Exodus 20:22
ESV
And the Lord said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
NIV
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven:
NASB
Then the Lord said to Moses, 'This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
CSB
Then the Lord told Moses, "This is what you are to say to the Israelites: You have seen that I have spoken to you from heaven.
NLT
And the Lord said to Moses, 'Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven.
KJV
And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
NKJV
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
What does Exodus 20:22 mean?
After an aside about the people's reaction to the spectacle of Sinai (Exodus 20:18–21), God gives further details about proper worship. These discuss the nature of altars. Specifically, Israel's altars must be natural. They can be made of dirt, or of stone, but the stones cannot be modified (Exodus 20:23–25). They cannot be accessed with steps (Exodus 20:26) for reasons of modesty.God has made His role in Israel's existence extremely clear. He freed them from slavery with miracles (Exodus 3:19–20; 12:40–41). He led them through the desert with miracles (Exodus 13:21–22). He rescued them from an army with miracles (Exodus 14:21–29). God gave them water (Exodus 15:22–25) and food (Exodus 16:12). When they came to Mount Sinai, the Lord's holy power was on full display (Exodus 19:16–20). These events are meant to highlight God's involvement with the Hebrew people.
The Lord's communication with Israel has mostly been through His representative, Moses (Exodus 19:9). This was assisted by Moses' brother, Aaron, acting as a spokesman (Exodus 4:14–17). Both by His chosen instruments, and at times with literal sounds, God spoke to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:36). The people have no room to doubt that these commandments come from their God.
