Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Hebrews 12:20
(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
20. they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast ] Rather, “they endured not the injunction, If even a beast ” (Exo 19:12-13). This injunction seemed to them to indicate an awful terror and sanctity in the environment of the mountain. It filled them with alarm. The Jewish Hagadah said that at the utterance of each commandment the Israelites recoiled twelve miles, and were only brought forward again by the ministering angels. St Paul, in different style, contrasts “the Mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage” with “the Jerusalem which is free and the mother of us all” (Gal 4:24-26).
or thrust through with a dart ] This clause is a gloss added from Exo 19:13. Any man who touched the mountain was to be stoned, any beast to be transfixed (Exo 19:13): but the quotation is here abbreviated, and the allusion is summary as in Heb 7:5; Act 7:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For they could not endure that which was commanded – They could not sustain the awe produced by the fact that God uttered his commands himself. The meaning is not that the commands themselves were intolerable, but that the manner in which they were communicated inspired a terror which they could not bear. They feared that they should die; Exo 20:19.
And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned – Exo 19:13. The prohibition was, that neither beast nor man should touch it on pain of death. The punishment was to be either by stoning, or being shot through.
Or thrust through with a dart – Exo 19:13. Or shot through. This phrase, however, though it is found in the common editions of the New Testament, is wanting in all the more valuable manuscripts; in all the ancient versions; and it occurs in none of the Greek ecclesiastical writers, with one exception. It is omitted now by almost all editors of the New Testament. It is beyond all doubt an addition of later times, taken from the Septuagint of Exo 19:13. Its omission does not injure the sense.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The reason of the foregoing deprecation, and which adds to the terribleness of this covenant dispensation; for the voice surpassed their strength and capacity, that they must die if they heard it any more, so dreadful was the sound and matter of it; for the commandment and threatening was: That if any man or beast did but so much as touch the mountain, they should die for it, Exo 19:12,13,21,23,24. Therefore was Moses so strictly charged to look to it, and to provide against it, showing the dreadfulness of that covenant dispensation, that if men did not keep their beasts from coming near, they should be stoned or darted to death; how much more themselves, if they should transgress the law, which, though it was designed to lead them unto Christ, yet was not generally so discerned or used by them! So that if the publication of it be so terrible, how much more the punishment for breaking it! Exo 20:20.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. that which was commanded“theinterdict” [TITTMANN].A stern interdictory mandate is meant.
Andrather, “Evenif a beast (much more a man) touch,” c.
or thrust through with adartomitted in the oldest manuscripts. The fullinterdict in Exo 19:12 Exo 19:13is abbreviated here; the beast alone, being put for “whether manor beast”; the stoning, which applies to the humanoffender, alone being specified, the beast’s punishment, namely, thebeing thrust through with a dart, being left to be understood.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For they could not endure that which was commanded,…. In the law; not that they disliked and despised the law, as unregenerate men do; but they could not endure it, or bear it, as a yoke, it being a yoke of bondage; nor as a covenant of works, it requiring perfect obedience, but giving no strength to perform; and as it showed them their sins, but did not direct them to a Saviour; as it was an accusing, cursing, and condemning law; and, as a fiery one, revealing wrath, and filling the conscience with it; unless this should have any respect to the following edict, more particularly:
and if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned or thrust through with a dart; and, if a beast, much more a man: and, how easily, through inadvertence, might this be done? and how terrible was the punishment? nothing less than death, by stoning, or being shot: and this they could not bear to hear, or think of: the last clause, “or thrust through with a dart”, is wanting in the Alexandrian and Beza’s Claromontane copies, in the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; and yet is necessary to be retained, being in the original text, in Ex 19:12.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For they could not endure ( ). Imperfect active of , “for they were not enduring (bearing).”
That which was enjoined ( ). Present passive articular participle of , old verb to distinguish, to dispose, to order. The quotation is from Ex 19:12f. The people appealed to Moses (Ex 20:19) and the leaders did so also (De 5:23f.), both in terror.
If even (). “Even if.” Condition of third class with second aorist active subjunctive of as in 11:28, followed by genitive (mountain).
