Hebrews 12:26

New Living Translation

When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also."

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
When he spoke before, his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, "Once again I will shake the earth, but I will also shake heaven."

Revised Standard Version
His voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
whose voyce the shouke the erth and now declareth sayinge: yet once more will I shake not the erth only but also heven.

Hebrew Names Version
whose voice shook the eretz, then, but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once more will I shake not only the eretz, but also the heavens."

New American Standard Bible
And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN."

New Century Version
When he spoke before, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once again I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."

Update Bible Version
whose voice then shook the earth: but now he has promised, saying, Yet once more I will make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

English Standard Version
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."

World English Bible
whose voice shook the earth, then, but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once more will I shake not only the earth, but also the heavens."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying , Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.

Weymouth's New Testament
His voice then shook the earth, but now we have His promise, "Yet again I will, once for all, cause not only the earth to tremble, but Heaven also."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Whos vois than mouyde the erthe, but now he ayen bihetith, and seith, Yit onys and Y schal moue not oneli erthe, but also heuene.

English Revised Version
whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.

Berean Standard Bible
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth, but heaven as well."

Contemporary English Version
When God spoke the first time, his voice shook only the earth. This time he has promised to shake the earth once again, and heaven too.

Amplified Bible
His voice shook the earth [at Mount Sinai] then, but now He has given a promise, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE [starry] HEAVEN."

American Standard Version
whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.

Bible in Basic English
Whose voice was the cause of the shaking of the earth; but now he has made an oath, saying, There will be still one more shaking, not only of the earth, but of heaven.

Complete Jewish Bible
Even then, his voice shook the earth; but now, he has made this promise: "One more time I will shake not only the earth, but heaven too!"

Darby Translation
whose voice then shook the earth; but now he has promised, saying, Yet once will *I* shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.

International Standard Version
At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven."Exodus 19:18">[fn]Exodus 19:18; Haggai 2:6;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Him whose voice moved the earth? But now hath he promised and said, Yet once [fn] I will move not only earth, but also heaven.

Murdock Translation
Whose voice [fn] shook the earth; but now he hath promised, and said, yet again once more, I will shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

King James Version (1611)
Whose voice then shooke the earth, but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth onely, but also heauen.

New Life Bible
On Mount Sinai, God's voice shook the earth. But now He has promised, saying, "Once more I will shake the earth and the heavens."

New Revised Standard
At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Whose voyce then shooke the earth and nowe hath declared, saying, Yet once more will I shake, not the earth onely, but also heauen.

George Lamsa Translation
The one whose voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, saying, Once more I will shake not only the earth, but also heaven.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Whose voice shook the earth, then, but, now, hath he promised, saying - Yet once for all, I, will shake - not only the earth, but, also the heaven.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whose voice then moved the earth; but now he promiseth, saying: Yet once more: and I will move, not only the earth, but heaven also.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Whose voyce then shoke the earth, & nowe hath declared, saying: Yet once more wyll I shake, not the earth only, but also heauen.

Good News Translation
His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, "I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven as well."

Christian Standard Bible®
His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.

King James Version
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

Lexham English Bible
whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven."

Literal Translation
whose voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once" "I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens." Hag. 2:6

Young's Literal Translation
whose voice the earth shook then, and now hath he promised, saying, `Yet once -- I shake not only the earth, but also the heaven;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
whose voyce shoke the earth at that tyme. But now promyseth he, & sayeth: Yet once more wyl I shake, not the earth onely, but also heauen.

Mace New Testament (1729)
whose voice then shook the earth: but he has promised to do it now, saying, " yet once more I will shake, not the earth only, but heaven too."

New English Translation
Then his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, " I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven too ."

New King James Version
whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake [fn] not only the earth, but also heaven." Haggai 2:6">[fn]

Simplified Cowboy Version
God's voice shook the earth when he spoke from Mount Sinai. But now God speaks of another promise, "Once more I will shake the earth with my voice, but also that of heaven."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN."

Legacy Standard Bible
And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven."

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. ¹⁹ For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. ²⁰ They staggered back under God's command: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death." ²¹ Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, "I am terrified and trembling." ²² No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. ²³ You have come to the assembly of God's firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. ²⁴ You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. ²⁵ Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven! ²⁶ When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also." ²⁷ This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

voice: Exodus 19:18, Psalms 114:6, Psalms 114:7, Habakkuk 3:10

Yet once: Hebrews 12:27, Isaiah 2:19, Isaiah 13:13, Joel 3:16, Haggai 2:6, Haggai 2:7, Haggai 2:22

Reciprocal: Exodus 20:22 - I have talked Deuteronomy 18:19 - General 1 Kings 19:11 - an earthquake Job 9:6 - shaketh Job 26:11 - pillars Psalms 18:9 - He bowed Psalms 29:8 - shaketh Psalms 68:8 - earth Proverbs 1:24 - I have called Isaiah 30:32 - shaking Ezekiel 21:27 - General Ezekiel 26:15 - shake Ezekiel 31:16 - made Ezekiel 38:19 - Surely Zephaniah 1:14 - even Haggai 2:21 - I will Matthew 17:5 - hear Mark 9:7 - hear Luke 9:35 - hear Luke 14:21 - being Luke 14:24 - General Acts 6:14 - change Hebrews 2:1 - Therefore

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whose voice then shook the earth,.... That is, at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai: Christ was then present; his voice was then heard; which was either the voice of thunder, or the voice of the trumpet, or rather the voice of words: this shook the earth, Sinai, and the land about it, and the people on it; which made them quake and tremble, even Moses himself; see Exodus 19:18

but now he hath promised, saying in Haggai 2:6

yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven; not only the land of Judea, and particularly Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of it, who were all shaken, and moved, and troubled at the news of the birth of the Messiah, the desire of all nations, the prophet Haggai speaks of, Matthew 2:2 but the heaven also; by prodigies in it, as the appearance of a wonderful star, which guided the wise men from the east; and by the motions of the heavenly inhabitants, the angels, who descended in great numbers, and made the heavens resound with their songs of praise, on account of Christ's incarnation, Matthew 2:2. How the apostle explains and applies this, may be seen in the next verse.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Whose voice then shook the earth - When he spake at Mount Sinai. The meaning is, that the mountain and the region around quaked; Exodus 19:18. The “voice” here referred to is that of God speaking from the holy mount.

But now hath he promised, saying - The words here quoted are taken from Haggai 2:6, where they refer to the changes which would take place under the Messiah. The meaning is, that there would be great revolutions in his coming, “as if” the universe were shaken to its center. The apostle evidently applies this passage as it is done in Haggai, to the first advent of the Redeemer.

I shake not the earth only - This is not quoted literally from the Hebrew, but the sense is retained. In Haggai it is, “Yet once it is a little while, and I wilt shake the heavens and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come.” The apostle lays emphasis on the fact that not only the earth was to be shaken but also heaven. The shaking of the earth here evidently refers to the commotions among the nations that would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.

But also heaven - This may refer either:

(1)To the extraordinary phenomena in the heavens at the birth, the death, and the ascension of Christ; or.

(2)To the revolutions in morals and religion which would be caused by the introduction of the gospel, as if everything were to be changed - expressed by “a shaking of the heavens and the earth;” or.

(3)It may be more literally taken as denoting that there was a remarkable agitation in the heavens - in the bosoms of its inhabitants - arising from a fact so wonderful as that the Son of God should descend to earth, suffer, and die.

I see no reason to doubt that the latter idea may have been included here; and the meaning of the whole then is, that while the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, fearful and solemn as it was, was an event that merely shook the earth in the vicinity of the holy Mount, the introduction of the gospel agitated the universe. Great changes upon the earth were to precede it; one revolution was to succeed another preparatory to it, and the whole universe would be moved at an event so extraordinary. The meaning is, that the introduction of the gospel was a much more solemn and momentous thing than the giving of the Law - and that, therefore, it was much more fearful and dangerous to apostatize from it.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Whose voice then shook the earth — Namely, at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; and from this it seems that it was the voice of Jesus that then shook the earth, and that it was he who came down on the mount. But others refer this simply to God the Father giving the law.

Not the earth only, but also heaven. — Probably referring to the approaching destruction of Jerusalem, and the total abolition of the political and ecclesiastical constitution of the Jews; the one being signified by the earth, the other by heaven; for the Jewish state and worship are frequently thus termed in the prophetic writings. And this seems to be the apostle's meaning, as he evidently refers to Haggai 2:6, where this event is predicted. It may also remotely refer to the final dissolution of all things.