Judges 13:20

20 A flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven. The angel of the LORD rose up in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw it, they fell with their faces to the ground.

Judges 13:20 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 13:20

For it came to pass, when the flame went up towards heaven
from off the altar
That is, from the rock, which served instead of an altar, and from whence perhaps the fire sprung which consumed both the burnt offering and the meat offering, the flame of which went up to heaven; this rock or altar having no covering, but was "sub dio", open to the heavens:

that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar;
making use of the smoke, as Josephus F18 says, as a vehicle in which he openly went up to heaven:

and Manoah and his wife looked on it;
on the flame and smoke, and the angel in it as he ascended; just as the disciples of Christ looked steadfastly on him as he went up to heaven, when a cloud received him out of their sight, ( Acts 1:9 Acts 1:10 )

and fell on their faces to the ground;
with astonishment and surprise at what they saw, through fear and reverence of the divine Being, of whose presence they were now sensible, and as worshipping of him, and praying to him.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Ibid. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 3.)

Judges 13:20 In-Context

18 The angel replied, "Why are you asking me what my name is? You would not be able to understand it."
19 Manoah got a young goat. He brought it together with the grain offering. He sacrificed it on a rock to the Lord. Then the LORD did an amazing thing. It happened while Manoah and his wife were watching.
20 A flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven. The angel of the LORD rose up in the flame. When Manoah and his wife saw it, they fell with their faces to the ground.
21 The angel of the LORD didn't show himself again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized it was the angel of the Lord.
22 "We're going to die!" he said to his wife. "We've seen God!"
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