Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready for the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai. You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.”
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Exodus 19:10-13 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” Moses told the words of the people to Yahweh. Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready for the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai. You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.”
Parallel Translations
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Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments,
and be ready for the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai.
You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever touches the mountain shall be surely put to death.
No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.”
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And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
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.
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:
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.
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And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments,
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.
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;
no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live; when the ram's horn soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.'
Cross-references (47)
- Hebrews 10:22 (v10) let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed…
- Genesis 35:2 (v10) Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change…
- Leviticus 11:44-45 (v10) For I am Yahweh your God. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any kind of…
- Leviticus 11:25 (v10) Whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening.
- Leviticus 15:5 (v10) Whoever touches his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening.
Show all 46 cross-references
- Numbers 8:21 (v10) The Levites purified themselves from sin, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a wave offering before Yahweh and Aaron…
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 (v10) Some of you were such, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the…
- Numbers 8:7 (v10) You shall do this to them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, let them shave their whole bodies with a razor, let…
- Joshua 3:5 (v10) Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you.”
- Joshua 7:13 (v10) Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing…
- Zechariah 3:3-4 (v10) Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the angel. He answered and spoke to those who stood before him,…
- 2 Chronicles 30:17-19 (v10) For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites were in charge of killing the Passovers for…
- Hebrews 12:20-21 (v12) for they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”. So fearful was the…
- Revelation 7:14 (v10) I told him, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who came out of the great suffering.They washed their robes, and made them…
- Exodus 19:16 (vv11, 13) On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an…
- Numbers 31:24 (v10) You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. Afterward you shall come into the camp.”
- 2 Chronicles 29:5 (v10) and said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify Yahweh, the God of your fathers’ house, and carry the…
- Exodus 19:14-15 (v10) Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. He said to the people, “Be ready…
- Exodus 34:5 (v11) Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed Yahweh’s name.
- Deuteronomy 33:2 (v11) He said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At…
- Joshua 3:4 (v12) Yet there shall be a space between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measure—don’t come closer to it—that you may know the way by…
- 1 Samuel 16:5 (v10) He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He sanctified Jesse and…
- 2 Chronicles 29:34 (v10) But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings. Therefore their brothers the Levites helped them, until…
- Job 1:5 (v10) It was so, when the days of their feasting had run their course, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and…
- John 3:13 (v11) No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16 (v13) For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will…
- Hebrews 12:20 (v13) for they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”.
- Exodus 3:8 (v11) I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a…
- Exodus 10:28 (v12) Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Be careful to see my face no more; for in the day you see my face you shall die!”
- Exodus 19:18 (v11) All of Mount Sinai smoked, because Yahweh descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole…
- Exodus 19:19 (v13) When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.
- Exodus 19:20 (v11) Yahweh came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. Yahweh called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
- Exodus 19:21 (v12) Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish.
- Exodus 19:23 (v12) Moses said to Yahweh, “The people can’t come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify…
- Exodus 21:28-29 (v13) “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull…
- Exodus 34:12 (v12) Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare among you;
- Leviticus 20:15-16 (v13) “ ‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal. “ ‘If a woman approaches any animal and…
- Numbers 11:17 (v11) I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit which is on you, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the…
- Deuteronomy 2:4 (v12) Command the people, saying, ‘You are to pass through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be…
- Deuteronomy 4:9 (v12) Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all…
- Psalms 18:9 (v11) He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
- Psalms 144:5 (v11) Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
- Isaiah 64:1-2 (v11) Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence. As when fire kindles the…
- Habakkuk 3:3-6 (v11) God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and his praise filled the earth. His splendor is like…
- John 6:38 (v11) For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
- 1 Corinthians 15:52 (v13) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we…
46 distinct cross-references across this passage (47 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv10, 13 Teach them to be pure in heart, as they…
Teach them to be pure in heart, as they show themselves outwardly clean by washing.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv10–13 Exo 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go…
Exo 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
Ver. 10. Sanctify them to day and to morrow.] Men must come before God with the best preparation they can get. He will be sanctified in all them that draw nigh unto him. This the blind heathens saw, and therefore said, Oυκ εκ παροδου προσκυνειν αλλ οικοθεν παρασκευασμενοι, worship not God by the by, but with all possible preparation. {a} Hence they had their caena pura before their solemn sacrifices. {b} Numa nihil rerum sacrarum cives voluit neglectim agere. Hinc solenne illud, Hoc agite. The ministers likewise in the primitive Church prepared the people’s minds by saying Sursum corda, Lift up your hearts; and the deacons used to call upon the people in these words, Oremus, attendamus: Let us pray, let us attend. {c}
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{a} Plutarch.
