Exodus 19:16-20 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 19:16-25

Now, at length, comes that memorable day, that terrible day of the Lord, that day of judgment, in which Israel heard the voice of the Lord God speaking to them out of the midst of the fire, and lived, Deut. 4:33. Never was there such a sermon preached, before nor since, as this which was here preached to the church in the wilderness. For, I. The preacher was God himself (Exod. 19:18): The Lord descended in fire, and (Exod. 19:20), The Lord came down upon mount Sinai. The shechinah, or glory of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:16

And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, The sixth of the month, according to the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi; on which day, as the Jews generally say F20 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 86. 2. & Yoma, fol. 4. 2. Seder Olam Rabba, c. 5. p. 18. , the law was given, and which, they also observe, was a sabbath day: yea, they are sometimes so very particular as to fix the hour of the day, and say F21 Pirke Eliezer, c. 46. , it was the sixth hour of the day, or twelve... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:17

And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp ,.... Which was before the mountain and near it, when the above tokens were given of the divine Presence on it; as they were thrown into a panic upon the sound of the trumpet, it was, perhaps, with some difficulty that they were brought out of the camp, or persuaded to quit it; and nothing short of the presence of Moses at the head of them, to go before them, and lead them to the foot of the mountain, could have prevailed upon them to have... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:18

And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke ,.... Not from nature, as volcanos, but for a reason after given; it seemed to be one large body of smoke, nothing else to be seen but smoke; an emblem of the darkness of the legal dispensation, which was full of obscure types and figures, of dark shadows and smoky sacrifices, to which the clear day, of the Gospel dispensation is opposed, see 2 Corinthians 3:12 . because the Lord descended upon it in fire ; in flaming fire, as the Targums,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:19

And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long ,.... Not in one continued tone, as before, Exodus 19:13 , where a different word is used, and when it decreased, and was about to cease, which was to summon the people to attend; but now they were come to the foot of the mount, and this sounding was a preparation to the giving of the law unto them, and was not one continued even tone: but waxed louder and louder; or, "going, and exceeding strong"; or, "strengthening itself exceedingly" F24 ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:20

And the Lord came down on Mount Sinai ,.... In the above visible tokens of his presence and power; otherwise he is the incomprehensible Jehovah, that immense and omnipotent Being, who fills heaven and earth, and cannot be contained and circumscribed in either: on the top of the mount ; where the fire he descended in rested, and where the smoke and thick cloud were, as a token of his presence: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount ; who either was at the bottom of it... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:16

Thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud - and the voice of the trumpet - The thunders, lightnings, etc., announced the coming, as they proclaimed the majesty, of God. Of the thunders and lightnings, and the deep, dark, dismal, electric cloud, from which the thunders and lightnings proceeded, we can form a tolerable apprehension; but of the loud, long-sounding trumpet, we can scarcely form a conjecture. Such were the appearances and the noise that all the people in the camp trembled, and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:17

And Moses brought forth the people - to meet with God - For though they might not touch the mount till they had permission, yet when the trumpet sounded long, it appears they might come up to the nether part of the mount, (see Exodus 19:13 , and Deuteronomy 4:11 ;); and when the trumpet had ceased to sound, they might then go up unto the mountain, as to any other place. It was absolutely necessary that God should give the people at large some particular evidence of his being and power,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:20

The Lord came down - This was undoubtedly done in a visible manner, that the people might witness the awful appearance. We may suppose that every thing was arranged thus: the glory of the Lord occupied the top of the mountain, and near to this Moses was permitted to approach. Aaron and the seventy elders were permitted to advance some way up the mountain, while the people were only permitted to come up to its base. Moses, as the lawgiver, was to receive the statutes and judgments from God's... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:16

Verse 16 16.And it came to pass on the third day. We must bear in mind what I have already adverted to, that this terrible spectacle was partly to set the presence of God before their eyes, that His majesty might urge the beholders to obedience, and vindicate His doctrine from contempt, and partly to express the nature of the Law, which in itself produces nothing but mere terror. The air was disturbed by thunder and lightning’s, and the sound of the trumpet; the mountain was wrapped in smoke... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 19:16-25

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:20

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:16

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:20

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 19:16

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