Hebrews 12:20 (GNV)

Passage

(For they were not able to abide that which was commanded, yea, though a beast touche the mountaine, it shalbe stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

Nearby Context

Hebrews 12:18 For ye are not come vnto the mount that might be touched, nor vnto burning fire, nor to blacknes and darkenes, and tempest,

Hebrews 12:19 Neither vnto the sounde of a trumpet, and the voyce of wordes, which they that heard it, excused themselues, that the word should not be spoken to them any more,

Hebrews 12:20 (For they were not able to abide that which was commanded, yea, though a beast touche the mountaine, it shalbe stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

Hebrews 12:21 And so terrible was the sight which appeared, that Moses said, I feare and quake.)

Hebrews 12:22 But ye are come vnto the mount Sion, and to the citie of the liuing God, the celestiall Hierusalem, and to ye company of innumerable Angels,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "able", "abide", "commanded", "though", "beast", "touche", "mountaine", and "shalbe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "able" and "abide", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Neither vnto the sounde of a trumpet..." into verse 21's "And so terrible was the sight which...", so "able" and "abide" belong inside that flow. In Hebrews context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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