{b} Bucholcer.
{c} Cyprian., De Oratione. Chrysost. Basil.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv10–13 i.e. Command them to sanctify and cleanse themselves from…
i.e. Command them to sanctify and cleanse themselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, and to prepare their hearts for the right receiving of my laws, and solemn entering into covenant with me. Compare Lev 11:45; Jos 3:5; 7:13.
Let them wash their clothes; by which external washing, which was agreeable to that state of the church, they were taught to cleanse their inward man.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv10–13 And the Lord said unto Moses,.... On the fourth…
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... On the fourth day, according to the Targum of Jonathan:
go unto the people; go down from the mountain, from the top of it, where he now was, to the camp of Israel, which was pitched before it:
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and sanctify them today and tomorrow; the fourth and fifth days of the month; that is, he was, to instruct them how they were to sanctify themselves in an external way, by washing themselves, as after mentioned, their bodies and clothes, and by abstaining from all sensual pleasures, lawful or unlawful:
and let them wash their clothes; which the Jews understood not of their garments, but of their bodies also; teaching them by these outward things the necessity of internal purity and holiness, to appear before God: these outward rites were in use before the law of Moses, as appears from Gen 35:2 and the Heathens themselves have similar notions of the cleanness of bodies and garments, as well as the purity of mind, being acceptable to their deities (n).
(n) "Casta placent superis, pura cum veste venito". Tibullus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv10–13 Sanctify the people - As Job before sent and…
Sanctify the people - As Job before sent and sanctified his sons, Job i, 5. Sanctify them, that is, call them off from their worldly business, and call them to religious exercises, meditation and prayer, that they may receive the law from God's mouth with reverence and devotion. Two things particularly were prescribed as instances of their preparation. 1st, In token of cleansing of themselves from all sinful pollutions, they must wash their clothes. Not that God regards our clothes, but while they were washing their clothes, he would have them think of washing their souls by repentance. It becomes us to appear in clean clothes when we wait upon great men; so clean hearts are required in our attendance on the great God. 2ndly, In token of their devoting themselves entirely to religious exercises upon this occasion they must abstain even from lawful enjoyments during these three days, and not come at their wives.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv10, 12, 13 Verse 10. Sanctify them] See the meaning of this…
Verse 10. Sanctify them] See the meaning of this term, Ex 13:2.
Let them wash their clothes] And consequently bathe their bodies; for, according to the testimony of the Jews, these always went together.
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It was necessary that, as they were about to appear in the presence of God, every thing should be clean and pure about them; that they might be admonished by this of the necessity of inward purity, of which the outward washing was the emblem.
From these institutions the heathens appear to have borrowed their precepts relative to washings and purifications previously to their offering sacrifice to their gods, examples of which abound in the Greek and Latin writers. They washed their hands and clothes, and bathed their bodies in pure water, before they performed any act of religious worship; and in a variety of cases, abstinence from all matrimonial connections was positively required, before a person was permitted to perform any religious rite, or assist at the performance.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv10–13 Exo 19:10. Sanctify the people — As Job sent…
Exo 19:10. Sanctify the people — As Job sent and sanctified his sons, Job 1:5. Sanctify them — That is, call them off from their worldly business, and call them to religious exercises, meditation and prayer, that they may receive the law from God’s mouth with reverence and devotion. Two things particularly were prescribed as instances of their preparation.
