Exodus 20:21

American Standard Version

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The people stayed at a distance, and Moshe drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

King James Version
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Lexham English Bible
And the people stood at a distance, and Moses approached the very thick cloud where God was.

New Century Version
The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went near the dark cloud where God was.

New English Translation
The people kept their distance, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

Amplified Bible
So the people stood at a [safe] distance, but Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

New American Standard Bible
So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So the people stoode afarre off, but Moses drew neere vnto the darkenes where God was.

Legacy Standard Bible
So the people stood at a distance, but Moses came near the dense gloom where God was.

Contemporary English Version
But when Moses went near the thick cloud where God was, the people stayed a long way off.

Complete Jewish Bible
(S: Maftir) For me you need make only an altar of earth; on it you will sacrifice your burnt offerings, peace offerings, sheep, goats and cattle. In every place where I cause my name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you.

Darby Translation
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the obscurity where God was.

Easy-to-Read Version
The people stood far away from the mountain while Moses went to the dark cloud where God was.

English Standard Version
The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

George Lamsa Translation
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Good News Translation
But the people continued to stand a long way off, and only Moses went near the dark cloud where God was.

Christian Standard Bible®
And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.

Literal Translation
And the people stood from a distance, and Moses went near the thick darkness where God was .

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the people stode afarre of. But Moses gat him in to the darcke cloude, where in God was.

Bible in Basic English
And the people kept their places far off, but Moses went near to the dark cloud where God was.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the people stoode a farre of: and Moyses went into the thicke cloude where God was.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And if thou make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast profaned it.

King James Version (1611)
And the people stood afarre off, and Moses drew neere vnto the thicke darkenes, where God was.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the people stood afar off, and Moses went into the darkness where God was.

English Revised Version
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Berean Standard Bible
And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the puple stood afer; forsothe Moises neiyede to the derknesse, wherynne God was.

Young's Literal Translation
And the people stand afar off, and Moses hath drawn nigh unto the thick darkness where God [is].

Update Bible Version
And the people stood far off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God [was].

World English Bible
The people stayed at a distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

New King James Version
So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

New Living Translation
As the people stood in the distance, Moses approached the dark cloud where God was.

New Life Bible
The people stood far away, while Moses came near to the cloud where God was.

New Revised Standard
Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then the people stood afar off, and, Moses, approached unto the thick gloom, where God was.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people stood afar off. But Moses went to the dark cloud wherein God was.

Revised Standard Version
And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

THE MESSAGE
The people kept their distance while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the people stood at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. ¹⁹ And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. ²⁰ And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not. ²¹ And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the people: Exodus 19:16, Exodus 19:17, Deuteronomy 5:5

thick: 1 Kings 8:12, 2 Chronicles 6:1, Psalms 18:9, Psalms 18:12, Psalms 97:2, Psalms 104:2, 1 Timothy 6:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 10:22 - thick darkness Exodus 19:3 - went up Exodus 19:9 - Lo Exodus 24:1 - Come up Exodus 24:2 - General 2 Samuel 22:10 - darkness Job 26:9 - General Psalms 103:7 - He made Psalms 139:12 - the darkness Joel 2:2 - A day of darkness

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the people stood afar off,.... Still kept their distance in their camp and tents; or the heads and elders of the people having had this conversation with Moses, returned to their tents as they were bid, Deuteronomy 5:30 and to the people in the camp, and there they continued while Moses went up to God with their request:

and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was; the thick cloud, Exodus 19:9 as Jarchi interprets it, and who observes from their doctors that there were three enclosures about the divine Majesty, darkness, a cloud, and thick darkness; and so Moses passed through the darkness, and the cloud, to the thick darkness where Jehovah was, and where he is said to dwell when the temple was built, 1 Kings 8:8 and they have an observation that the word rendered "drew near" is transitive, and should be translated, "he was brought near" or, "made to draw nigh"; Michael and Gabriel being sent to him, took hold of his hands and brought him against his will unto the thick darkness r; but if the word will admit of such a version, the sense is either that he was caused to draw near through the importunity of the people; or rather through the call of God to him, or an impulse of his upon his mind, which obliged him to it.

r Pirke Eliezer, c. 41.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare Deuteronomy 5:22-31. Aaron Exodus 19:24 on this occasion accompanied Moses in drawing near to the thick darkness.

Exodus 20:22 to Exodus 23:33 is a series of laws which we may identify with what was written by Moses in the book called the book of the covenant, and read by him in the audience of the people Exodus 24:7.

The document cannot be regarded as a strictly systematic whole. Portions of it were probably traditional rules handed down from the patriarchs, and retained by the Israelites in Egypt.