The Meaning of Judges 13:20 Explained

Judges 13:20

KJV: 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.

YLT: and it cometh to pass, in the going up of the flame from off the altar toward the heavens, that the messenger of Jehovah goeth up in the flame of the altar, and Manoah and his wife are looking on, and they fall on their faces to the earth,

Darby: And when the flame went up toward heaven from the altar, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar while Mano'ah and his wife looked on; and they fell on their faces to the ground.

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Judges 13:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 13:15-25 - The Promise Fulfilled
Manoah's wife comforted her husband with admirable tact. How often her words come back to us, at the different stages of life! The fact that God continues to bless and use, to answer prayer and give revelations of Himself, may be quoted as a reason for believing that He has not cast us off. Would He have showed us such things as these and then kill us? His love in time past forbids us to think so.
Samson means sunny. A happy, laughing lad, with his profuse crown of unshorn hair-is it any wonder that the soldiers of the garrison, situated on the Dan-frontier, welcomed him? And the Spirit of God began to play on his young soul, as a minstrel plays on his harp. Such is the literal rendering of "began to move." Oh, happy are they whose natures lie open to God's touch, so that the least movement produces a quick and glad answer! As the Aeolian harp will respond to the kiss of the zephyr or the moan of the rising storm, so be it with our hearts and lives. Thus our unconscious influence may become as songs without words. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 13

1  Israel is delivered into the hands of Philistines
2  An angel appears to Manoah's wife
8  The angel appears to Manoah
15  Manoah's sacrifices, whereby the angel is discovered
24  Samson is born

What do the individual words in Judges 13:20 mean?

And it came to pass as went up the flame from the altar toward heaven and ascended the Angel of Yahweh in the flame of the altar And when Manoah and his wife saw [this] and they fell on their faces to the ground
וַיְהִי֩ בַעֲל֨וֹת הַלַּ֜הַב מֵעַ֤ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה וַיַּ֥עַל מַלְאַךְ־ יְהוָ֖ה בְּלַ֣הַב הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ וּמָנ֤וֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ֙ רֹאִ֔ים וַיִּפְּל֥וּ עַל־ פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם אָֽרְצָה

וַיְהִי֩  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַעֲל֨וֹת  as  went  up 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הַלַּ֜הַב  the  flame 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַהַב  
Sense: flame, blade.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה  toward  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וַיַּ֥עַל  and  ascended 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
מַלְאַךְ־  the  Angel 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַלְאָךְ  
Sense: messenger, representative.
יְהוָ֖ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּלַ֣הַב  in  the  flame 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: לַהַב  
Sense: flame, blade.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ  of  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
וּמָנ֤וֹחַ  And  when  Manoah 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָנׄוחַ  
Sense: a Danite, father of the judge Samson and inhabitant of Zorah.
וְאִשְׁתּוֹ֙  and  his  wife 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
רֹאִ֔ים  saw  [this] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
וַיִּפְּל֥וּ  and  they  fell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם  their  faces 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אָֽרְצָה  to  the  ground 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.