1st, In token of cleansing of themselves from all sinful pollutions, they must wash their clothes — Not that God regards our clothes, but while they were washing their clothes, he would have them think of washing their souls, by repentance. It becomes us to appear in clean clothes when we wait upon great men; so clean hearts are required in our attendance on the great God. 2d, In token of their devoting themselves entirely to religious exercises, upon this occasion they must abstain even from lawful enjoyments during these three days.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv10, 12, 13 Sanctify them - The injunction involves bodily purification and…
Sanctify them - The injunction involves bodily purification and undoubtedly also spiritual preparation. Compare Heb 10:22. The washing of the clothes was an outward symbol well understood in all nations.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv10, 13 Garments, with their bodies, as the Jews understand by…
Garments, with their bodies, as the Jews understand by this expression. They were also to abstain from their wives, &c. By which exterior practices, they were admonished of the interior purity which God required. All nations seem to have adopted similar observances of continence, washing themselves, and putting on their best attire, when they appeared before God. See Herod., &c. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv10–13 10. Sanctify them — By observing all manner of…
10. Sanctify them — By observing all manner of bodily purifyings, washing their clothes, (comp. Exo_35:2,) and abstaining from all sexual intercourse, Exo_19:15.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv10, 12, 13 10. sanctify] viz. by enjoining ablutions and abstention from…
10. sanctify] viz. by enjoining ablutions and abstention from anything that would render ‘unclean’ (cf. v. 15b): comp. Num_11:18 (in preparation for the approaching manifestation of Jehovah’s power), Jos_3:5; Jos_7:13, 1Sa_16:5.
wash their garments] often enjoined, as a purificatory rite, in the later ceremonial legislation, e.g. Lev_11:25; Lev_11:28; Lev_11:40, &c.
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10–13. Preparations to be made in view of the approaching theophany. The people are to be sanctified (E), and (J) barriers set about the mountain, to prevent its being desecrated by idle intruders.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–13 (10) Go unto the people, and sanctify them.—The approaching…
(10) Go unto the people, and sanctify them.—The approaching manifestation required, above all things, that the people should be “sanctified.” Sanctification is twofold—outward and inward. The real essential preparation for approach to God is inward sanctification; but no external command can secure this. Moses was therefore instructed to issue directions for outward purification; and it was left to the spiritual insight of the people to perceive and recognise that such purity symbolised and required internal purification as its counterpart. The external purification was to consist in three things—(1) Ablution, or washing of the person; (2) washing of clothes; and (3) abstinence from sexual intercourse (Exo_19:15).
Let them wash their clothes.—The Levitical law required the washing of clothes on many occasions (Lev_11:25; Lev_11:28; Lev_11:40; Lev_13:6; Lev_13:34; Lev_13:58; Lev_14:8-9; Lev_14:47; Lev_15:5-22, &c.) In connection with purification. The same idea prevailed in Egypt (Herod., 2:37), in Greece (Horn. Od., iv. 1. 759), and in Rome (Dollinger, Jew and Gentile, vol. ii., p. 82). It is a natural extension of the idea that ablution of the person cleanses, not from physical only, but from moral defilement.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv10–13 Vers. 10-15. THE PREPARATION OF THE PEOPLE AND OF…
Vers. 10-15. THE PREPARATION OF THE PEOPLE AND OF THE MOUNTAIN FOR THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD UPON IT. The people having accepted God"s terms, the time had come for the revelation in all its fulness of the covenant which God designed to make with them. This, it was essential, they should perceive and know to come from God, and not to be the invention of Moses. God, therefore, was about to manifest himself. But ere he could do this with safety, it was requisite that certain preparations should be made. Before man can be fit to approach God, he needs to be sanctified. The essential sanctification is internal; but, as internal purity and holiness cannot be produced at a given moment, Moses was ordered to require its outward symbol, external bodily cleanliness, by ablution and the washing of clothes, as a preliminary to God"s descent upon the mountain (vers. 10, 13). It would be generally understood that this external purity was symbolical only, and needed to be accompanied by internal cleanliness. Further, since even the purest of men is impure in God"s sight, and since there would be many in the congregation who had attempted no internal cleansing, it was necessary to provide that they should not draw too near, so as to intrude on the holy ground or on God"s presence. Moses was therefore required to have a fence erected round the mountain, between it and the people, and to proclaim the penalty of death against all who should pass it and touch the mount (vers. 12, 13). In executing these orders, Moses gave an additional charge to the heads of families, that they should purify themselves by an act of abstinence which he specified (ver. 15)
Go unto the people. Moses had withdrawn himself from the people to report their words to God (vers. 8, 9). He was now commanded to return to them. Sanctify them. Or "purify them." Purification in Egypt was partly by washing, partly, by shaving the hair, either front the head only, or from the entire body (Heb 2:37), partly perhaps by other rites. The Israelites seem ordinarily to have purified themselves by washing only. To-day and to-morrow. The fourth and fifth of Sivan, according to the Jewish tradition, the Decalogue having been given upon the sixth. The requirement of a two-days" preparation marked the extreme sanctity of the occasion. Let them wash their clothes. Compare Lev_15:5. Rich people could "change their garments" on a sacred occasion; (Gen_35:2) the poorer sort, having no change, could only wash them.
