Hebrews 12:20

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.

King James Version (1611)
For they could not indure that which was commaunded: And if so much as a beast touch the Mountaine, it shall be stoned, or thrust thorow with a dart.

King James Version
(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

English Standard Version
For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."

New American Standard Bible
For they could not cope with the command, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."

New Century Version
They did not want to hear the command: "If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be put to death with stones."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED."

Legacy Standard Bible
For they could not bear what was being commanded, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned."

Berean Standard Bible
For they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."

Contemporary English Version
because they could not obey its commands. They were even told to kill any animal that touched the mountain.

Complete Jewish Bible
for they couldn't bear what was being commanded them, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it is to be stoned to death";

Darby Translation
(for they were not able to bear what was enjoined: And if a beast should touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;

Easy-to-Read Version
They did not want to hear the command: "If anything, even an animal, touches the mountain, it must be killed with stones."

Geneva Bible (1587)
(For they were not able to abide yt which was commaunded, yea, though a beast touche the mountaine, it shalbe stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

George Lamsa Translation
For they could not survive that which was commanded, for if even a beast drew near the mountain, it would be stoned.

Good News Translation
because they could not bear the order which said, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."

Lexham English Bible
For they could not endure what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned."

Literal Translation
for they could not bear the thing enjoined: "Even" "if a beast" "touches the mountain, it will be stoned, or shot through" with a dart. Ex. 19:12, 13

Amplified Bible
For they could not bear the command, "IF EVEN A WILD ANIMAL TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED [to death]."

American Standard Version
for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;

Bible in Basic English
For the order which said, If the mountain is touched even by a beast, the beast is to be stoned, seemed hard to them;

Hebrew Names Version
for they could not stand that which was enjoined, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;"

International Standard Version
For they could not endure the command that was given: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."Exodus 19:12-13">[fn]Exodus 19:13;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For they could not endure that which was commanded. For if an animal should approach to the mountain, it was to be stoned:

Murdock Translation
for they could not endure what was commanded. And even a beast, if it approached the mountain, was to be stoned.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
(For they dyd not abyde that which was commaunded. If a beast touche the mountaine, it shalbe stoned, or thrust through with a darte.

English Revised Version
for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned;

World English Bible
for they could not stand that which was enjoined, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For they could not bear that which was commanded, If even a beast touch the mountain, let it be stoned.

Weymouth's New Testament
For they could not endure the order which had been given, "Even a wild beast, if it touches the mountain, shall be stoned to death;"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For thei beren not that that was seid, And if a beeste touchide the hil, it was stonyd.

Update Bible Version
for they could not endure that which was enjoined, If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned;

Webster's Bible Translation
(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

New English Translation
For they could not bear what was commanded: " If even an animal touches the mountain , it must be stoned ."

New King James Version
(For they could not endure what was commanded: "And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned [fn] or shot with an arrow." Exodus 19:12, 13">[fn]

New Living Translation
They staggered back under God's command: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death."

New Life Bible
They could not stand to listen to His strong words, "Even if an animal comes to the mountain, it must be killed."

New Revised Standard
(For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For they could not bear, that which was being enjoined, - and, should a beast be touching the mountain, it shall be stoned;

Douay-Rheims Bible
For they did not endure that which was said: and if so much as a beast shall touch the mount, it shall be stoned.

Revised Standard Version
For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For they were not able to abyde that which was spoken. If a beast had touched the mountayne it must have bene stoned or thrust thorowe with a darte:

Young's Literal Translation
for they were not bearing that which is commanded, `And if a beast may touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or with an arrow shot through,'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for they were not able to abyde that which was spoken. And yf a beest had touched the mountayne, it must haue bene stoed, or thrust thorow with a darte.

Mace New Testament (1729)
nor could they endure that threat, "if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned."

Simplified Cowboy Version
When they heard God say that if even an animal steps foot on the mountain it must be killed, they quaked in their boots.

Contextual Overview

¹⁸Unlike your ancestors, you didn't come to Mount Sinai—all that volcanic blaze and earthshaking rumble—to hear God speak. The earsplitting words and soul-shaking message terrified them and they begged him to stop. When they heard the words—"If an animal touches the Mountain, it's as good as dead"—they were afraid to move. Even Moses was terrified. ²²No, that's not your experience at all. You've come to Mount Zion, the city where the living God resides. The invisible Jerusalem is populated by throngs of festive angels and Christian citizens. It is the city where God is Judge, with judgments that make us just. You've come to Jesus, who presents us with a new covenant, a fresh charter from God. He is the Mediator of this covenant. The murder of Jesus, unlike Abel's—a homicide that cried out for vengeance—became a proclamation of grace. ²⁵So don't turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn't get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he's told us this quite plainly—he'll also rock the heavens: "One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern." The phrase "one last shaking" means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered. ²⁸Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

For they: Deuteronomy 33:2, Romans 3:19, Romans 3:20, Galatians 2:19, Galatians 3:10

if so much: Exodus 19:13, Exodus 19:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:5 - Draw not Exodus 19:12 - or touch Exodus 34:3 - General Leviticus 20:16 - and the beast Nehemiah 4:14 - great Ezekiel 20:40 - in mine

Cross-References

Genesis 12:14
When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh.

Proverbs 21:1
Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God ; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For they could not endure that which was commanded,.... In the law; not that they disliked and despised the law, as unregenerate men do; but they could not endure it, or bear it, as a yoke, it being a yoke of bondage; nor as a covenant of works, it requiring perfect obedience, but giving no strength to perform; and as it showed them their sins, but did not direct them to a Saviour; as it was an accusing, cursing, and condemning law; and, as a fiery one, revealing wrath, and filling the conscience with it; unless this should have any respect to the following edict, more particularly:

and if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart; and, if a beast, much more a man: and, how easily, through inadvertence, might this be done? and how terrible was the punishment? nothing less than death, by stoning, or being shot: and this they could not bear to hear, or think of: the last clause, "or thrust through with a dart", is wanting in the Alexandrian and Beza's Claromontane copies, in the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; and yet is necessary to be retained, being in the original text, in Exodus 19:12.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For they could not endure that which was commanded - They could not sustain the awe produced by the fact that God uttered his commands himself. The meaning is not that the commands themselves were intolerable, but that the manner in which they were communicated inspired a terror which they could not bear. They feared that they should die; Exodus 20:19.

And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned - Exodus 19:13. The prohibition was, that neither beast nor man should touch it on pain of death. The punishment was to be either by stoning, or being “shot through.”

Or thrust through with a dart - Exodus 19:13. “Or shot through.” This phrase, however, though it is found in the common editions of the New Testament, is wanting in all the more valuable manuscripts; in all the ancient versions; and it occurs in none of the Greek ecclesiastical writers, with one exception. It is omitted now by almost all editors of the New Testament. It is beyond all doubt an addition of later times, taken from the Septuagint of Exodus 19:13. Its omission does not injure the sense.