Exodus / Chapter 19

Exodus 19

25 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Israel arrives at Sinai in the third month. God declares them a 'kingdom of priests and a holy nation,' the people consecrate themselves, and on the third day God descends on the mountain in fire, smoke, and thunder. Boundaries are set; only Moses may approach.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The singular verb vayyichan ('he camped') for the plural subject 'Israel' (v2) is grammatically striking — at Sinai, Israel becomes one entity. Rashi noted: 'like one man with one heart.' The eagle-wing image (v4) combines power with nurture: the nesher (griffon vulture) is the largest soaring bird in the region. The destination is not land but God Himself: 'I brought you to Myself.' The covenant offer in v5-6 — 'kingdom of priests, holy nation' (mamlekhet kohanim vegoy qadosh) — defines Israel's identity for all subsequent Scripture.

Translation Friction

We rendered mamlekhet kohanim as 'kingdom of priests' rather than 'priestly kingdom,' preserving the construct-chain order and the implication that every member of the nation has priestly access. The word segullah ('treasured possession,' v5) has no exact English equivalent — it denotes a king's personal treasure, distinct from general crown property. We used 'treasured possession' and expanded in notes. The theophany vocabulary (thunder, lightning, thick cloud, trumpet blast) required careful handling to avoid making it sound like mere weather.

Connections

The 'kingdom of priests' declaration is cited in 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6; 5:10. The theophany imagery recurs at Elijah's Horeb experience (1 Kings 19:11-12), in Isaiah 6, and in Hebrews 12:18-21. The three-day preparation anticipates other three-day patterns: Jonah 1:17, Hosea 6:2, and the resurrection narratives. **Tradition comparisons:** Targum Onkelos interprets this chapter with notable Aramaic renderings: Moses goes up 'before the LORD' (leqodam Adonai) rather than 'to God,' using the reverential circumlocution that avoids implying God is spatially located on the mountain. (4 notable renderings in this chapter) See the [Targum Onkelos on Exodus](/targum/exodus).

Exodus 19:1

בַּחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֔י לְצֵ֥את בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה בָּ֖אוּ מִדְבַּ֥ר סִינָֽי׃

In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai.

KJV In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'The third month' (bachodesh hashelishi) — Israel arrives at Sinai exactly three months after the exodus. The third day (v11, 16) will bring the theophany. The number three structures the approach: third month, third day, threefold preparation.
Exodus 19:2

וַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵרְפִידִ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ מִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר וַיִּֽחַן־שָׁ֥ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל נֶ֥גֶד הָהָֽר׃

They set out from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they camped in the wilderness. Israel camped there before the mountain.

KJV For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Israel camped there before the mountain' (vayyichan-sham Yisra'el neged hahar) — the singular verb (vayyichan, 'he camped') is noteworthy: the plural 'sons of Israel' are treated grammatically as a unity. At Sinai, Israel becomes one entity facing one God. Rashi noted this: 'like one man with one heart.'
Exodus 19:3

וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה עָלָ֖ה אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֵלָ֤יו יְהֹוָה֙ מִן־הָהָ֣ר לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לְבֵ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:

KJV And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'House of Jacob... sons of Israel' (beit Ya'aqov... benei Yisra'el) — the dual address may distinguish the whole community (house of Jacob) from the covenant heirs (sons of Israel), or it may be poetic parallelism. The traditional reading is that 'house of Jacob' includes the women and children.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)anti-anthropomorphism

"And Moses went up before the LORD, and the LORD called to him from the mountain."

Moses goes up 'before the LORD' (leqodam Adonai) rather than 'to God,' using the reverential circumlocution that avoids implying God is spatially located on the mountain.

Exodus 19:4

אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃

'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself.

KJV Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים kanfei nesharim
"eagles' wings" — wings of eagles/vultures, soaring wings, protective wings

The image of God as an eagle (nesher) carrying its young is one of the tenderest divine metaphors in the Torah. It combines power (the largest soaring bird) with nurture (carrying the helpless). The destination is God Himself: 'I brought you to Myself.'

Translator Notes

  1. 'Eagles' wings' (kanfei nesharim) — the image of God carrying Israel like an eagle carries its young is tender and powerful. The nesher is likely a griffon vulture, not a bald eagle — the largest soaring bird in the region. Deuteronomy 32:11 will elaborate the image. The destination is not merely the promised land but God Himself: 'I brought you to Myself' (va'avi etkhem elai).
Exodus 19:5

וְעַתָּ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ בְּקֹלִ֔י וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֑י וִהְיִ֨יתֶם לִ֤י סְגֻלָּה֙ מִכׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים כִּי־לִ֖י כׇּל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine.

