Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, August 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

Deuteronomy 4:12

And the Lord spake vnto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voyce of the words, but saw no similitude, onely ye heard a voyce.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   God;   Law;   Obedience;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Church of Israel;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Idol, idolatry;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Building;   Disciple, Discipleship;   Fire;   Teach, Teacher;   Word;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Polytheism;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Idol;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baptism of Fire;   Deuteronomy, the Book of;   Similitude;   Theophany;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Deuteronomy;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Similitude;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Criticism (the Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis);   Deuteronomy;   Form;   Ignorance;   Similitude;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bat Ḳol;   Theology;   Theophany;   Tobiah ben Eliezer;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; only [you heard] a voice.
King James Version
And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard a sound of words, but you did not see a form—only a voice.
English Standard Version
Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
New Century Version
The Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you did not see him; there was only a voice.
New English Translation
Then the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but you could not see anything—only a voice was heard.
Amplified Bible
"Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of the words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice.
New American Standard Bible
"Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lorde spake vnto you out of the middes of the fire, and ye heard the voyce of the wordes, but sawe no similitude, saue a voyce.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice.
Contemporary English Version
and the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You could hear him and understand what he was saying, but you couldn't see him.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Adonai spoke to you out of the fire! You heard the sound of words but saw no shape, there was only a voice.
Darby Translation
And Jehovah spoke to you from the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but ye saw no form; only [ye heard] a voice.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You heard the sound of someone speaking, but you did not see any form. There was only a voice.
George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD spoke to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
Good News Translation
Tell them how the Lord spoke to you from the fire, how you heard him speaking but did not see him in any form at all.
Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire. You kept hearing the sound of the words, but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice.
Literal Translation
And Jehovah spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you did not see a form, only a voice.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye LORDE spake vnto you out of the myddes of the fyre. The voyce of his wordes ye herde, neuerthelesse ye sawe no ymage, but herde the voyce onely.
American Standard Version
And Jehovah spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only ye heard a voice.
Bible in Basic English
And the voice of the Lord came to you out of the fire: the sound of his words came to your ears but you saw no form; there was nothing but a voice.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lorde spake vnto you out of the middes of the fire, and ye hearde the voyce of the wordes: but sawe no similitude, saue hearde a voyce only.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire a voice of words, which ye heard: and ye saw no likeness, only ye heard a voice.
English Revised Version
And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only ye heard a voice.
Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord spak to you fro the myddis of fier; ye herden the vois of hise wordis, and outirli ye sien no fourme.
Young's Literal Translation
`And Jehovah speaketh unto you out of the midst of the fire; a voice of words ye are hearing and a similitude ye are not seeing, only a voice;
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; [you heard] only a voice.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only [ye heard] a voice.
World English Bible
Yahweh spoke to you out of the midst of the fire: you heard the voice of words, but you saw no form; only [you heard] a voice.
New King James Version
And the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no form; you only heard a voice.
New Living Translation
And the Lord spoke to you from the heart of the fire. You heard the sound of his words but didn't see his form; there was only a voice.
New Life Bible
Then the Lord spoke to you from the center of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no body. There was only a voice.
New Revised Standard
Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then spake Yahweh unto you out of the midst of the fire, - a voice of words, ye were hearing, no form, were ye seeing, there was only a voice.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of his words, but you saw not any form at all.
Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD spoke to you out of the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Then the LORD spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice.

