Bible Strands
Exodus 20:19
“Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Israelites, having witnessed thunder, lightning, trumpet blasts, and a smoke-covered mountain, stand at a distance and address Moses directly. They request he mediate God's communication to prevent them from dying.
The words — דַּבֵּר (da.ber) means "speak," and אַתָּה ('a.Tah) means "you," emphasizing Moses as the exclusive mediator. אַל ('al) translates to "may not" or "do not," underscoring their prohibition against direct divine speech.
The thread — This plea is recalled in Deuteronomy 18:16 as the request made at Horeb, while Acts 7:38 notes Moses' presence in that wilderness assembly with the angel who spoke on Mount Sinai. Exodus 33:20 later explains the lethal boundary of direct divine encounter.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment of human limitation before divine holiness and establishes the necessity of a mediator. It requires readers to recognize that direct exposure to unmediated divine speech carries fatal consequences.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 18:16 This is what you asked of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God or see this great fire anymore, so that we will not die!”
- Acts 7:38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
- Exodus 33:20 But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
- Deuteronomy 5:23 And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me,
- Genesis 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
- Deuteronomy 5:5 At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said:
- Galatians 3:19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the seed to whom the promise referred. It was administered through angels by a mediator.
- Hebrews 12:19 to a trumpet blast or to a voice that made its hearers beg that no further word be spoken.