Exodus 20:21 (ASV)

Passage

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Exodus 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before you, that ye sin not.

Exodus 20:21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.

Exodus 20:22 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

Exodus 20:23 Ye shall not make [other gods] with me; gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "people", "stood", "afar", "moses", "drew", "near", and "thick". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Moses said unto the people Fear..." into verse 22's "And Jehovah said unto Moses Thus thou...", so "darkness" and "people" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "darkness" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.