It shall be stoned (). From Ex 19:13. Late compound verb from (from , ) as in Mt 21:35.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
That which was commanded [ ] . See on Mr 7:36; Act 14:24.
Touch [] . Elsewhere in N. T. only ch. 11 28 and Col 2:21. LXX only Exo 19:12. It implies a touching or grasping which affects the object (comp. ver. 18 on yhlafan). In Class. often of touching or handling some sacred object which may be desecrated by the one who lays hands on it. See Soph. Philoct. 667; Oed. Tyr. 891, 899. So here, the touch of the mountain was profanation.
Shall be stoned [] . Found in Matthew, Luke, and Acts. In LXX see Exo 19:13. Comp. ejliqasqhsan, ch. 11 37. The correct text omits or thrust through with a dart.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “(For they could not endure that which was commanded,” (ouk epheron gar to diastellomenon) “Because they could not bear that which was charged,” or what was being commanded, as the ten commandments were thunderously sounded one by one, as the sound of a blasting trumpet, Exo 20:1-17. This describes the fear caused by both the voice of God and severe words of the commandments.
2) “And if so much as a beast touch the mountain,”(kan therion thige tou orous)”That if even a beast should touch the mountain,” not only were the people of Israel warned of death if they even touched Sinai while God was delivering the law to them but also any beast that touched it was to be killed, as follows Exo 19:12-13.
3) “It shall be stoned,” (lithobolethesetai) “It shall be stoned,” slain by stoning or shot thru, whether man or beast. Truly, “The way of the transgressor is hard,” Pro 13:15.
4) “Or thrust through with a dart,” (lithobolethesetai) “It shall be thrust through with a spear-dart,” till it be caused to die. They were to approach the foot of the Mount to give heed to the words of the Lord, but not to touch it. Our Lord suffered the “way of the transgressor,” the punishment of the transgressor of Divine Law, when he bear our transgressions, our sins in his body on the tree, Isa 53:12; 1Pe 2:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(20) There is no sufficient reason for enclosing this verse and the next in a parenthesis.
And if so much as.Better, If even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned (Exo. 19:12-13). The next clause, or thrust through with a dart, is absent from our best authorities; and has accidentally found its way into the text from Exo. 19:13.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. While 18 and 19 give the essential particulars of the Sinaitic scene, 20 and 21 are added as the aggravations of the fearfulness of the whole.
Endure that commanded Namely, the law that if even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned. The command that the intruding beast should be slain is in Exo 19:13. This command they could not endure. If the English reader will place namely before and he will get the meaning. Or thrust dart is rejected by the best authorities.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Heb 12:20-21 form a parenthesis, and adduces a reason for the thought of the terribleness of the mode of revelation under the Old Covenant. The words , however, contain no independent statement, in such wise that should refer back to that which is before mentioned (Oecumenius, Theophylact; comp. Schlichting). For in that case . . . would stand without connection. Rather are the words an introductory formula for the citation immediately attached, , further, does not stand in the sense of a middle: that which ordained, or the divine voice ordaining (Storr, Schulz, Heinrichs, Delitzsch), which is constrained, but in a passive sense: that which was ordained, the divine commandment . The sense is, consequently: for they endured not the mandate, “Though only a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned.”
The citation is freely reproduced from Exo 19:12-13 , in an abbreviated form, and one bringing out at once the gist of the narrative. In Exodus the words read: , . , , .