KJV Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

סְגֻלָּה segullah
"treasured possession" — special treasure, prized possession, personal property of value

A royal treasure term — the king's personal valuables as distinct from public revenue. Israel is God's segullah: not merely owned but treasured. The word will recur in Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2; 26:18 and Malachi 3:17.

Translator Notes

  1. 'My treasured possession' (segullah) — a word meaning personal property of special value, a royal treasure. Israel is not merely God's people but His prized possession. 'If you will obey My voice and keep My covenant' (im-shamo'a tishme'u beqoli ushmartem et-beriti) — the conditional clause makes the covenant relationship bilateral: God has already acted (the exodus); now Israel must respond with obedience. The covenant is offered, not imposed.
Exodus 19:6

וְאַתֶּ֧ם תִּהְיוּ־לִ֛י מַמְלֶ֥כֶת כֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְג֣וֹי קָד֑וֹשׁ אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר תְּדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."

KJV And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ mamlekhet kohanim vegoy qadosh
"a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" — priestly kingdom, royal priesthood, holy nation, set-apart people

Israel's national vocation defined in two phrases. As a 'kingdom of priests' they mediate between God and the nations. As a 'holy nation' they are set apart for God's purposes. 1 Peter 2:9 will apply this language to the church. The dual identity — priestly and holy — governs everything that follows at Sinai.

Translator Notes

  1. 'A kingdom of priests and a holy nation' (mamlekhet kohanim vegoy qadosh) — one of the most consequential declarations in the Bible. Israel's vocation is priestly: mediating between God and the nations. And they are qadosh — set apart for God's purposes. The entire nation, not just a clerical class, is called to holiness.
Exodus 19:7

וַיָּבֹ֣א מֹשֶׁ֔ה וַיִּקְרָ֖א לְזִקְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיָּ֣שֶׂם לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם אֵ֚ת כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּ֖הוּ יְהֹוָֽה׃

Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.

KJV And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses mediates: God speaks to Moses, Moses speaks to the elders, the elders represent the people. The chain of communication is formal and structured.
Exodus 19:8

וַיַּעֲנ֨וּ כׇל־הָעָ֤ם יַחְדָּו֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה נַעֲשֶׂ֑ה וַיָּ֧שֶׁב מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃

The entire people responded in unison, "Everything the LORD has spoken, we will do." Then Moses brought the people's answer back to the LORD.

KJV And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do' (kol asher-dibber YHWH na'aseh) — Israel's collective acceptance of the covenant before hearing its terms. The verb na'aseh ('we will do') precedes the giving of the law. Commitment comes before content — a pattern that will be repeated and intensified in 24:7 ('we will do and we will hear').
Exodus 19:9

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י בָּ֣א אֵלֶ֘יךָ֮ בְּעַ֣ב הֶֽעָנָן֒ בַּעֲב֞וּר יִשְׁמַ֤ע הָעָם֙ בְּדַבְּרִ֣י עִמָּ֔ךְ וְגַם־בְּךָ֖ יַאֲמִ֣ינוּ לְעוֹלָ֑ם וַיַּגֵּ֥ד מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הָעָ֖ם אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃

The LORD said to Moses, "I am coming to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever." Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'A thick cloud' (av he'anan) — the cloud of divine presence (cf. 13:21) now intensifies. God comes in cloud to simultaneously reveal and conceal — Israel hears God's voice but does not see God's form. The cloud mediates between divine fullness and human limitation.
Exodus 19:10

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה֙ לֵ֣ךְ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם וְקִדַּשְׁתָּ֥ם הַיּ֖וֹם וּמָחָ֑ר וְכִבְּס֖וּ שִׂמְלֹתָֽם׃

The LORD said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Let them wash their garments

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Consecration (qiddesh) involves ritual preparation — washing garments symbolizes inner purification. The people must be set apart before they can encounter the God who is set apart.
Exodus 19:11

וְהָי֥וּ נְכֹנִ֖ים לַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י כִּ֣י ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁלִשִׁ֗י יֵרֵ֧ד יְהֹוָ֛ה לְעֵינֵ֥י כׇל־הָעָ֖ם עַל־הַ֥ר סִינָֽי׃

and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

KJV And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'The LORD will come down' (yered YHWH) — the verb yarad ('descend') is the same word used for God's descent in 3:8 ('I have come down to deliver'). At the exodus, God descended to rescue; at Sinai, God descends to covenant. Both are acts of divine condescension — God bridging the gap between heaven and earth.
Exodus 19:12

וְהִגְבַּלְתָּ֤ אֶת־הָעָם֙ סָבִ֣יב לֵאמֹ֔ר הִשָּׁמְר֥וּ לָכֶ֛ם עֲל֥וֹת בָּהָ֖ר וּנְגֹ֣עַ בְּקָצֵ֑הוּ כׇּל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בָּהָ֖ר מ֥וֹת יוּמָֽת׃

You shall set boundaries for the people all around, saying, 'Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.

