Exodus 19:16

19:16 On ¹  the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense ²  cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud ³  horn; ⁴  all the people who were in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:18

19:18 Now Mount Sinai was completely covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire, and its smoke went up like the smoke of a great furnace, ⁵  and the whole mountain shook ⁶  violently.

Deuteronomy 5:23-25

5:23 Then, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness while the mountain was ablaze, all your tribal leaders and elders approached me. 5:24 You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his great glory ⁷  and we have heard him speak from the middle of the fire. It is now clear to us ⁸  that God can speak to human beings and they can keep on living. 5:25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the Lord our God we will die!

¹ tn Heb “and it was on.”

² tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).

³ tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).

⁴ tn The word here is שֹׁפָר (shofar), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34; 2 Sam 6:15). The previous word used in the context (v. 16) was יֹבֵל (yovel, “ram’s horn”).

⁵ sn The image is that of a large kiln, as in Gen 19:28.

⁶ tn This is the same word translated “trembled” above (v. 16).

⁷ tn Heb “his glory and his greatness.”

⁸ tn Heb “this day we have seen.”