity and His judgment against sin. Scripture later calls God a consuming fire, urging worship with reverence and awe, fitting for those who draw near through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Heb 12:29“For our God is a consuming fire.”
- Deut 4:24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
- Deut 4:36He let you hear His voice from heaven to discipline you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the fire.
- Exod 3:2There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.
- 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;
- 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.
- Hab 3:4–5His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.
- Ezek 1:27From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire within it all around. And from what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him.
- Nah 1:6Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.
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 24:17 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.