KJV And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Boundaries (gevul) around the mountain create sacred space. The mountain is not inherently holy; it becomes holy because God's presence makes it so. The death penalty for trespass is not arbitrary but proportional: unmediated contact with absolute holiness is fatal for finite creatures.
Exodus 19:13

לֹא־תִגַּ֨ע בּ֜וֹ יָ֗ד כִּֽי־סָק֤וֹל יִסָּקֵל֙ אוֹ־יָרֹ֣ה יִיָּרֶ֔ה אִם־בְּהֵמָ֥ה אִם־אִ֖ישׁ לֹ֣א יִחְיֶ֑ה בִּמְשֹׁךְ֙ הַיֹּבֵ֔ל הֵ֖מָּה יַעֲל֥וּ בָהָֽר׃

No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot through. Whether beast or man, he shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they may go up to the mountain."

KJV There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'When the ram's horn sounds' (bimshokh hayyovel) — the yovel ('ram's horn,' later the word for 'jubilee') signals transition. Its long blast will mark the moment when the boundary is lifted and approach is permitted. Sacred time is marked by sound.
Exodus 19:14

וַיֵּ֧רֶד מֹשֶׁ֛ה מִן־הָהָ֖ר אֶל־הָעָ֑ם וַיְקַדֵּשׁ֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וַֽיְכַבְּס֖וּ שִׂמְלֹתָֽם׃

Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments.

KJV And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses descends and consecrates the people — the prophetic mediator purifies the community for divine encounter. Washing garments is not mere hygiene but ritual symbolism: the people put on readiness.
Exodus 19:15

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־הָעָ֔ם הֱי֥וּ נְכֹנִ֖ים לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים אַֽל־תִּגְּשׁ֖וּ אֶל־אִשָּֽׁה׃

He said to the people, "Be ready for the third day. Do not go near a woman."

KJV And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Do not go near a woman' — temporary sexual abstinence as part of consecration for theophany. The instruction addresses the men directly and reflects ancient Near Eastern preparation for encountering the divine. The restriction is temporary and situational, not a statement about sexuality's inherent impurity.
Exodus 19:16

וַיְהִי֩ בַיּ֨וֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֜י בִּֽהְיֹ֣ת הַבֹּ֗קֶר וַיְהִי֩ קֹלֹ֨ת וּבְרָקִ֜ים וְעָנָ֤ן כָּבֵד֙ עַל־הָהָ֔ר וְקֹ֥ל שֹׁפָ֖ר חָזָ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בַּֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightning and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled.

KJV And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

קֹלֹת וּבְרָקִים וְעָנָן כָּבֵד qolot uveraqim ve'anan kaved
"thunders and lightning and a thick cloud" — voices/thunders, lightning flashes, heavy/thick cloud

The Sinai theophany elements: qolot (literally 'voices' — God's thunder is His speech), beraqim (lightning — divine fire), anan kaved (a heavy/thick cloud — God's concealing presence). The word kaved ('heavy, thick') is the same root as kavod ('glory'). The cloud is heavy with glory.

Translator Notes

  1. 'Thunders and lightning and a thick cloud' (qolot uveraqim ve'anan kaved) — the Sinai theophany is the most overwhelming divine manifestation in the Torah. The elements — sound (qolot, literally 'voices'), light (beraqim, 'lightning'), cloud (anan), and trumpet (qol shofar) — combine to create an experience that overwhelms every sense. The people tremble (vayyecherad) — not casual nervousness but existential dread before the holy.
Exodus 19:17

וַיּוֹצֵ֨א מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הָעָ֛ם לִקְרַ֥את הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים מִן־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וַיִּֽתְיַצְּב֖וּ בְּתַחְתִּ֥ית הָהָֽר׃

Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain.

KJV And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'To meet God' (liqrat ha'Elohim) — Moses leads the people out to a meeting. The word liqrat implies moving toward someone who is coming toward you. God descends; Israel approaches. The encounter is mutual, though radically asymmetric.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)shekinah

"And Moses brought out the people to meet the Shekinah of the LORD from the camp."

Israel does not meet God directly but the Shekinah of the LORD. This is one of the most significant Shekinah passages in Onkelos — the Sinai theophany is an encounter with God's indwelling presence, not God's essence.

