Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights a profound shift: before God spoke, the people were eager to draw near, but witnessing His power turned their curiosity into terror, driving them to retreat and stand far off. This dramatic reversal underscores that direct encounters with God's holiness, while intended to humble and instruct, can also overwhelm us when we haven't yet learned to approach Him through a mediator.
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off
English Standard Version (ESV)
God has just spoken the Ten Commandments directly to all the people, accompanied by terrifying signs of thunder, lightning, trumpet blasts, and smoke from the mountain. Overwhelmed by this direct encounter with God's majesty, the people recoil in fear and ask Moses to be their mediator for all future communication from God, fearing they will die if they hear God's voice directly again. Moses then draws nearer to God while the people retreat, setting the stage for God to give Moses further instructions.
Imagine standing at the foot of a mountain that's on fire, shaking, with thunder rolling like war drums and lightning flashing like divine spotlights. This wasn't just a visual spectacle; it was an all-out assault on the senses.
The text in Exodus 20:18 uses vivid language to describe the sensory experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. "Saw the thunderings" and "saw the mountain smoking" might seem a bit mixed up to our modern ears, but in Hebrew, it was common to use "see" as a broad term for perceiving or experiencing something intensely.
A Multi-Sensory Encounter
This wasn't just information being delivered; it was a profound, overwhelming encounter designed to impress God's majesty upon them.
Just moments before, the people were eager to get closer to God's presence. But after experiencing His power firsthand, their tune dramatically changed. What happened?
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There's a fascinating shift in the people's attitude described in Exodus 20. Earlier, they were urged to draw near to the mountain (Exodus 19:17), and likely stood at its base, curious to witness God's glory. However, the full manifestation of God's presence at the giving of the Law transformed their eagerness into abject fear.
The Shift in Stance
This fear wasn't necessarily a bad thing; it was a holy fear, a recognition of the immense gap between the Creator and His creation. It cured them of presumption and taught them reverence.
Understand the original words
yare' · Hebrew Verb
An intense emotional reaction to the overwhelming presence or power of God, often manifesting as terror or trembling.
This passage in Hebrews directly contrasts the terrifying, fear-inducing experience at Mount Sinai, where the Israelites wanted to get away from God's voice, with the New Covenant reality in Zion, which offers a different kind of encounter with God.
Deuteronomy 5:22-27This passage recounts the same event as Exodus 20:18, emphasizing the people's fear and their request for Moses to be an intermediary, highlighting their realization of their own sinfulness in the face of God's holiness.
John 1:14While Exodus 20:18 describes God's awe-inspiring and terrifying presence, John 1:14 speaks of the Word becoming flesh and 'dwelling among us,' showing a God who, in Jesus, moves from a distant, fearsome manifestation to an intimate, approachable presence.
1 Kings 19:11-13This passage describes Elijah's encounter with God on Mount Horeb (Sinai), where God was not in the thunder or fire, but in the 'still, small voice,' illustrating a progression from terrifying displays of power to a more intimate communication of God's presence.
gillExodus 20:18: "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off."
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings,.... That is, they heard the one, and saw the other; they heard the dreadful volleys of thunder, and saw the amazing flashes of lightning, which were like lamps and torches, as the word used signifies; by a communication of senses, one sense is p…
pulpitExodus 20:18: "And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off."
Verses 18-21. - WITHDRAWAL OF THE PEOPLE, AND NEARER APPROACH OF MOSES TO GOD. The effect produced upon the people by the accumulated terrors of Sinai - "the thunderings and the lightnings, the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking" - the cloud, and the voice out of the cloud - was an awful and…
The verse highlights a profound shift: before God spoke, the people were eager to draw near, but witnessing His power turned their curiosity into terror, driving them to retreat and stand far off. This dramatic reversal underscores that direct encounters with God's holiness, while intended to humble and instruct, can also overwhelm us when we haven't yet learned to approach Him through a mediator.
God has just spoken the Ten Commandments directly to all the people, accompanied by terrifying signs of thunder, lightning, trumpet blasts, and smoke from the mountain. Overwhelmed by this direct encounter with God's majesty, the people recoil in fear and ask Moses to be their mediator for all future communication from God, fearing they will die if they hear God's voice directly again. Moses then draws nearer to God while the people retreat, setting the stage for God to give Moses further instructions.
God has just spoken the Ten Commandments directly to all the people, accompanied by terrifying signs of thunder, lightning, trumpet blasts, and smoke from the mountain. Overwhelmed by this direct encounter with God's majesty, the people recoil in fear and ask Moses to be their mediator for all future communication from God, fearing they will die if they hear God's voice directly again. Moses then draws nearer to God while the people retreat, setting the stage for God to give Moses further instructions.
"Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off" — The verse highlights a profound shift: before God spoke, the people were eager to draw near, but witnessing His power turned their curiosity into terror, driving them to retreat and stand far off. Th…
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Last reviewed October 2026