Exodus 19:20

Exo 19:20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses [up] to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

Ver. 20. And Moses went up.] As a mediator between God and his people. {Gal 3:19 Act 7:38} A mediator Moses was, not of redemption, as Christ that "Mediator of the new covenant" and "surety of a better testament," {Heb 7:22; Heb 9:15} but of receiving the law, and delivering it to the people, for which end here he went up.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 20. The Lord came down] This was undoubtedly done in a visible manner, that the people might witness the awful appearance. We may suppose that every thing was arranged thus: the glory of the Lord occupied the top of the mountain, and near to this Moses was permitted to approach. Aaron and the seventy elders were permitted to advance some way up the mountain, while the people were only permitted to come up to its base. Moses, as the lawgiver, was to receive the statutes and judgments from God's mouth; Aaron and the elders were to receive them from Moses, and deliver them to the people; and the people were to act according to the direction received. Nothing can be imagined more glorious, terrible, majestic, and impressive, than the whole of this transaction; but it was chiefly calculated to impress deep reverence, religious fear, and sacred awe; and he who attempts to worship God uninfluenced by these, has neither a proper sense of the Divine majesty, nor of the sinfulness of sin. It seems in reference to this that the apostle says, Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with REVERENCE and GODLY FEAR: for our God is a CONSUMING FIRE; Heb 12:28-29. Who then shall dare to approach him in his own name and without a mediator?

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(20) On the top of the mount.—On the summit of the Ras Sufsafeh, not on the Jebel Musa, which is out of sight from the plain of Er Rahah.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. came down] according to v. 18, Jehovah had already done this. Perhaps (Bä.) v. 18 is misplaced, and stood originally after v. 20a.

20–25. After the theophany has begun (vv. 18, 20a), Moses is summoned to the top of the mountain, where he is told to go down again at once and check the too eager curiosity of the people, and when he has done this to come up again with Aaron (v. 24). In E the people, so far from evincing any desire to trespass upon the mountain, are in alarm, and ‘tremble’ (v. 16; cf. Exo_20:18).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the Lord came down on Mount Sinai,.... In the above visible tokens of his presence and power; otherwise he is the incomprehensible Jehovah, that immense and omnipotent Being, who fills heaven and earth, and cannot be contained and circumscribed in either:

on the top of the mount; where the fire he descended in rested, and where the smoke and thick cloud were, as a token of his presence:

and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; who either was at the bottom of it with the people, or in a higher ascent of it between God and them:

and Moses went up; to the top of it, where the Lord was, as he ordered him: a certain traveller (y) tells us that the top of this mount was scarce thirty feet in circumference.

(y) Baumgarten Peregrinatio, l. 1. c. 24. p. 61.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

So here are three parts of the mount manifestly distinguished; the top, where the cloud was; the middle part, where Moses now stood, and about which the bounds seem to have been put; and the nether or lower part, where the people were.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. The Lord came down — In the midst of the sublime exhibitions of his power and splendour mentioned above; though not so that the Israelites saw any likeness or similitude of Jehovah. See Deu_4:12; Deu_4:15.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

On the top of the mount. Not, probably, on the highest point of the Sinaitic group, the Jebel Musa, which is out of sight from the plain Er-Rahah, where the Israelites must have been assembled; but on the highest part of the face of Sinai fronting that plain, the Ras Sufsafeh, which would be to the Israelites at the base "the top of the mount." The Lord called Moses up. Perhaps with Aaron, who certainly accompanied him when he next ascended (ver. 24), and who seems to be glanced at in the phrase used at the end of ver. 23

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

וירד ה׳ על הר סיני AND THE LORD CAME DOWN UPON MOUNT SINAI — One might think, then, that He actually came down upon it! Therefore it states, (Exodus 20:19) “Ye have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven”. These two texts together teach us that He bent down the upper and lower heavens and spread them out over the top of the mountain like a bed-spread over a bed and the throne of Glory descended upon it (Mekhilta).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

