Exodus 20:19

Exodus 20:19

17 ^a“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; ^byou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

The People Afraid of God’s Presence

18 Now ^aall the people ^bwitnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain ^csmoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.

19 Then they said to Moses, ^a“You speak with us, and we will hear; but ^blet not God speak with us, lest we die.”

20 And Moses said to the people, ^a“Do not fear; ^bfor God has come to test you, and ^cthat His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”

21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near ^athe thick darkness where God was.

The Law of the Altar

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you ^afrom heaven.

23 You shall not make anything to be ^awith Me—gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.

24 An altar of ^aearth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, ^byour sheep and your oxen. In every ^cplace where I record My name I will come to you, and I will ^dbless you.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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Exodus 20:20 >>

let not God speak with us, lest we die, etc.—The phenomena of thunder and lightning had been one of the plagues so fatal to Egypt, and as they heard God speaking to them now, they were apprehensive of instant death also. Even Moses himself, the mediator of the old covenant, did "exceedingly quake and fear" (Hebrews 12:21). But doubtless God spake what gave him relief—restored him to a frame of mind fit for the ministrations committed to him; and hence immediately after he was enabled to relieve and comfort them with the relief and comfort which he himself had received from God (II Corinthians 1:4).

Exodus 20:18-21

all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings—They were eye and ear witnesses of the awful emblems of the Deity's descent. But they perceived not the Deity Himself.

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Exodus 20:19:**

Deuteronomy 5:23-28

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Exodus 20:20 >>

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