Exodus 20:18 (DRB)

Passage

And all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off,

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.

Exodus 20:18 And all the people saw the voices and the flames, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mount smoking; and being terrified and struck with fear, they stood afar off,

Exodus 20:19 Saying to Moses: Speak thou to us, and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die.

Exodus 20:20 And Moses said to the people: Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that the dread of him might be in you, and you should not sin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "people", "voices", "flames", "sound", "trumpet", "mount", "smoking", and "terrified". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "people" and "voices", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house..." into verse 19's "Saying to Moses Speak thou to us...", so "people" and "voices" 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 "voices" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.