seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 19:16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain(b) trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.[c]
b. Exodus 19:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint and all the people
c. Exodus 19:19 Or and God answered him with thunder
This is from the easy English commentary.
In a bad storm there is often lightning and its loud noise called thunder. These signs showed that God was present. And that frightened the Israelites.
The trumpet was a male sheep’s horn, which they used as a musical instrument. It can give a very loud sound.
It is possible that Mount Sinai was a volcano. (A volcano is a mountain with a hole in the top of it. Fire and smoke come out of that hole). But fire and smoke were signs that God was present. Fire and smoke appeared when God made a special promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:17-18). Fire is a sign. It shows how pure and clean God is. He is so holy that wicked people cannot approach him. For example, Moses did not go near to the bush that was burning (Exodus 3:2-5).
The trumpet was a male sheep’s horn, which they used as a musical instrument. It can give a very loud sound.
It is possible that Mount Sinai was a volcano. (A volcano is a mountain with a hole in the top of it. Fire and smoke come out of that hole). But fire and smoke were signs that God was present. Fire and smoke appeared when God made a special promise to Abraham (Genesis 15:17-18). Fire is a sign. It shows how pure and clean God is. He is so holy that wicked people cannot approach him. For example, Moses did not go near to the bush that was burning (Exodus 3:2-5).
I have a hard time imagining over 2 million people gathering at the base of a mountain that appears to be ready to blow. It's the horn that actually reassures me. They had three days to get ready and then they had to wait for the horn to blast. A horn from heaven, no less.
This is from Bible.org.
On the morning of the third day, you are already tingling with the sense of expectation your two days of preparations have produced. While still in your tent, thunder and lightning commence. A thick cloud encompasses the mountain. Then, the piercing blast of a trumpet fills the air. Along with all the other Israelites, you begin to tremble, with excitement, but mainly with fear.
I did some google searches and according to the searches I did, the trumpet sound is not one of the sounds a volcano produces. It's the trumpet that separates this incident from the normal everyday eruption. It's the trumpet that announces God's arrival.
