Exodus 20:21 (DBY)

Passage

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the obscurity where God was.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:19 and said to 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 to 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 to the obscurity where God was.

Exodus 20:22 And Jehovah said to Moses, Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: Ye have seen that I have spoken with you from the heavens.

Exodus 20:23 Ye shall not make beside me gods of silver, and ye shall not make to you gods of gold.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Moses said to the people Fear..." into verse 22's "And Jehovah said to Moses Thus shalt...", so "people" and "stood" 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 "people" and "stood" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.