Deuteronomy 4:12–13
A voice from the fire; God declared his covenant to them: the ten words
Study it word by word12YHWH spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You were hearing the sound of words, but you saw no form; only a voice.
13He declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to carry out, the ten words, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.
In its context
10The day that you stood before YHWH your Elohim at Horeb, when YHWH said to me, “Assemble the people for me, and I will make them hear my words, which they will learn in order to fear me all the days that they live on the ground, and they will teach their children.”
11You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire to the heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud, and thick cloud.
…
14And YHWH commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and rules, for you to carry them out in the land into which you are crossing to take possession of it.
15So guard your souls carefully, for you did not see any form on the day that YHWH spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire,
Its words in the original
- יְדַבֵּרyedaber· speak
Speak, talk, say; also promise or command.
- יְהוָהyehva· YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
- תּוֹךְtoch· midst
The middle, the center of something; "in the midst of", "among".
- אֵשׁesh· fire
Fire. In the Bible it often goes with the presence of God (the bush, Sinai).
- קוֹלkol· voice, sound
Voice or sound: what is heard, from a person, an animal or a thing (thunder, steps).
- דְּבָרִיםdevarim· word, matter, thing
Word; what is said. Also "matter" or "thing": what is spoken about, an affair, an event.
- שֹׁמְעִיםshomim· hear, listen, obey
Hear, listen. In the Bible listening truly includes paying heed; so it often means "obey". In the causative form, make heard, proclaim.
- תְמוּנָהtemuna· form, likeness
Form, the visible shape of something.
- רֹאִיםroim· see
See. Also look, observe, notice, consider; in some forms, "appear" or "show".
- זוּלָתִיzulati· except, besides
Except, besides.
- יַּגֵּדyaged· tell, declare
Tell, make known, report, declare; also explain.
- בְּרִיתberit· covenant
Covenant: a solemn commitment between two parties, with promises and obligations. When God makes it, he is the one who offers it and guarantees it.
- צִוָּהtsiva· command
Command, give an order; give charge to someone.
- עֲשׂוֹתasot· do, make
Do, make, in the widest sense: build, produce, carry out, keep (a command), prepare.
- עֲשֶׂרֶתaseret· ten
Ten.
- יִּכְתְּבֵyichtve· write
Write; also write down, record.
- שְׁנֵיshene· two
Two.
- לֻחוֹתluchot· tablet
Tablet, a flat piece of stone, wood or metal to write on; also a board or plank.
- אֲבָנִיםavanim· stone
Stone; also a weight for scales.