Hebrews 12:19 kjv
And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
Hebrews 12:19 nkjv
and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.
Hebrews 12:19 niv
to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them,
Hebrews 12:19 esv
and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.
Hebrews 12:19 nlt
For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.
Hebrews 12 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exo 19:16 | ...there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain... the sound of the trumpet was very loud... | Sinai's fearful appearance |
| Exo 20:18-19 | When all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings... they trembled and stood far off. Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us... but let not God speak with us, lest we die." | Israelites' terror and plea for mediator |
| Deu 5:23-27 | ...you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness... and you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes... saying... let us not hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore... | Recall of Israel's plea for Moses' mediation |
| Heb 12:18 | For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire, and to darkness and gloom and a tempest, | Direct parallel and setup for Sinai's terrors |
| Heb 12:20-21 | For they could not endure what was commanded, "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned..." And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid..." | Emphasizes the unendurable fear at Sinai |
| Heb 12:24 | and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant... | Contrast with New Covenant's mediator |
| 1 Tim 2:5 | For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, | Jesus as the sole Mediator |
| Gal 3:19 | Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. | Law given through a mediator (Moses) |
| Exo 33:20 | But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." | Unbearable nature of direct divine presence |
| Isa 6:5 | So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips... For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." | Prophetic response to direct divine presence |
| Rev 1:17 | When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid..." | Post-ascension response to glorified Christ |
| Jdg 13:22 | And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!" | Fear of death from seeing God |
| 2 Cor 3:6-9 | ...ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit... For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness much more abounds in glory. | Contrast between law (condemnation) and Spirit (righteousness) |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant... not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers..." | Prophecy of a superior New Covenant |
| Heb 8:6-13 | But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant... | Superiority of the New Covenant |
| Heb 4:16 | Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. | Contrast: boldness to approach God's grace |
| Heb 10:19-22 | Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus... let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith... | Direct access through Christ's blood |
| Eph 3:12 | in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. | Confidence in approaching God through Christ |
| Rom 5:2 | through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand... | Access to grace through faith |
| Heb 12:25 | See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth... | Warning against refusing the new revelation |
Hebrews 12 verses
Hebrews 12 19 Meaning
Hebrews 12:19 vividly describes the terrifying manifestation of God's presence at Mount Sinai during the giving of the Law. The sound of a mighty trumpet blast and the very voice of God speaking directly from the mountain were so overwhelming and fear-inducing that the Israelites, in their unholy state, could not bear to hear any more. They pleaded with Moses for the divine communication to cease, recognizing their inability to stand in the immediate, unmediated presence of an infinitely holy God. This verse underscores the stark and fearsome nature of the Old Covenant's encounter with God, setting a dramatic contrast with the gracious accessibility offered under the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 12 19 Context
Hebrews 12:19 is part of an extended rhetorical comparison between the Old Covenant experience at Mount Sinai and the New Covenant experience, personified by Mount Zion (Heb 12:18-24). The immediate context (Heb 12:18) begins the description of Mount Sinai's fearsome display: fire, darkness, gloom, tempest. Verse 19 continues this depiction, detailing the overwhelming sensory and spiritual experience that caused the Israelites to recoil. This entire passage (Heb 12:18-29) serves as a climactic warning and encouragement to the original Jewish Christian audience, urging them not to shrink back from their faith in Christ and return to the shadows of the Old Covenant system. It emphasizes the profound difference between approaching God under the Law, characterized by fear and unapproachability, and approaching Him under grace through Christ, characterized by confidence and welcome. Historically, this references the detailed accounts in Exodus 19-20 and Deuteronomy 4-5, where God’s unmediated presence on Sinai terrified the nation of Israel.
Hebrews 12 19 Word analysis
- or (ἢ - ē): Connects this point to the previous list of terrifying manifestations at Sinai (Heb 12:18), emphasizing that a "trumpet blast" and "voice" were additional aspects of the frightening encounter.
- a trumpet blast (σάλπιγγος - salpiggos): Refers to the sound of a shofar, a ram's horn trumpet. In biblical context, such a sound often announced divine presence, judgment, war, or significant divine acts (e.g., God's descent on Sinai, Jericho's walls falling, the Day of the Lord). Here, its terrifying loudness signaled God's majesty and impending judgment.
- or a voice (φωνῆς - phōnēs): This denotes an audible utterance. It's not just a sound but the actual voice of God, the creator, speaking.
- speaking words (ῥημάτων - rhēmatōn): This clarifies that the voice was not merely noise, but articulate speech—the direct communication of God's holy Law. The precise nature of God's direct revelation made its terror more immediate and personal. This was God Himself declaring His will.
- such that those who heard: Highlights the profound impact of this divine encounter on the Israelites. It was so intense it fundamentally affected their response.
- begged (παρῃτήσαντο - paraitēsanto): This is a strong Greek verb implying a desperate, urgent plea to be excused or to avert something. It reveals the depth of their terror; they were not merely requesting but fervently pleading for the communication to stop. They sought cessation out of overwhelming fear and conviction of their own sinfulness in the presence of unblemished holiness.
- that no further message be spoken to them (μὴ προστεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον - mē prostethēnai autois logon): Lit. "that no word be added to them." This specific request emphasizes their inability to bear the direct, unmediated word of God. It implies an acknowledgement of God's holy, consuming power and their own inadequacy. They implicitly recognized their need for a mediator to stand between them and God's awe-inspiring glory. This reaction validated God's subsequent command for Moses to mediate.
Hebrews 12 19 Bonus section
The scene described in Hebrews 12:18-21, culminating in verse 19, powerfully contrasts the external and terrifying nature of the Old Covenant's establishment with the internal and peace-giving reality of the New Covenant. The fear at Sinai was a demonstration of God's holiness against humanity's sinfulness, underscoring the necessity of divine intervention and a covenant based on something more than human effort. This historical event thus implicitly polemicizes against any attempt to return to a legalistic relationship with God or to underestimate the unique and superior mediation of Jesus Christ. The people at Sinai understood that direct contact meant certain death, which amplifies the extraordinary grace given to New Covenant believers, who, by the Spirit, now experience God's presence not as consuming fire, but as a comforting indwelling, a stark departure from the terrified begging.
Hebrews 12 19 Commentary
Hebrews 12:19 succinctly encapsulates the profound terror experienced by the Israelites at Mount Sinai when confronted with God's direct and unmediated presence. The sounds—an intensifying trumpet blast and God's own articulating voice—were not merely impressive but utterly overwhelming. They induced such intense fear and conviction of sin that the people begged for silence, preferring that God speak only through Moses. This moment highlights humanity's fallen state, incapable of enduring raw, unmitigated divine holiness without a mediator. It serves as a dramatic backdrop to contrast the Law's ministry of fear, which emphasizes God's inaccessible purity and humanity's condemning guilt, with the New Covenant's ministry of grace through Jesus. Through Christ, believers now approach God's presence with boldness, not terror, for Jesus Himself is the perfect Mediator who absorbs the divine wrath and provides access. The verse thus sets up the glory of the New Covenant's privilege of intimate fellowship, an approachability made possible only by Christ's finished work, unlike the fearful distance maintained under the Old Covenant.