Deuteronomy 4:12
10 The day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, “Gather the people before Me to hear My words, so that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach them to their children.”
11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
13 He declared to you His covenant, which He commanded you to follow—the Ten Commandments that He wrote on two tablets of stone.
14 At that time the LORD commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess.
This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
- KJV
- And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
- WEB
- The LORD spoke to you out of the middle of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; you only heard a voice.
- ASV
- And Jehovah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only [ye heard] a voice.
- DARBY
- And Jehovah spoke to you from the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but ye saw no form; only [ye heard] a voice.
- BLB
- and YHWH spoke to you⁺ out of the midst of the fire. You⁺ heard the sound of the words, and you saw no form, only a voice.
- ÅB
- Og Herren talte til dere midt ut av ilden; dere hørte lyden av ordene, men noen skikkelse ble dere ikke var; dere hørte bare lyden.
- OTB
- Da talte Herren til dere midt ut av ilden; dere hørte lyden av ord, men så ingen skikkelse—det var bare en stemme.
- B1930
- Og Herren talte til eder midt ut av ilden; I hørte lyden av ordene, men nogen skikkelse blev I ikke var; I hørte bare lyden.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Deuteronomy 5:4
The LORD spoke with you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 5:22
The 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.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 4:15
So since you saw no form of any kind on the day the LORD spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb, be careful
Read in contextJohn 12:28–30
Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
Read in contextMatthew 3:17
And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Read in contextDeuteronomy 4:36
He 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.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 4:33
Has a people ever heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire, as you have, and lived?
Read in context1 Kings 19:12–13
After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.
Read in context