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HOMILETICS.
Vers. 10-15. The awfulness of God"s presence, and the preparation needed ere we approach him.
I THE AWFULNESS OF GOD"S PRESENCE. The presence of God is awful, even to those holy angels who are without spot or stain of sin, having done the holy will of their Maker from their creation. But to sinful man it is far more awful. No man "can see God"s face, and live". (Exo_33:20) Jacob was mistaken when he said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved". (Gen_32:30) He had really wrestled with an angel. (Hos_12:4) When Moses requested to see the Almighty"s glory, he was told, "Thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen". (Exo_33:23) "No man has seen God at any time," says St. John the Evangelist. (Joh_1:18) But, even apart from sight,there is in the very sense of the presence of God an awful terribleness. "I am troubled at his presence," said Job; "when I consider, I am afraid of. (Job_23:15) "Truly the Lord is in this place," said Jacob, "and I knew it not. How dreadful is this place!". (Gen_28:16, Gen_28:17) God is at all times everywhere; but he veils himself, he practically withdraws himself; and, though he is where we are, we do not see him, or perceive him. (Job_23:8, Job_23:9) But, let him reveal his presence, and at once all tremble before it. "Mine eye seeth him," says Job again, "wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job_42:5, Job_42:6) "When I heard," says Habakkuk, "my belly trembled, my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself". (Job_3:16) In part, no doubt, weakness trembles before strength, littleness before greatness, finiteness before infinity; but, mainly, it is sinfulness that quakes and shrinks before perfect holiness, corruption that shivers before incorruption, rottenness before absolute purity.
II THE PREPARATION NEEDED ERE WE APPROACH HIM. Only the "pure in heart" can "see God." In all our approaches to him, we must seek first to be made fit for propinquity by separation from sin. Moses was bidden to "sanctify the people" (ver. 10), which he could only do outwardly. This true sanctification, the true purification, was heart-felt repentance, deep contrition, and the earnest resolve to forsake sin, and henceforth live righteously. This preparation each man had to make for himself. It was in vain that he should wash himself seven times, or seven times seven, in vain that he should purify his garments, and keep himself free from material pollutions of every sort and kind something more was needed he required to be purified in heart and soul. And so it is with Christians with all men universally. God must be approached with humility not in the spirit of the Pharisee; with reverence head bowed down, and voice hushed to a low tone, and heart full of the fear of his holiness; with a pure mind that is, with a mind averse from sin, and resolved henceforth to do righteously. The publican"s approach was better than the Pharisee"s. Let men "smite upon their breast," let them be deeply convinced of sin, and own themselves sinners; let them implore the blotting out of their sins, and the cleansing of their entire nature; let them heartily resolve to sin no more, but walk in newness of life, and there is no contact which they need dread, no nearness of approach from which they need shrink. We are not, indeed, to hope in this life for that vision of God, or for that degree of communion, which our souls desire. "Now we see through a glass darkly now we know in part." The full vision of God, full access to him, complete communion, is reserved for the next world, where it will form our perfect bliss and consummation.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR Vers. 10-25. The mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire (Heb_12:18)
It is interesting to observe that, with the latter part of this chapter, we enter on an entirely new phase in the history of God"s revelation of himself to Israel. Terror enough there has been in the previous portions of the book terror and "a mighty hand awful manifestations of God"s power and holiness; but towards Israel there has been displayed only benignity and fatherly affection. Their wants have been ungrudgingly supplied; even their murmurings, as we have seen, did not elicit from God more than a passing reproof. But now that Jehovah takes his awful seat on Sinai, and proceeds to give forth his law, he clothes himself, even towards Israel, with a majesty and terror which strike the people with dismay. The fact is obviously one of deep significance, requiring, as it will repay, our close attention. What, meanwhile, we have to note is, that God did not reveal himself in law and terror till he had given the people many practical evidences of his love for them, and so had won their confidence. Without this, the terrors of Sinai could scarcely have been borne by them.
