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Judges 13:20

in Judges 13

When 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.

This verse in Judges 13

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

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

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 78.5 · Written before 430.

proposed

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

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

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.

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

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.

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For it came to pass, when the flame went up towards heaven from off the altar,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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 words

Every 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.

  • 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 stops

Each 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 2:11

    As 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.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 1:28

    The 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.

  • Through

    Leviticus 9:24

    Fire 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.

Where this verse is studied

About Judges

Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.

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.