Bible Strands
Exodus 20:21
And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the Israelites remaining at a distance while Moses moves forward toward God's location at Sinai immediately after the Decalogue is proclaimed.
The words — The verb נִגַּ֣שׁ (ni.Gash) describes Moses drawing near, while הָֽ/עֲרָפֶ֔ל (ha./'a.ra.Fel) names the opaque medium rendered literally as "the thick darkness" that marked God's presence.
The thread — The motif of God's presence veiled in dense atmospheric phenomena appears in 1 Kings 8:12, Psalms 97:2, and Psalms 18:9.
Why it lands — The text establishes that communal reverence requires physical separation while access to God is mediated through a single representative, demanding readers acknowledge both the boundary of divine holiness and the necessity of appointed mediation.
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 the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 8:12 Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
- Psalms 97:2 Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
- Psalms 18:9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
- 1 Timothy 6:16 He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- 2 Chronicles 6:1 Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
- Exodus 19:16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
- 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:
- Psalms 18:12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
- Psalms 104:2 He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
- Deuteronomy 5:22 The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.