I THE PREPARATION (vers. 10-16). The revelation at Sinai was distinctively a revelation of the Divine holiness. From this fact, rightly apprehended, we may deduce the necessity for the preparations and precautions referred to in the text. The design of the lawgiving was to bring to light, and impress on men"s minds, that holiness and justice which are essential parts of God"s character, and which underlie all his dealings with them, even when most veiled by tenderness and grace. The time had come which God judged best for such a revelation being made. Made it had to be at some point or other in the history of the Divine dealings with men; and no time was so suitable for it as this of the constitution of the covenant with Israel. The instructions issued to the people accord with this design, and have as their end the impressing of their minds with a deep sense of the holiness of the Being into whose presence they are approaching, and of their own unholiness and unfitness to draw near to him. Holiness is
1. Absolute moral purity and perfection. It is sanctity of character. It implies, whether in God or man, the steadfast bent of the will towards all that is good and true and just and pure. In God, it is an inflexible determination to uphold at all costs the interests of righteousness and truth. It is an intensity of nature, a fire of zeal or jealousy, directed to the maintenance of these interests. Hence the requirement that in preparation for their meeting with him at the mount, the people should "sanctify" themselves for two whole days (ver. 10). The sanctification enjoined was mainly external the washing of clothes, etc.; but this, in itself a symbol of the need of heart purity, was doubtless to be attended with mental and spiritual preparations. Holiness is to be studied by us in all our approaches to God. The unholy will not be spurned by God, if they come to him in penitence, relying on his grace in Christ; but his end in receiving them is that he may make them holy, and holiness is the condition of subsequent fellowship (Ro 6; 2Co_5:15; Eph_1:4; 1Th_4:3; Tit_2:11-15; Heb_12:14; 1Jn_1:6, 1Jn_1:7)
2. The principle which guards the Divine honour. Thus Martensen defines it is the principle that guards the eternal distinction between Creator and creature, between God and man, in the union effected between them: it preserves the Divine dignity and majesty from being infringed upon." Hence the command to Moses to set bounds to the mountain, that the people might be kept back (vers. 12, 13). So stringently was this to be enforced, that if a man, or even a beast, should touch the mountain, the trespasser was to be put to death. The statement the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount" (ver. 13), is probably to be read in the light of ver. 17. The lesson taught is that of reverential awe of God. Even when we have the fullest confidence in approaching God as a Father, we ought not to allow ourselves to forget the infinite distance which still exists between him and us. Our service is to be "with reverence and godly fear". (Heb_12:28)
II GOD"S DESCENT ON SINAI (vers. 16-19). God"s descent on Mount Sinai was in fire (ver. 18), and with great terribleness. The scene, as described in these verses, is sufficiently awful. The adjuncts of the descent were
1. A thick cloud upon the mount.
2. Thunders and lightnings.
3. The voice of a trumpet exceeding loud.
4. A fire "burning unto the midst of heaven". (Deu_4:11)
5. Smoke as of a furnace the result of the action of the fire.
6. The mountain quaking.
This awfulness and terror are the more remarkable when we remember
(1) That what we have here is not God the Judge, arraigning before him trembling and convicted sinners, to pronounce on them sentence of doom; but a God of grace, summoning to his presence a people whom he loves, and has redeemed, and has just declared to be to him a peculiar treasure, above all people.
(2) That the design of this manifestation is to give to Israel a law which shall be the bond of a covenant between him and them, and by which it is intended that they shall order their lives.
The facts to be explained are
(1) That the phenomena alluded to are all of an alarming nature, and
(2) That most of them have a symbolical significance, which enhances the impression of terror. The fire, e.g. , is the symbol of holiness. The thick cloud suggests mystery. It tells also of how God must veil his glory from man, if man is not to be consumed by it. The smoke speaks of wrath. (Deu_29:20) To the question thus raised, Why all this awfulness and terror? the following answers may be made:
1. Law is the revelation of God"s holiness. It is the expression of the demand of holiness. This is the one thing it has to do, to declare what are the requirements of holiness, and to enunciate these requirements in the form of commands to be obeyed. But in order that law may serve its ends, it must be given in its proper character as law with all the adjuncts of authority and majesty which rightfully belong to it, and without dilution or weakening of any kind. Time enough, after the law has been given, and the constitution is firmly settled on its bases, to say how grace is to deal with such as fall short of the standard of its requirements. And, as formerly remarked, a revelation of law, at some period or other in the history of God"s dealings with mankind, was plainly necessary
(1) That the full requirements of God"s holiness should be made known. Nothing was to be gained by the establishment of a constitution in which the requirements of holiness should be glozed over, veiled, treated as nonexistent, kept out of view. Sooner or later they must be brought to light. The relations of God with men could never be placed upon a satisfactory footing, till the fullest recognition had been accorded to them. If the breach between heaven and earth is to be healed healed thoroughly it is not to be by ignoring the claims of holiness, but by recognising them to the utmost, and then "devising means" whereby, in consistency with these claims, God"s "banished" may still not be "expelled from him". (2Sa_14:14) The choice of this time for making the revelation was connected with God"s whole design in the calling of Israel.
(2) That men might have the knowledge of sin. The law must be made known that men may understand the number and extent of their transgressions. The lawgiving at Sinai, therefore, marks a distinct stage in the progress of God"s revelations. The design was to give Israel just impressions of what the law really was this law which they were binding themselves to keep to force upon them the conviction of its great awfulness and sanctity. Fitly, therefore, was it promulgated with every circumstance which could arouse the torpid conscience, and give impressiveness and force to the revelation.
1. Most of those to whom the law was given, while outwardly the people of God, and about to take on them the obligations of a solemn covenant, were really unregenerate. This circumstance, which lay in the truth of their relation to God as distinguished from mere profession, was fitly signified by the manner in which the law was given. The law shows by its form that it was not made for a righteous man. (1Ti_1:9)
2. For the sin which the law brought to light, no proper expiation was as yet provided. Typical atonements might indeed be offered; but not till the great propitiator came could the guilt be actually removed. God"s forgivenesses, under this first covenant, were not remission proper, but praetermission. (Rom_3:25) Christ came "for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament", (Heb_9:15) which, therefore, were standing over unexpiated. This fact, that the law had claims against the sinner, no proper means of discharging which as yet existed, had also its recognition in the manner in which the law was promulgated.
3. The law, in the peculiar way in which it entered into the Sinaitic covenant, was not a saving and blessing power, but, on the contrary, could only condemn. The law, as it entered into the covenant with Israel, could neither justify nor sanctify. It concluded all under sin, and left them there. It proved itself unequal even to the lower task of restraining outward corruptions. Its curb was ineffectual to keep sin in check. It could give commandments written on stone, but had no power to write them on the fleshly tables of the heart. (cf. 2Co 3)
III THE RENEWED WARNING (vers. 19-25). God, probably by a voice audible to the whole congregation (cf. ver. 6), called Moses to the top of the mount. No sooner, however, had he ascended than he was sent back again to renew the warning to the people to keep strictly within their bounds. The reason given was they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish lest the Lord break forth upon them" (vers. 21, 22). The passage teaches,
1. That the heart is naturally disobedient. Even under these most solemncircumstances the Israelites could hardly be restrained. The very prohibition was a provocative to their self-will to transgress the boundary. To gratify this impulse they were disposed to risk the consequences. Had the danger not been very real, Moses would not have been sent back so promptly as he was. Cf. what Paul says on the law had not known sin but by the law," etc.. (Rom_7:7-14)
2. That temerity in Divine things exposes the trangressor to severe punishment. Cf. the men of Bethshemesh and the ark, (1Sa_6:19) Uzzah, Uzziah, etc.
3. That it is hard even for good men to credit the extent of therebelliousness of the human heart. Moses thought it extremely unlikely that the people would do what God told him they were just on the point of doing. He relied upon his "bounds," and on the strict charges he had given them to keep them back (ver. 23). Alas! it was soon to be discovered that even stronger bounds than his would not restrain them. One design of the economy of law was to demonstrate the futility of every attempt to restrain wickedness by the system of mere "bounds." What is needed is not "bounds," but renewal.
4. God"s near presence is perilous to the sinner. J.O.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v10 The third day the Lord will come down.
Exo_19:10-11
The third day the Lord will come down.