AND THE ETERNAL CAME DOWN UPON MOUNT SINAI. If you will succeed in having insight into this section [of the Torah], you will understand that His Great Name, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton], came down upon Mount Sinai, and that He abode thereon in fire and spoke to Moses. The communication to Moses in the entire section was by this Proper Name of the Eternal. However, the ascent [of Moses — as mentioned in Verse 3: And Moses went up unto G-d] — and his bringing forth [the people out of the camp — as mentioned in Verse 17] — were towards the place of the Glory, as I have explained. And He warned, lest they break through unto the Eternal to gaze, because even the nobles of the children of Israel did not see Him, and all Israel heard the Voice of G-d out of the midst of the fire. It is this which Scripture says, And ‘Elokim’ (G-d) spoke all these words, just as our Rabbis have said: “Elokim designates the Judge.” ) And they have also said [with reference to the first two commandments]: (the Almighty) is analogous to “the Judge.” “We have heard them from Hagvurah (the Almighty Himself).” In Deuteronomy it is written: These words the Eternal spoke unto all your assembly. spoke.” That is because, etc. That is because Scripture explains there [in the same verse] that He spoke out of the midst of the fire., 5:4. And this is the sense of the verse, The Eternal spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire., 5:4. And this is why it is said, I am the Eternal thy G-d., etc.” (Abusaula). The allusion is to the two Divine Names — the Tetragrammaton and Elokim — mentioned together here in 20:2. Now do not find a difficulty in what the people said to Moses, For who is there of all living flesh, that hath heard the Voice of the living G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire? speaking (Abusaula). They did not say “that they heard G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire,” but they said the Voice of G-d, referring to what they perceived. This is why they said, Go thou near, and hear all that the Eternal our G-d may say., Verse 24. And so did Moses say to them, Did ever a people hear the Voice of G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire?, 4:33. The word “speaking” here is referring to “the Voice,” something like the verse, and he heard the Voice speaking unto him. From this you will understand what the Rabbis have always said in Midrashic homilies, i.e., that the Torah was given in seven voices. They are the ones to which David alluded in the psalm: Ascribe unto the Eternal, O ye sons of might., 343). The voice of the Eternal appears seven times in this psalm: The voice of the Eternal is upon the waters (Verse 3); The voice of the Eternal is powerful; the voice of the Eternal is full of majesty (Verse 4); The voice of the Eternal breaketh the cedars (Verse 5); The voice of the Eternal heweth out flames of fire (Verse 7); The voice of the Eternal shaketh the wilderness (Verse 8); The voice of the Eternal maketh the hinds to calve (Verse 9). This is also the number of times [that the Voice] is alluded to in this section of the Torah. (Verse 16). Since the word koloth is written defectively without the letter vav, it signifies the singular: “and there was a voice.” 2. And the voice of a horn (ibid.) 3. And the voice of the horn (Verse 19). 4. And G-d answered him by a voice (ibid.) 5. And all the people perceived ‘hakoloth’ (20:15). Here too the Hebrew hakoloth is written defectively and therefore refers only to one voice: “and all the people perceived the voice.” 6. And the voice of the horn (ibid.) 7. And G-d spoke (20:1). Thus there are seven voices mentioned in this section of the Torah (Abusaula). The verse, And there were ‘koloth’ and lightnings, is written defectively and therefore counted as one; likewise, the verse, And all the people perceived ‘hakoloth,’, number 5. is missing the vav which signifies the plural, [and thus refers to only one voice]. Thus there are six [‘voices’ mentioned here in the section], and [in addition] it clearly says, And G-d spoke., number 7. In Deuteronomy, Scripture likewise mentions seven ‘voices’ in connection with the Giving of the Torah. (Deuteronomy 4:12). 2. Only a voice (ibid.) 3. A great voice (5:19). 4. The voice out of the midst of the darkness (5:20). 5. And we have heard His voice (Verse 21). 6. If we hear the voice of the Eternal our G-d (Verse 22). 7. The voice of the living G-d speaking (Verse 23). In Tractate Berachoth, however, the Rabbis have said in the Gemara, Note 204. that the Torah was given in five ‘voices.’ That is because they counted only the voices which are concealed, while the two — i.e., I am the Eternal thy G-d and Thou shalt have no other gods before Me] — are explained in Scripture. The purport of this is that Moses our teacher was given the Torah in seven ‘voices,’ and he was the one who heard them and contemplated them. The Israelites, however, heard one voice, as it is said, a great voice, and it went on no more, and it is said again, Ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice., 4:12. Here also Scripture alluded thereto in saying, And all the people perceived ‘hakoloth,’ with one vav missing, [thus making it singular, ‘the voice’], for all voices appeared as one. By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], this is Scripture’s intent in saying, G-d hath spoken once, twice we have heard this.. The sections of the Torah are thus explained, without anything being changed with another.

Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Tanakh — English translation: “Commentary on the Torah by Ramban (Nachmanides). Translated and annotated by Charles B. Chavel. New York, Shilo Pub. House, 1971-1976” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.