Deuteronomy 4:12

4:12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard speech but you could not see anything – only a voice was heard. ¹ 

Deuteronomy 4:15

The Nature of Israel’s God

4:15 Be very careful, ²  then, because you saw no form at the time the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the middle of the fire.

Deuteronomy 4:33

4:33 Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it?

Deuteronomy 4:36

4:36 From heaven he spoke to you in order to teach you, and on earth he showed you his great fire from which you also heard his words. ³ 

Deuteronomy 5:25

5:25 But now, why should we die, because this intense fire will consume us! If we keep hearing the voice of the Lord our God we will die!

Deuteronomy 9:15

9:15 So I turned and went down the mountain while it ⁴  was blazing with fire; the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands.

Deuteronomy 18:10

18:10 There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, ⁵  anyone who practices divination, ⁶  an omen reader, ⁷  a soothsayer, ⁸  a sorcerer, ⁹ 

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¹ tn The words “was heard” are supplied in the translation to avoid the impression that the voice was seen.

² tn Heb “give great care to your souls.”

³ tn Heb “and his words you heard from the midst of the fire.”

⁴ tn Heb “the mountain.” The translation uses a pronoun for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.

⁵ tn Heb “who passes his son or his daughter through the fire.” The expression “pass…through the fire” is probably a euphemism for human sacrifice (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT). See also Deut 12:31.

⁶ tn Heb “a diviner of divination” (קֹסֵם קְסָמִים, qosem qÿsamim). This was a means employed to determine the future or the outcome of events by observation of various omens and signs (cf. Num 22:7; 23:23; Josh 13:22; 1 Sam 6:2; 15:23; 28:8; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 3:945-51.

⁷ tn Heb “one who causes to appear” (מְעוֹנֵן, mÿ’onen). Such a practitioner was thought to be able to conjure up spirits or apparitions (cf. Lev 19:26; Judg 9:37; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 2:6; 57:3; Jer 27:9; Mic 5:11).

⁸ tn Heb “a seeker of omens” (מְנַחֵשׁ, mÿnakhesh). This is a subset of divination, one illustrated by the use of a “divining cup” in the story of Joseph (Gen 44:5).

⁹ tn Heb “a doer of sorcery” (מְכַשֵּׁף, mikhashef). This has to do with magic or the casting of spells in order to manipulate the gods or the powers of nature (cf. Lev 19:26-31; 2 Kgs 17:15b-17; 21:1-7; Isa 57:3, 5; etc.). See M. Horsnell, NIDOTTE 2:735-38.