Hebrews 12:18

¶ For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

For {G1063} ye are {G4334} not {G3756} come {G4334} unto the mount {G3735} that might be touched {G5584}, and {G2532} that burned {G2545} with fire {G4442}, nor {G2532} unto blackness {G1105}, and {G2532} darkness {G4655}, and {G2532} tempest {G2366},

For you have not come to a tangible mountain, to an ignited fire, to darkness, to murk, to a whirlwind,

For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm;

For ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

Commentary on Hebrews 12:18 (KJV)

This verse marks a significant shift in the author's argument, beginning a powerful contrast between the Old Covenant experience at Mount Sinai and the New Covenant reality in Christ.

Historical and Cultural Context: The Terrifying Presence at Sinai

"The mount that might be touched" refers to Mount Sinai, where God descended in fire and smoke to give the Law to Israel (Exodus 19:18). The scene was one of overwhelming power and fear. The mountain was physically real ("might be touched"), yet it was enveloped in fire, "blackness, and darkness, and tempest." The people were strictly warned not to touch the mountain or even approach it, lest they die (Exodus 19:12-13, Exodus 19:21-24). This fearful manifestation emphasized God's absolute holiness and the necessary distance between a sinful people and a holy God under the Old Covenant.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Fearful Nature of the Old Covenant: The description highlights the terror, inaccessibility, and physical boundaries associated with God's presence under the Law given at Sinai. It was an experience marked by divine judgment and separation due to sin.
  • Setting the Stage for Contrast: This verse serves as a prelude to the glorious description of the New Covenant reality (Hebrews 12:22-24), where believers come not to a fearful, inaccessible earthly mountain, but to the heavenly Jerusalem, the company of angels, the church, God the Judge of all, the spirits of the just, and Jesus the mediator.

Linguistic Insights

The Greek word translated "might be touched" (psēlaphaō) means to touch, feel, or handle. It emphasizes the tangible, physical nature of Mount Sinai, contrasting it with the spiritual and heavenly realities of the New Covenant described in the following verses. The sensory details ("burned with fire," "blackness, and darkness, and tempest") are drawn directly from the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) account of Exodus 19.

Cross-Reference

Compare with the description of the Sinai event in Exodus 19:16-19 and Deuteronomy 4:10-12.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Deuteronomy 4:11

    And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

  • Exodus 24:17

    And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

  • Deuteronomy 5:22

    These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

  • Deuteronomy 5:26

    For who [is there of] all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we [have], and lived?

  • Exodus 20:18

    ¶ And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw [it], they removed, and stood afar off.

  • 2 Corinthians 3:9

    For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

  • Exodus 19:12

    And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, [that ye] go [not] up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

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