Hebrews 12:26

New Testament Epistle (General) ASV (1901)

What does Hebrews 12:26 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.
Hebrews 12:26 — American Standard Version

Context — Hebrews 12

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
26whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Whose voice then shook the earth, etc..] That is, at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai: Christ was then present; his voice was then heard; which was either the voice of thunder, or the voice of the trumpet, or rather the voice of words: this shook the earth, Sinai, and the land about it, and the people on it; which made them quake and tremble, even Moses himself; (see <021918>Exodus 19:18 <196808>Psalm 68:8) but now he hath promised, saying in (<370206>Haggai 2:6) yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven; not only the land of Judea, and particularly Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of it, who were all shaken, and moved, and troubled at the news of the birth of the Messiah,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“then shook--when He gave the law on Sinai. now--under the Gospel. promised--The announcement of His coming to break up the present order of things, is to the ungodly a terror, to the godly a promise, the fulfilment of which they look for with joyful hope. Yet once more--Compare Notes, see on Hag 2:6; Hag 2:21-22, both of which passages are condensed into one here. The shaking began at the first coming of Messiah; it will be completed at His second coming, prodigies in the world of nature accompanying the overthrow of all kingdoms that oppose Messiah. The Hebrew is literally, "it is yet one little," that is, a single brief space till the series of movements begins ending in the advent of…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Whose voice then shook the earth - When he spake at Mount Sinai. The meaning is, that the mountain and the region around quaked; Exodus 19:18. The “voice” here referred to is that of God speaking from the holy mount. But now hath he promised, saying - The words here quoted are taken from Haggai 2:6, where they refer to the changes which would take place under the Messiah. The meaning is, that there would be great revolutions in his coming, “as if” the universe were shaken to its center. The apostle evidently applies this passage as it is done in Haggai, to the first advent of the Redeemer. I shake not the earth only - This is not quoted literally from the Hebrew, but the sense is retained.…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Whose voice then shook the earth - When he spoke from mount Sinai. But now - With regard to his next speaking. He hath promised - It is a joyful promise to the saints, though dreadful to the wicked. Yet once more I will shake, not only the earth, but also the heaven - These words may refer in a lower sense to the dissolution of the Jewish church and state; but in their full sense they undoubtedly look much farther, even to the end of all things. This universal shaking began at the first coming of Christ. It will be consummated at his second coming. Hag 2:6. Hebrews 12:27”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“12:26-27 shook the earth: Exod 19:18; Judg 5:5; Pss 68:8; 77:18. • “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also”: Quoting Hag 2:6, the author emphasizes that all of creation will be shaken and removed at the judgment at the end of the age (1 Cor 7:31; 2 Pet 3:10, 12; Rev 21:1).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“voice: Exo 19:18; Psa 114:6, Psa 114:7; Hab 3:10 Yet once: Heb 12:27; Isa 2:19, Isa 13:13; Joe 3:16; Hag 2:6, Hag 2:7, Hag 2:22 Hebrews 12:27”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification