Exodus 20:22 kjv

And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

Exodus 20:22 nkjv

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

Exodus 20:22 niv

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:

Exodus 20:22 esv

And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.

Exodus 20:22 nlt

And the LORD said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven.

Exodus 20 verses

Exodus 20 22 Meaning

Exodus 20:22 marks a pivotal moment following the delivery of the Ten Commandments. In this verse, the LORD, through Moses, reiterates to the children of Israel the undeniable and unprecedented fact of His direct, audible communication with them from heaven. This declaration serves to underscore the divine, transcendent origin and ultimate authority of the laws just given and those that follow. It reinforces that their encounter at Sinai was not an ordinary event, but a firsthand witnessing of the Almighty God speaking His very words from His heavenly abode, thereby validating the covenant and His supreme kingship over them.

Exodus 20 22 Context

Exodus chapter 20 primarily contains the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1-17), the fundamental principles of God's covenant with Israel. Immediately following the people's awe and fear at God's overwhelming presence on Mount Sinai (Exod 20:18-19), Moses served as their mediator. Verse 22 acts as a foundational preamble to the ensuing statutes known as the Book of the Covenant (Exod 20:23-23:33). Its historical context is Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai, fresh from their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, now entering into a direct covenant relationship with their deliverer, the LORD. God establishes His authority and identity as the One who speaks directly and powerfully, emphasizing that the laws given are of divine, not human, origin, directly counteracting any possibility of interpreting them as Moses' personal decrees or mere cultural norms.

Exodus 20 22 Word analysis

• And the LORD said unto Moses, (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, Vayomer YHWH el-Moshe)

  • And the LORD said: Signifies divine initiative and authoritative utterance. The use of YHWH (LORD), God's personal covenant name, emphasizes His relational and trustworthy character to His chosen people.
  • unto Moses: Highlights Moses' crucial role as the divinely appointed mediator, receiving revelation directly from God to convey to the people. This established the chain of authority.

• Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, (כֹּה תֹאמַר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, koh tomar el-b'nei Yisrael)

  • Thus thou shalt say: A direct command to Moses, ensuring the exactness and fidelity of the message being delivered. It emphasizes that this is not Moses's interpretation, but God's specific instruction to the people.
  • unto the children of Israel: Emphasizes the entire community as the recipient of this crucial message, not just a select group. It highlights their collective identity as God's covenant people.

• Ye have seen that I have spoken unto you from heaven. (אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם כִּי אָנֹכִי דִּבַּרְתִּי עִמָּכֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם, atem re'item ki anokhi dibbarti immakhem min ha'shamayim)

  • Ye have seen: (אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם, atem re'item)
    • Ye: The plural pronoun "you" (emphatically) directly addresses every single Israelite who was present, stressing their individual and collective eyewitness experience.
    • have seen: This verb (ra'ah) means more than just physical observation; it implies experiential knowledge, understanding, and confirmation through undeniable evidence. It acknowledges their direct apprehension of the extraordinary events at Sinai. It means they had first-hand, undeniable proof.
  • that I have spoken: (כִּי אָנֹכִי דִּבַּרְתִּי, ki anokhi dibbarti)
    • that: Connects their sensory experience directly to God's act of speaking.
    • I: Emphatic first-person singular. "I Myself have spoken," countering any notion that it was Moses' wisdom or merely a human utterance.
    • have spoken: (dibber) denotes deliberate, direct, and articulate communication. It implies clear, understandable words, distinguishing it from vague impressions or ambiguous omens typical of pagan deities.
  • unto you: (עִמָּכֶם, immakhem)
    • unto you: Reinforces the direct, personal communication with the entire congregation. It was a communal revelation, establishing a shared basis for the covenant.
  • from heaven: (מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם, min ha'shamayim)
    • This is the pivotal theological statement. Shamayim refers to the sky or heavens, universally understood as God's abode, distinct from the earthly realm.
    • Significance: This explicitly states the divine, transcendent, and ultimate source of the commandments. The laws are not human conventions, earthly traditions, or the wisdom of a prophet, but decrees directly from the transcendent God who resides above creation.
    • Polemics: This declaration stands in stark contrast to ancient Near Eastern polytheistic religions where gods were often localized, linked to earthly structures (temples), or represented by man-made idols. Yahweh is distinct: He speaks from heaven, His throne (Isa 66:1), signifying His uncontainable, supreme sovereignty and unique identity, asserting that He alone is the source of true revelation and authority, and cannot be limited to any earthly form or image. This sets the stage for the next commands regarding altars.

Exodus 20 22 Bonus section

• Polemics Against Paganism: This verse powerfully asserts monotheism and God's transcendence over all pagan deities. While local cults worshipped gods believed to inhabit certain places or images, Israel's God speaks from heaven, demonstrating His absolute uniqueness and freedom from all earthly limitations or human crafting. This forms a foundational theological principle countering the syncretistic tendencies prevalent in the ancient world.
• Transition to the Book of the Covenant: This verse marks a shift in Exodus from the core moral laws (Ten Commandments) to the specific civil and ceremonial laws detailed in Exodus 20:23-23:33. The divine origin affirmed in 20:22 therefore extends to all these subsequent statutes, binding Israel to obey them with the same conviction.
• The Significance of Hearing and Seeing: The phrase "Ye have seen that I have spoken" highlights both sensory experience and cognitive understanding. They didn't just hear sound; they perceived, witnessed, and understood that God Himself was the speaker. This experiential foundation aimed to cultivate genuine faith and commitment.

Exodus 20 22 Commentary

Exodus 20:22 functions as God's emphatic restatement and confirmation of the incredible, awe-inspiring events at Sinai. Following the thunderous revelation of the Ten Commandments, the people were understandably terrified, requesting Moses to mediate (Exod 20:18-19). This verse serves to impress upon Israel the reality and unparalleled nature of what they had just experienced: the Creator of the universe personally addressed them, not through dreams or visions, but audibly, from His glorious dwelling in heaven. This direct communication, witnessed by the entire nation, irrevocably establishes the supreme authority and divine origin of every law and command given. It ensures Israel understood that their covenant responsibilities stemmed from an unquestionable, transcendent source. The declaration also preemptively dismantles any future idolatrous tendencies or claims that the law was a human construct, preparing them for the immediate commands regarding proper worship and altar construction (Exod 20:23-26), which naturally flow from a revelation of this magnitude. It calls them to live in unwavering obedience and reverence toward their heavenly King.