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Lessons
1. The Mediator willingly cometh from God to impart His will to His people.
2. The true Mediator is as ready to sanctify His people as God would have Him.
3. Souls must follow their Mediators command for sanctification (Exo_19:14).
4. It is the Mediators care to prepare a people for God at His time, to whom He is sent.
5. Lawful enjoyments in the flesh sometimes must be denied for better attendance on God.
6. Great is the fitness required in souls for receiving rightly the law from God (Exo_19:15). (G. Hughes, B. D.)
Getting ready for worship
What was the signification of this Divine command? God gets at the mind through the senses; and He doubtless intended to instruct the people by this act that their minds should be purified, and their hearts prepared for His service. And to us it points out the necessity of our hearts being cleansed from sin, from the defilement and the love of it, before we can serve the Lord acceptably; it teaches us also that we must not rush heedlessly into the presence of God, even in private prayer. This becoming reverence for the presence of the Divine Majesty will likewise show itself in our demeanour in the house of God. Let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day. This will bring a man in time to the house of God. He will feel with David, I was glad when they said, Let us go to the house of the Lord; and if by any unavoidable circumstance he is later than he ought to be, his very step will testify his concern that it should be so, and a solicitude lest he disturb the solemnity of the worship of others. In the man who fulfils the spirit of this command there will be no wandering eye, but that general decorum of manner which shows that he has put off his shoes from his feet, for the place whereon he stands is holy ground. (George Breay, B. A.)
Salutary bounds
A traveller relates that, when passing through an Austrian town, his attention was directed to a forest on a slope near the road, and he was told that death was the penalty of cutting down one of those trees. He was incredulous until he was further informed that they were the protection of the city, breaking the force of the descending avalanche which, without this natural barrier, would sweep over the homes of thousands. When a Russian army was there and began to cut away the fence for fuel, the inhabitants besought them to take their dwellings instead, which was done. Such, he well thought, are the sanctions of Gods moral law. On the integrity and support of that law depends the safety of the universe. The soul that sinneth, it shall die, is a merciful proclamation. He that offends in one point is guilty of all, is equally just and benevolent. To transgress once is to lay the axe at the root of the tree which represents the security and peace of every loyal soul in the wide dominions of the Almighty. (Family Treasury.)
Importance of holiness
God has no ultimate use for a man that is not holy. A rose-tree that does not blossom is of no use in a garden. A vine that bears no grapes is of no use in a vineyard. A criminal has no place in the State. In that everlasting kingdom in which the glory of God and the perfection of man will be at last revealed, there can be no place for those that have not an intense passion for holiness, and who do not themselves illustrate its dignity and beauty. (R. W. Dale.)
Purity of soul essential
My son, said Nushirvan, king of Persia, in the directions of his last will to his successor, present yourself often at the gate of heaven to implore its succour in your need, but purify your soul beforehand.
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v10 The Special Instructions
The Special Instructions
v. 10. And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes,
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v. 11. 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. The people were to be set apart, consecrated, to the Lord, the washing of the clothes being a symbol of the inner purity which should be found in every believer. They should place themselves in the proper attitude of mind to hear the terms of the covenant which the Lord would announce on the third day, when He intended to descend upon Mount Sinai in such a manner as to make His glory visible to all the children of Israel.
v. 12. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, have a fence made all around the base of the mountain, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it, the end, or foot, of the mountain. Whosoever toucheth the mount, the throne of God’s legislation, shall be surely put to death.
v. 13. There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; being on the other side of the fence, such a person could not be apprehended without making him that attempted to seize him guilty likewise, therefore he should be killed from a distance with stones or darts; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live. When the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount, the long-drawn blast on the horn was the signal for the representatives of the people, the elders, to approach, Exo 24:1.
v. 14. And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes, they performed the ceremonial purifying as they had been ordered.
v. 15. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day; come not at your wives, all marital relations were to be suspended for the time being. All these preparations show that Israel was still a sinful, unclean people. And sinners may not appear before the face of the holy God in their natural sinfulness.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv10, 12 you must set them apart to me
you must set them apart to me
This probably means "tell them to dedicate themselves to me" or "tell them to purify themselves for me."
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their garments
"their clothes" or "what they are wearing"
Be ready
This was a command to the people of Israel. (See: Forms of You)
translationWords
set apart
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v10 19:10-15 In the second phase of preparation, the people…
19:10-15 In the second phase of preparation, the people received commands that would prepare them to receive God’s covenant. They were to wash their clothing (19:10, 14) because God is pure. They were to prepare a boundary all around the mountain (19:12-13) and be careful not to cross it because God is holy. They were to abstain from having sexual intercourse (19:15) because God is not a sexual being, and his blessings are not produced through sexual activity. Things that are natural and right under ordinary circumstances were to be set aside for the extraordinary purpose of concentrating on the Lord, the King who was about to appear before the people. Only their compliance with the second of these commands is specifically reported (19:23), but it is safe to assume that they obeyed the other two as well since no negative response from the Lord is recorded. • Hebrews 12:18-22 contrasts this experience at Mount Sinai with the believer’s experience at Mount Zion, “the heavenly Jerusalem.”
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.