Contextual Overview

1 Nowe therefore hearken, O Israel, vnto the Statutes, and vnto the Iudgments which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may liue, and goe in and possesse the lande, which the Lord God of your fathers giueth you. 2 Ye shall not adde vnto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it, that ye may keepe the Commaundements of the Lord your God, which I command you. 3 Your eyes haue seene what the Lord did because of Baal Peor: for all the men that followed Baal Peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 4 But yee that did cleaue vnto the Lord your God, are aliue euery one of you this day. 5 Behold, I haue taught you Statutes, and Iudgements, euen as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so, in the land whither ye goe to possesse it. 6 Keepe therefore, and doe them; for this is your wisedome and your vnderstanding in the sight of the nations, which shall heare all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and vnderstanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh vnto them, as the Lord our God is in all things, that we call vpon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath Statutes and Iudgements so righteous, as all this Law which I set before you this day? 9 Onely take heed to thy selfe, and keepe thy soule diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes haue seene, and lest they depart from thy heart all the dayes of thy life: but teach them thy sonnes, & thy sonnes sonnes: 10 Specially, the day that thou stoodst before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said vnto mee, Gather me the people together, and I will make them heare my wordes, that they may learne to feare mee all the dayes that they shall liue vpon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: Deuteronomy 5:4, Deuteronomy 5:22

no similitude: Deuteronomy 4:15, Numbers 12:8, Isaiah 40:18, Colossians 1:15

only ye heard a voice: Heb. save a voice, Deuteronomy 4:33, Deuteronomy 4:36, Exodus 20:22, 1 Kings 19:12, 1 Kings 19:13, Isaiah 30:21, Isaiah 40:3, Isaiah 40:6, Matthew 3:3, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28-30, 2 Peter 1:17, 2 Peter 1:18

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:9 - that the Exodus 19:18 - mount Sinai Judges 5:5 - that Sinai Job 38:1 - General Psalms 97:2 - Clouds Psalms 147:19 - word Ezekiel 1:4 - a great Ezekiel 10:5 - the voice John 1:18 - seen John 5:37 - Ye have Hebrews 12:19 - and the voice

Cross-References

Genesis 4:3
And in processe of time it came to passe, that Cain brought of the fruite of the ground, an offering vnto the LORD.
Genesis 4:4
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flocke, and of the fat thereof: and the LORD had respect vnto Abel, and to his offering.
Genesis 4:14
Behold, thou hast driuen me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a fugitiue, and a vagabond in the earth: and it shall come to passe, that euery one that findeth me, shall slay me.
Genesis 4:17
And Cain knew his wife, and she conceiued and bare Enoch, and hee builded a City, and called the name of the City, after the name of his sonne, Enoch.
Genesis 4:18
And vnto Enoch was borne Irad: and Irad begate Mehuiael, and Mehuiael begate Methusael, and Methusael begate Lamech.
Genesis 4:23
And Lamech sayd vnto his wiues, Adah and Zillah, Heare my voyce, yee wiues of Lamech, hearken vnto my speech: for I haue slaine a man to my wounding, and a yong man to my hurt.
Genesis 4:24
If Cain shall bee auenged seuen fold, truely Lamech seuenty and seuen folde.
Leviticus 26:20
And your strength shall be spent in vaine: for your land shall not yeeld her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yeeld their fruits.
Leviticus 26:36
And vpon them that are left aliue of you, I will send a faintnesse into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, and the sound of a shaken leafe shall chase them, and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword: and they shall fall, when none pursueth.
Psalms 109:10
Let his children bee continually vagabonds, & begge: let them seeke their bread also out of their desolate places.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire,.... For the Lord descended on Mount Sinai in a cloud, in fire, and was in the thick darkness, from whence he delivered out the ten commands:

ye heard the voice of the words; distinctly and plainly, not only the sound of them, but the words themselves, and so as to understand what was meant by them;

but saw no similitude; not any likeness of the person speaking, by which they could form any idea of him in their minds, which was purposely done to prevent idolatry:

only ye heard a voice; that was all.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hero worship exhibited itself in the practice of setting up images of human form as household gods (Penates, compare Genesis 31:19; Genesis 35:2), or as local and civic divinities: a practice forbidden by Deuteronomy 4:16. Nature worship in its baser shapes is seen in the Egyptian idolatry of animals and animal figures, and is condemned in Deuteronomy 4:17-18 : while its less ignoble flight, the worship of the sun, moon, and stars, is forbidden in Deuteronomy 4:19. The great legislator may be regarded as taking in the passage before us a complete and comprehensive survey of the various forms of idolatrous and corrupt worship practiced by the surrounding Oriental nations, and as particularly and successively forbidding them every one.


 
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