Hebrews 12:20 NIV

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Hebrews 12:20

For they could not endure that which was commanded - They could not sustain the awe produced by the fact that God uttered his commands himself. The meaning is not that the commands themselves were intolerable, but that the manner in which they were communicated inspired a terror which they could not bear. They feared that they should die; Exodus 20:19.And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned - Exodus 19:13. The prohibition was, that neither beast nor man should touch it... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Hebrews 12:20-21

Hebrews 12:20-21. For they could not endure that which was commanded That is, either, 1st, The law itself, so strict and holy, and promulged amidst such terrors seen and heard: or, 2d, The sense is, they could not bear to hear the following charge, or endure the terror which seized them when they heard those words proclaimed, And if even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, &c. And so terrible was the sight That manifestation of the divine presence, that even Moses ... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Hebrews 12:18-29

God’s mercy and God’s judgment (12:18-29)There is no similarity between the experience of Israelite people under the old covenant and that of Christians under the new. Events that accompanied the giving of the law at Mount Sinai show that people saw the old covenant as something terrifying (18-21; cf. Exodus 19:12-13; Exodus 20:18-19). By contrast, Christians see the new covenant as something joyful. They are not kept at a distance from God as the Israelites were at Mount Sinai, but come right... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Hebrews 12:20

if . Greek. ean . App-118 . beast . Greek. therion, not zoon. touch . See Hebrews 11:28 . or thrust through, &c . All the texts omit. No doubt this is because of the complex Ellipsis. In Exodus 19:13 we read, "There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live". The work on "Figures of Speech" makes it clear thus: "And if so much as [a man, or] a beast touch the mountain [if a man] he shall be stoned or [if a... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Hebrews 12:20

For they could not endure that which was enjoined, If a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned.That which was enjoined means that which was commanded; and the thing God had commanded Israel, cited here, was that they should kill any beast that might inadvertantly touch the mountain, not kill in the ordinary way, but by stoning or casting it through with a dart (Exodus 19:12f). The significance of this is that the mountain was held so sacred that any beast touching it thereby became holy... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Hebrews 12:20

20. that which was commanded—"the interdict" [TITTMANN]. A stern interdictory mandate is meant. And—rather, "Even if a beast (much more a man) touch," c. or thrust through with a dart—omitted in the oldest manuscripts. The full interdict in Exodus 19:12 Exodus 19:13 is abbreviated here; the beast alone, being put for "whether man or beast"; the stoning, which applies to the human offender, alone being specified, the beast's punishment, namely, the being thrust through with a dart, being left to... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:14-25

V. LIFE IN A HOSTILE WORLD 12:14-13:25This final major section of the book perhaps grew out of the writer’s reflection on the Greek text of Proverbs 4:26-27. He specified how his readers could "make straight paths for your feet" (Hebrews 12:13)."In the final division of the homily the writer provides the members of the house church with a fresh orientation for life as Christians in a hostile society. The new people of God are engaged in pilgrimage to the city of God. This world is not their... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:14-29

A. The Danger of Unresponsiveness (the Fifth Warning) 12:14-29The writer now turned from the hearers’ responsibility as they experienced suffering (Hebrews 12:1-13) to the peril of rejecting God who continues to speak to us through His Son using the Scriptures. As the preceding pericope (Hebrews 12:1-13), this one is also a chiasm.A Exhortation (Hebrews 12:14-17) B Exposition (Hebrews 12:18-24)A’ Exhortation (Hebrews 12:25-29)"The synthesis of so many significant themes and motifs within a... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:18-21

These verses describe the giving of the Old Covenant at Mt. Sinai (cf. Hebrews 2:2-4; Exodus 19:9-23; Deuteronomy 4:11; Deuteronomy 9:8-19). [Note: See J. M. Casey, "Eschatology in Hebrews 12:14-29: An Exegetical Study" (Ph.D. dissertation, Catholic University of Leuven, 1977), p. 318.] The writer made Sinai and Zion metaphors to show the difference in quality between relationship to God under the Old and New Covenants (cf. Galatians 4:24-26). [Note: See D. G. Peterson, "The Prophecy of the New... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:18-24

2. The superiority of the New Covenant 12:18-24The writer proceeded to reiterate the superiority of the New Covenant by comparing it with the Old Covenant, using the figure of two mountains: Sinai and Zion."As vv.14-17 recall the first warning of 64-8, so he [the writer] now proceeds to reiterate the second warning of 1026-31, reminding his readers that they stand in a critical position, in which any indifferences or disobedience to God will prove fatal." [Note: Moffatt, pp. 213-14.] read more

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Hebrews 12:20

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Hebrews 12:20-21

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Hebrews 12:18-29

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Hebrews 12:20

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Hebrews 12:20

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Hebrews 12:20

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:14-25

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:14-29

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:18-21

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Hebrews 12:18-24

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