Exodus 33:4
New International Version
When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments.

New Living Translation
When the people heard these stern words, they went into mourning and stopped wearing their jewelry and fine clothes.

English Standard Version
When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.

Berean Standard Bible
When the people heard these bad tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry.

King James Bible
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

New King James Version
And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.

New American Standard Bible
When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his jewelry.

NASB 1995
When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments.

NASB 1977
When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the people heard this sad word and went into mourning; and none of them put on his ornaments.

Amplified Bible
When the people heard this sad word, they mourned, and none of them put on his ornaments.

Christian Standard Bible
When the people heard this bad news, they mourned and didn’t put on their jewelry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the people heard this bad news, they mourned and didn’t put on their jewelry.

American Standard Version
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
To the land that flows milk and honey, because I am not going up among you, because you are a people of hard necks, lest I shall destroy you in the way.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the people having heard this grievous saying, mourned in mourning apparel.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people hearing these very bad tidings, mourned: and no man put on his ornaments according to custom.

English Revised Version
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the people heard this bad news, they acted as if someone had died. No one wore any jewelry.

Good News Translation
When the people heard this, they began to mourn and did not wear jewelry any more.

International Standard Version
When the people heard this troubling word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no man did put on him his ornaments.

Literal Standard Version
And the people hear this sad thing, and mourn; and none puts his ornaments on him.

Majority Standard Bible
When the people heard these bad tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry.

New American Bible
When the people heard this painful news, they mourned, and no one wore any ornaments.

NET Bible
When the people heard this troubling word they mourned; no one put on his ornaments.

New Revised Standard Version
When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments.

New Heart English Bible
When the people heard this evil news, they mourned: and no one put on his jewelry.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man put on him his ornaments.

World English Bible
When the people heard this evil news, they mourned; and no one put on his jewelry.

Young's Literal Translation
And the people hear this sad thing, and mourn; and none put his ornaments on him.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Command to Leave Sinai
3Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.” 4When the people heard these bad tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry. 5For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’ ”…

Cross References
Numbers 14:1
Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.

Numbers 14:39
And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.


Treasury of Scripture

And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.

the mourned

Numbers 14:1,39
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night…

Hosea 7:14
And they have not cried unto me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds: they assemble themselves for corn and wine, and they rebel against me.

Zechariah 7:3,5
And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years? …

and no

Leviticus 10:6
And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

2 Samuel 19:24
And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.

1 Kings 21:27
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

Jump to Previous
Bad Distressing Evil Full Grief Hear Heard Hearing Jewelry Mourn Mourned Mourning News Ornaments Sad Tidings Word Words
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Bad Distressing Evil Full Grief Hear Heard Hearing Jewelry Mourn Mourned Mourning News Ornaments Sad Tidings Word Words
Exodus 33
1. The Lord refuses to go as he had promised with the people
4. The people mourn there
7. The tabernacle is removed out of the camp
9. The Lord talks familiarly with Moses
12. Moses prevails with God, and desires to see his glory














(4) When the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned.--It was something that the people felt the tidings to be "evil." It is natural for sinful men to shrink from the near presence of God (Matthew 8:34; Luke 5:8); and so the Israelites had shrunk from it a short time previously (Exodus 20:19). Even now they would probably have feared a too near contact; but still, they were unwilling that God should cease to be the leader and guide of the host: they set a value on His presence and protection, which they felt that that of an angel would ill replace. Accordingly, when Moses communicated to them what God had said (Exodus 33:1-3), they "mourned," i.e., not only grieved inwardly, but showed the outward tokens of grief--made a public and, as it were, national lamentation.

No man did put on him his ornaments.--The Orientals, both men and women, have always affected ornament, and taken an extreme delight in it. Herodotus tells us that the Persians who accompanied Xerxes into Greece wore generally collars and bracelets of gold (Hist. ix. 80). Xenophon says that the Medes indulged a similar taste (Cyrop?d. i. 3, ? 2). In Egypt, at the time of the exodus, men of station wore generally collars, armlets, and bracelets, occasionally anklets. The Assyrians wore armlets, bracelets, and ear-rings. To strip himself of his ornaments was a great act of self-denial on the part of an Oriental; but it was done commonly in the case of mourning on account of a family bereavement, and sometimes in the case of national misfortunes. (See Note on Exodus 33:1-6.) . . .

Verse 4. - When the people heard. Moses had communicated to the people what God had said to him. They felt it to be evil tidings - they woke up at last to a feeling of the ineffable value of the privileges which they bad hitherto enjoyed - his guidance by the pillar of the cloud (Exodus 13:21) - his counsel, if there were need to ask anything (Exodus 15:25) - his aid in the day of battle (Exodus 17:8-13) - his near presence, by day and by night, constantly (Exodus 13:22) - and they dreaded a change, which they felt must involve a loss, and one the extent of which they could not measure. "An angel" is a poor consolation when we are craving for Jehovah! So the people mourned - felt true sorrow - were really troubled in their hearts - and, to show their penitence, ceased to wear their customary ornaments. These may have consisted of armlets, bracelets, and even, perhaps, anklets, all of which were worn by men in Egypt at this period.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When the people
הָעָ֗ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

heard
וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע (way·yiš·ma‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

these
הַזֶּ֖ה (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

bad
הָרָ֛ע (hā·rā‘)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

tidings,
הַדָּבָ֥ר (had·dā·ḇār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

they went into mourning,
וַיִּתְאַבָּ֑לוּ (way·yiṯ·’ab·bā·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 56: To bewail

and no
וְלֹא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

one
אִ֥ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

put on
שָׁ֛תוּ (šā·ṯū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 7896: To put, set

any of his jewelry.
עֶדְי֖וֹ (‘eḏ·yōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5716: Finery, an outfit, a headstall


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OT Law: Exodus 33:4 When the people heard this evil news (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 33:3
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