and so fearful was the appearance, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:
And so terrible was the sight, [that] Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) (i) The shape and form which he saw, which was no counterfeit and forged shape, but a true one.
But ye are come unto Mount Sion,.... The Alexandrian copy reads, as in Heb 12:18 "for ye are not come"; which may seem to favour that interpretation of this passage, which refers it to the heavenly state; to which saints, in this present life, are not, as yet, come: but, by "Mount Sion", and the other names here given, is meant the church of God...
The Jewish church was gross and earthly, dark and terrible, meant to strike dread; the gospel state is spiritual, clear, and mild. Mount Sinai demanded external obedience through fear; Mount Zion appeals to hope and the heart. Yet apostasy from the gospel is no less dreadful in its consequences than apostasy from Moses.
AI summary
Commenting on Hebrews 12:18-29