Judges 13:20
in Judges 13When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of Jehovah ascended in the flame of the altar: and Manoah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.
KJV
For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
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This verse in Judges 13
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Manoah said unto the angel . . ., What is thy name?--Manoah's request elicited the most unequivocal proofs of the divinity of his supernatural visitor--in his name "secret" (in the Margin, "wonderful"), and in the miraculous flame that betokened the acceptance of the sacrifice.
This site's exposition
Then Manoah took a young goat
on Judges 13:19-21
The offering goes up on a rock, and verse 20 calls that rock “the altar”, as Gideon's rock became at 6:20-21. Verse 21 puts the knowledge last, since the visits stop and only then “Manoah realized that it had been the angel of the LORD”.
This site's exposition
ascended in the flame
John Wesley takes the angel of the LORD rising in the flame from the altar as a sign of his spiritual nature. Matthew Henry applies it to Christ, who entered the holy place by His own blood in Hebrews 9. Manoah and his wife fell facedown to the ground.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
For if an angel is able to use air, mist, cloud, fire, and any other natural substance or physical species; and a person [is able] to use, face, tongue, hand, pen, letters, or any other means for the purpose of communicating the secret things of his own mind: in a word, if, though he is human, he sends human messengers, and he says to one, "Go," and he goes; and to another, "Come," and he comes; and to his servant, "Do this," and he does it"; with how much greater and more effectual power does God—to whom, as Lord, all things are subject—use both angel and man in order to declare whatever pleases him?
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
The altar - That is, from that part of the rock which served instead of an altar, upon which the sacrifice was laid. Ascended - To manifest his nature and essence to be spiritual.
The great Redeemer did in a particular manner concern himself about this typical redeemer. Beware - Because the child was to be a Nazarite from the womb, ver. 5, and from the conception; and because the mother's pollution extends to the child, she is enjoined from this time to observe the following rules belonging to the Nazarites.
quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-5-anchored-19-23
For it came to pass, when the flame went up towards heaven from off the altar,....
The angel did all that was done in the sacrifice; they did but look on; yet doubtless, when the angel ascended towards heaven, their hearts ascended with him in thanksgiving for the promise which came thence and in expectation of the performance to come thence too.
1 more voice on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
But it is Christ in the heart by faith that makes it an offering of a sweet-smelling savour: without him our services are offensive smoke, but, in him, acceptable flame. We may apply it to Christ's sacrifice of himself for us; he ascended in the flame of his own offering, for by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, Heb. ix.
The words behind it
18 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִי֩ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בַעֲל֨וֹת | vaalot | when went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| הַלַּ֜הַב | halahav | the flame | H3851 → | 12 times |
| מֵעַ֤ל | meal | from on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ | hamizbeach | the altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה | hashamaymah | the heavens towards | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וַיַּ֥עַל | vaiyaal | and he went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| מַלְאַךְ־ | malakh- | [the] angel of | H4397 → | 213 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּלַ֣הַב | belahav | in [the] flame of | H3851 → | 12 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ | hamizbeach | the altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| וּמָנ֤וֹחַ | umanoach | and Manoah | H4495 → | 18 times |
| וְאִשְׁתּוֹ֙ | veishto | and wife his | H802 → | 781 times |
| רֹאִ֔ים | roim | [were] looking | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| וַיִּפְּל֥וּ | vaiyipelu | and they fell | H5307 → | 435 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם | peneihem | faces their | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| אָֽרְצָה׃ | ʾaretzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
וַיְהִי֩and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
בַעֲל֨וֹתwhen went up
vaalotH5927 →890 times
הַלַּ֜הַבthe flame
halahavH3851 →12 times
מֵעַ֤לfrom on
mealH5921 →5755 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙the altar
hamizbeachH4196 →401 times
הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָהthe heavens towards
hashamaymahH8064 →421 times
וַיַּ֥עַלand he went up
vaiyaalH5927 →890 times
מַלְאַךְ־[the] angel of
malakh-H4397 →213 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּלַ֣הַבin [the] flame of
belahavH3851 →12 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַthe altar
hamizbeachH4196 →401 times
וּמָנ֤וֹחַand Manoah
umanoachH4495 →18 times
וְאִשְׁתּוֹ֙and wife his
veishtoH802 →781 times
רֹאִ֔ים[were] looking
roimH7200 →1300 times
וַיִּפְּל֥וּand they fell
vaiyipeluH5307 →435 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
פְּנֵיהֶ֖םfaces their
peneihemH6440 →2123 times
אָֽרְצָה׃[the] ground towards
ʾaretzahH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 2:11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 6:17
Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 104:3–4
laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.
- 2 Kings 6:17
Through
Ezekiel 1:28The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the…
it leads to
- Revelation 10:1
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.
- Revelation 4:3
The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.
- Revelation 10:1
Through
Leviticus 9:24Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell…
it leads to
- Judges 6:21
Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the…
- 1 Kings 18:38–39
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.
- 1 Chronicles 21:26
And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
- Judges 13:19–20
Then Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the LORD. And as Manoah and his wife looked on, the LORD did a marvelous thing.
- Judges 6:21
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies8
On this verse
About Judges

This page draws on Augustine of Hippo, EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 78.5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