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
Ver. 20. For they could not endure ] This shows the nature and use of the law, contrary to that of the gospel. It is a killing letter, written in blood, holding forth justice only, and no mercy.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
20, 21 .] Parenthetical, explaining the reason of this horror on the part of the hearers .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
20 .] for they could not bear that which was commanded (c. and Thl. take this as an independent sentence, said of the general fearful character of the commands: . And so Schlichting. But this would be exceedingly harsh, and finds no justification in the reason assigned by Schlichting, viz. that thus “sequentia verba tanquam per se posita, ad exaggerandum magis spectaculi illius terrorem pertinebunt.” It is manifest, from the retention of the future , that the words are a citation, and this clause the introduction of it. But among those who agree thus far, there is another wide difference about the voice of the participle, as to whether is middle or passive. Storr, Heinrichs, Schulz, Delitzsch, take it middle, in an active sense, “that which ordered:” viz. the divine voice. But surely this is, if admissible grammatically (see Mar 7:36 ; Mar 8:15 , where only is found, all the other cases having the 1 aor. , which stands on its own ground), yet contextually most improbable: 1. that God, or the voice of God, should be thus described by a neuter part.: 2. that with just below, in strict parallelism, should signify any thing but that which was commanded), Even if a beast (much more if a man) touch the mountain, it shall be stoned (an abbreviation of Exo 19:12-13 , , , . , ):
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
if. Greek. ean. App-118.
beast. Greek. therion, not zoon.
touch. See Heb 11:28.
or thrust through, &c. All the texts omit. No doubt this is because of the complex Ellipsis. In Exo 19:13 we read, “There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live”. The work on “Figures of Speech” makes it clear thus: “And if so much as [a man, or] a beast touch the mountain [if a man] he shall be stoned or [if a beast] thrust through with a dart”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
20, 21.] Parenthetical, explaining the reason of this horror on the part of the hearers.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Heb 12:20. , the interdict, that which was forbidden) that very command, Even if a beast, etc. The participle for the noun, as in the following verse.- , , if a beast should touch the mountain, he shall be stoned) The full text of Moses concerning the mountain is, There shall not a hand touch it, for he shall surely be stoned or shot through with a dart; whether it be man or beast, he shall not live, Exo 19:13. Here we have a twofold proclamation, that the beast is to be put to death by a dart, man by stoning. The apostle, studying brevity, expresses the subject out of the one sentence, the predicate out of the other, and leaves the rest to be supplied from these very words which are expressed. The expression is elliptical almost in the same way as at ch. Heb 7:5; Act 7:16, notes. It may be called a Semiduplex Oratio,[79] of which there are many examples in the Ordo tempor., p. 83, 88, 213 [Ed. ii. p. 73, 77, 187, 188]. The transcriber, not at all ancient, who added from the LXX. ,[80] did not consider that with equal justice he might have added from the LXX., , with stones, which would correspond to a dart; but with greater justice he might have supplied , and if a man: for stoning was properly applicable to a man, when guilty, rather than to a beast: shooting with a dart was properly applicable to a beast, rather than to a man.
[79] See App.
[80] Not a single uncial MS. supports this addition. ACDf Vulg. have simply .-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
For they: Deu 33:2, Rom 3:19, Rom 3:20, Gal 2:19, Gal 3:10
if so much: Exo 19:13, Exo 19:16
Reciprocal: Exo 3:5 – Draw not Exo 19:12 – or touch Exo 34:3 – General Lev 20:16 – and the beast Neh 4:14 – great Eze 20:40 – in mine
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Heb 12:20. Could not endure that which was commanded sounds as if God required something that the people could not do, which we know was not the case. The meaning is that the conditions were so awe-inspiring that it overwhelmed them with terror. The things mentioned in the latter half of the verse are recorded in Exo 19:12-13.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Heb 12:20-21. For they could not endure that which was commanded That is, either, 1st, The law itself, so strict and holy, and promulged amidst such terrors seen and heard: or, 2d, The sense is, they could not bear to hear the following charge, or endure the terror which seized them when they heard those words proclaimed, And if even a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, &c. And so terrible was the sight That manifestation of the divine presence, that even Moses (Notwithstanding his office as a mediator, his great sanctity, and his having been frequently admitted to a very near intercourse with God, who had often spoken to him as a man speaketh to his friend;) said, I exceedingly fear and quake This circumstance is not recorded in the history: but seeing the apostle mentions it here in this letter to the Hebrews as a thing known to them, it seems probable that they had it from tradition, or that it was recorded in some Jewish writing then extant. At other times Moses acted as a mediator between God and the people; but while the ten commandments were pronounced amidst blackness, darkness, and tempest, preceded by the sound of the trumpet waxing louder and louder, Moses stood as one of the hearers, Exo 19:25; Exo 20:19.