Hebrews 12:20
“for they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”;”
What does Hebrews 12:20 mean?
When God gave the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the experience was so overwhelming and holy that the Israelites couldn't bear to be near it. God had set strict boundaries: no one and nothing, not even an animal, could touch the mountain without being put to death. This wasn't cruelty but a way of communicating how serious and set-apart God's presence was. The writer of Hebrews brings this up to show how terrifying that encounter was, making the point that approaching God under the old covenant felt dangerous and frightening. Through Jesus, we're invited into a different kind of relationship with God, one based not on fear of punishment but on grace and closeness.