The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
- BSB The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.
- NKJV Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
- NASB So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him!”
- NLT When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
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 crowd hears the voice but mistakes it for thunder or an angel. Spiritual dullness obscures the divine word.
Overview
The bystanders perceive the heavenly voice only as thunder or angelic speech, missing its meaning. Their confusion illustrates how spiritual realities can be heard yet not understood without faith. The verse highlights the gap between mere hearing and true perception of God's revelation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 37:2–5Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.
- Rev 6:1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
- Rev 14:2And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
- Exod 19:16And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
- Ezek 10:5And the sound of the cherubims’ wings was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of the Almighty God when he speaketh.
- Job 40:9Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
- Exod 20:18And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
- Rev 11:19And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
- Acts 23:8–9For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
- Rev 18:1–2And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
- Rev 8:5And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 12:29 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 Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.