Exodus 20:21
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And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
"So the people stood afar off" (as in Exo 20:18), not "went far away," although, according to Deu 5:30, Moses was directed by God to tell the people to return to their tents. This is passed over here, and it is merely observed, for the purpose of closing the first act in the giving the law, and preparing the way for the second, that the people remained afar off, whereas Moses (and Aaron, cf. Exo 19:24) drew near to the darkness where God was, to receive the further commands of the Lord.
Open source ↗All things being prepared for the solemn promulgation of the divine law, we have, in this chapter, I. The ten commandments, as God himself spoke them upon mount Sinai (v. 1-17), as remarkable a portion of scripture as any in the Old Testament. II. The impressions made upon the people thereby (Exo 20:18-21). III. Some particular instructions which God gave privately to Moses, to be by him communicated to the people, relating to his worship (Exo 20:22, etc.).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
He 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.
Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud;
From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
At 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:
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.