Judges 13:20

20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.

Judges 13:20 in Other Translations

20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

20 And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD went up in the flame of the altar. Now Manoah and his wife were watching, and they fell on their faces to the ground.

20 As the flames from the altar shot up toward the sky, the angel of the LORD ascended in the fire. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell with their faces to the ground.

20 As the flames leapt up from the altar to heaven, God's angel also ascended in the altar flames. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown to the ground.

20 When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the Lord went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw [this], they fell facedown on the ground.

Judges 13:20 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 13:20

For it came to pass, when the flame went up towards heaven
from off the altar
That is, from the rock, which served instead of an altar, and from whence perhaps the fire sprung which consumed both the burnt offering and the meat offering, the flame of which went up to heaven; this rock or altar having no covering, but was "sub dio", open to the heavens:

that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar;
making use of the smoke, as Josephus ^F18 says, as a vehicle in which he openly went up to heaven:

and Manoah and his wife looked on it;
on the flame and smoke, and the angel in it as he ascended; just as the disciples of Christ looked steadfastly on him as he went up to heaven, when a cloud received him out of their sight, ( Acts 1:9 Acts 1:10 )

and fell on their faces to the ground;
with astonishment and surprise at what they saw, through fear and reverence of the divine Being, of whose presence they were now sensible, and as worshipping of him, and praying to him.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F18 Ibid. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 8. sect. 3.)

Judges 13:20 In-Context

18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding. ”

19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched:

20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground.

21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD.

22 “We are doomed to die!” he said to his wife. “We have seen God!”

Cross References

• 1. S Leviticus 9:24
• 2. S Genesis 17:3; 1 Chronicles 21:16; Ezekiel 1:28; Matthew 17:6