Deuteronomy 4:12

12 And the Lorde spake vnto you out of the fire ad ye herde the voyce of the wordes: But sawe no ymage, saue herde a voyce only,

Deuteronomy 4:12 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 4:12

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.

Deuteronomy 4:12 In-Context

10 The daye that I stode before the Lorde youre god in Horeb, whe he sayed vnto me, gather me the people together, that I maye make them heare my wordes that they maye lerne to fere me as longe as thei lyue vppon the erth and that they maye teache their childern:

11 ye came ad stode also vnder the hyll ad the hyll burnt with fire: euen vnto the myddes of heaue, ad there was darcknesse, clowdes ad myst.

12 And the Lorde spake vnto you out of the fire ad ye herde the voyce of the wordes: But sawe no ymage, saue herde a voyce only,

13 And he declared vnto you his couenaunt, which he commaunded you to doo, euen .x. verses and wrote them in two tables of stone.

14 And the Lorde commaunded me the same season to teache you ordynaunces and lawes, for to doo them in the londe whether ye goo to possesse it