Exodus 19:18

וְהַ֤ר סִינַי֙ עָשַׁ֣ן כֻּלּ֔וֹ מִ֠פְּנֵ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרַ֥ד עָלָ֛יו יְהֹוָ֖ה בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַיַּ֤עַל עֲשָׁנוֹ֙ כְּעֶ֣שֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁ֔ן וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כׇּל־הָהָ֖ר מְאֹֽד׃

Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently.

KJV And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'The LORD descended in fire' (yarad alav YHWH ba'esh) — fire is the primary element of Sinai theophany, as it was at the burning bush (3:2). The mountain smokes 'like the smoke of a kiln' (ke'ashan hakkivshan) — the same kilns where Israel made bricks in Egypt. The instrument of slavery becomes the image of divine glory.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)anti-anthropomorphism

"Because the LORD revealed himself upon it in fire."

God does not 'descend' upon Sinai. The descent is replaced with revelation (itgeli), preserving divine transcendence even at the most dramatic theophany in the Torah.

Exodus 19:19

וַֽיְהִי֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר הוֹלֵ֖ךְ וְחָזֵ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד מֹשֶׁ֣ה יְדַבֵּ֔ר וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יַעֲנֶ֥נּוּ בְקֽוֹל׃

As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in thunder.

KJV And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. 'Moses spoke and God answered in thunder' (Mosheh yedabber veha'Elohim ya'anenu veqol) — the most intimate verse of the theophany. Moses speaks, God answers. The dialogue is personal and direct. The word qol ('voice, thunder') blurs the line between speech and natural phenomenon — God's voice is the storm.
Exodus 19:20

וַיֵּ֧רֶד יְהֹוָ֛ה עַל־הַ֥ר סִינַ֖י אֶל־רֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקְרָ֨א יְהֹוָ֧ה לְמֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָ֖ר וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶֽׁה׃

The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

KJV And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God descends to the mountaintop and summons Moses upward. The spatial drama is precise: God comes down; Moses goes up. They meet at the summit. The mountain becomes the axis between heaven and earth.

Targum Onkelos (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)anti-anthropomorphism

"And the LORD revealed himself upon Mount Sinai."

Repeated rendering: every instance of divine descent at Sinai is transformed into divine revelation. Onkelos is systematic and consistent in this substitution.

Exodus 19:21

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רֵ֖ד הָעֵ֣ד בָּעָ֑ם פֶּן־יֶהֶרְס֤וּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה֙ לִרְא֔וֹת וְנָפַ֥ל מִמֶּ֖נּוּ רָֽב׃

The LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look, and many of them perish.

KJV And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The warning against breaking through (pen-yehersu) reveals both divine holiness and divine concern. God does not want to destroy the curious; He warns them away from what would kill them. The holiness that demands distance is the same holiness that provides warning.
Exodus 19:22

וְגַ֧ם הַכֹּהֲנִ֛ים הַנִּגָּשִׁ֥ים אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה יִתְקַדָּ֑שׁוּ פֶּן־יִפְרֹ֥ץ בָּהֶ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה׃

Even the priests who come near to the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them."

KJV And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Even the priests — those closest to God's service — must consecrate themselves additionally. Proximity to God does not reduce the need for preparation; it increases it.
Exodus 19:23

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה לֹא־יוּכַ֣ל הָעָ֔ם לַעֲלֹ֖ת אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינָ֑י כִּֽי־אַתָּ֞ה הַעֵדֹ֤תָה בָּ֙נוּ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הַגְבֵּ֥ל אֶת־הָהָ֖ר וְקִדַּשְׁתּֽוֹ׃

Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You Yourself warned us, saying, 'Set boundaries around the mountain and consecrate it.'"

KJV And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses's objection is procedural: boundaries have already been set (v12). The repetition of the warning underscores its gravity — God double-checks that the people understand the danger.
Exodus 19:24

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֤יו יְהֹוָה֙ לֶךְ־רֵ֔ד וְעָלִ֥יתָ אַתָּ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים וְהָעָ֗ם אַל־יֶֽהֶרְס֛וּ לַעֲלֹ֥ת אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה פֶּן־יִפְרׇץ־בָּֽם׃

The LORD said to him, "Go down, and then come up — you and Aaron with you. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break out against them."

KJV And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Aaron is invited up with Moses — the priestly and prophetic leaders together at the summit. But the people and the other priests must remain below. Access to God is real but regulated.
Exodus 19:25

וַיֵּ֥רֶד מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֲלֵהֶֽם׃ {ס}

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

KJV So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Moses descends to deliver the final warning. The narrative is now positioned for the giving of the Ten Commandments in chapter 20. Every preparation is complete; the people are consecrated, the boundaries are set, the mountain burns, and God is present.
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