Hebrews 12:21 BSB — MannaFest

Hebrews 12:21

The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:

KJV

And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

⋯

Commentary

3 voices

Thomas Aquinas

Commentary on Hebrews (1274)

703. – From all this he draws the conclusion, namely, that they were terrifying things, because not even the beasts were spared; hence he says, and so terrible was the sight. This indicates the difference between the New and Old Testaments, because the Old Testament …

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

And so terrible was the sight,.... Of the smoke, fire, and lightnings; or of God himself, who descended on the mount; with which agrees the Arabic version, which renders the words, "and so terrible was he who vouchsafed himself to be seen"; not in the bush burning with fire; at which time Moses was afraid to look upon God, Exo 3:6 but on Mount Sinai, when the law was given: that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake: perhaps he might say this, when he spake, and God answered him, Exo 19:

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

Even Moses - Though admitted to so near an intercourse with God, who "spake to him as a man speaketh to his friend." At other times he acted as a mediator between God and the people.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said ... - This is not recorded in the account of the giving of the Law in Exodus, and it has been made a question on what authority the apostle made this declaration respecting Moses.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

12 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
οὕτω	houtō	thus	G3779 →
φοβερὸν	phoberon	fearful	G5398 →
ἦν	ēn	was	G1510 →
τὸ	to	the [thing]	G3588 →
φανταζόμενον,	phantazomenon	appearing [that]	G5324 →
Μωϋσῆς	Mōusēs	Moses	G3475 →
εἶπεν·	eipen	said;	G2036 →
ἔκφοβός	ekphobos	Greatly afraid	G1630 →
εἰμι	eimi	I am	G1510 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἔντρομος·	entromos	trembling;	G1790 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Revelation 1:17
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
leads to
- Isaiah 44:6
  Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
- Daniel 10:8–10
  So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
- Revelation 22:13
  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
- Daniel 8:17–18
  As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
- Isaiah 48:12
  Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.
Through
Psalms 119:120
My flesh trembles in awe of You; I stand in fear of Your judgments.
leads to
- Daniel 10:8–11
  So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
- Habakkuk 3:16
  I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the…
- Hebrews 12:28–29
  Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.

Featured studies on this passage

Walks through Hebrews 12

The General Epistles

Open the study →

Walks through Hebrews 12

Eternal Security, and the Five Warnings of Hebrews

Open the study →

Walks through Hebrews 12

Fire

Open the study →

Walks through Hebrews 12

The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22–23 names a singular fruit (karpos, not fruits) with nine visible facets. Gifts are distributed; fruit is unified. Every believer bears the whole fruit. The grammar is the theology.

Open the study →