Exodus 19:1-25

THE TEXT OF EXODUS
TRANSLATION

19 In the third month after the children of Is-ra-el were gone forth out of the land of E-gypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Si-nai. (2) And when they were departed from Reph-i-dim, and were come to the wilderness of Si-nai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Is-ra-el encamped before the mount. (3) And Mo-ses went up unto God, and Je-ho-vah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Is-ra-el: (4) Ye have seen what I did unto the E-gyp-tians, and how I bare you on eagles-' wings, and brought you unto myself. (5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples: for all the earth is mine: (6) and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Is-ra-el.

(7) And Mo-ses came and called for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Je-ho-vah commanded him. (8) And all the people answered together, and said, All that Je-ho-vah hath spoken we will do. And Mo-ses reported the words of the people unto Je-ho-vah. (9) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever. And Mo-ses told the words of the people unto Je-ho-vah. (10) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments, (11) and be ready against the third day; for the third day Je-ho-vah will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Si-nai. (12) 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: (13) no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount. (14) And Mo-ses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments. (15) And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.

(16) And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled. (17) And Mo-ses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. (18) And mount Si-nai, the whole of it, smoked, because Je-ho-vah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. (19) And when the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, Mo-ses spake, and God answered him by a voice. (20) And Je-ho-vah came down upon mount Si-nai, to the top of the mount: and Je-ho-vah called Mo-ses to the top of the mount; and Mo-ses went up. (21) And Je-ho-vah said unto Mo-ses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Je-ho-vah to gaze, and many of them perish. (22) And let the priests also, that come near to Je-ho-vah, sanctify themselves, lest Je-ho-vah break forth upon them. (23) And Mo-ses said unto Je-ho-vah, The people cannot come up to mount Si-nai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. (24) And Je-ho-vah said unto him, Go, get thee down; and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aar-on with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto Je-ho-vah, lest he break forth upon them. (25) So Mo-ses went down unto the people, and told them.

EXPLORING EXODUS: CHAPTER NINETEEN
QUESTIONS ANSWERABLE FROM THE BIBLE

1.

After careful reading propose a short topic or theme for the chapter.

2.

In what month did Israel come into the Wilderness of Sinai? (Exodus 19:1)

3.

On what day of the month did they arrive? (Exodus 19:1)

4.

Where did Israel make its camp? (Exodus 19:2)

5.

Where did Moses go from the camp? (Exodus 19:3)

6.

Why was Israel called the house of Jacob? (Exodus 19:3; Exodus 1:1-7; Genesis 46:1-4)

7.

How had Israel been borne along on their journey? (Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11)

8.

To whom had Israel been brought? (Exodus 19:4)

9.

What conditions did Israel have to fulfill to become God's people? (Exodus 19:5)

10.

What would Israel be unto God? (Exodus 19:5-6)

11.

What is a kingdom of priests? (Exodus 19:6; Compare 1 Peter 2:9)

12.

To whom did Moses first report God's words? (Exodus 19:7)

13.

What was the response of the people? (Exodus 19:8)

14.

Where did Moses go after hearing the people's acceptance? (Exodus 19:8)

15.

In what manner would God come to Moses and Israel? (Exodus 19:9)

16.

How would God's coming affect the status of Moses? (Exodus 19:9)

17.

What preparations were the people to make before God's revelation of Himself? (Exodus 19:10; Exodus 19:14)

18.

When was God coming down? Who would see God come down? (Exodus 19:11)

19.

What was to be built around the mount? (Exodus 19:12)

20.

What was to be the punishment for touching the mount? (Exodus 19:12-13)

21.

How were mountain-touchers to be handled? (Exodus 19:13)

22.

What was to be the signal for them to draw near the mountain? (Exodus 19:13)

23.

What restriction was imposed upon the people before God came down? (Exodus 19:15)

24.

What was the appearance and the sound on Mt. Sinai as God came down? (Exodus 19:16; Exodus 19:18)

25.

What was the reaction of the people as God came down? (Exodus 19:16)

26.

What did Moses do when the cloud came down? (Exodus 19:17)

27.

What voice came from the mount? (Exodus 19:19)

28.

What warning was given to Moses? (Exodus 19:21) Why the repetition of the command? (See Exodus 19:12)

29.

What priests are referred to in Exodus 19:22?

30.

What protest did Moses make about God's warning concerning the people's breaking through? (Exodus 19:23)

31.

Was the warning really needed? (Exodus 19:24-25)

EXODUS NINETEEN: ISRAEL READY FOR GOD'S COVENANT
(ISRAEL AT THE DOOR OF NATIONHOOD)

1.

The journey completed; Exodus 19:1-2.

2.

The divine offers; Exodus 19:3-6.

3.

The personal pledges; Exodus 19:7-8.

4.

The sanctifying preparations; Exodus 19:9-16.

5.

The descent of God; Exodus 19:16-25.

THE LORD'S OFFER TO HIS PEOPLE (Exodus 19:3-6)

I.

BACKED UP BY GOD'S PAST ACTS: (Exodus 19:3-4)

1.

What I did to the Egyptians.

2.

How I bore you on Eagles-' wings.

3.

How I brought you to myself.

II.

CONDITIONED UPON OBEDIENCE: (Exodus 19:5 a)

1.

Obey my voice.

2.

Keep my covenant.

III.

BRINGS RICH HONORS: (Exodus 19:5-6)

1.

You will be my own possession.

2.

You will be a kingdom of priests.

3.

You will be a holy nation.

SANCTIFIED TO MEET GOD (Exodus 19:10-15)

1.

Wash garments; (Exodus 19:10; Revelation 7:14)

2.

Set bounds about the mount; (Exodus 19:12)

3.

Abstinence; (Exodus 19:15)

WHEN GOD COMES DOWN!! (Exodus 19:16-25; John 6:38; John 3:13)

1.

Nature demonstrates; (Exodus 19:16-18; Matthew 8:27)

2.

God's men are summoned; (Exodus 19:19-20; Mark 3:13-14)

3.

Men must keep their distance; (Exodus 19:21-24; Acts 5:13)

EXPLORING EXODUS: NOTES ON CHAPTER NINETEEN

1.

What is in Exodus nineteen?

The chapter tells of the things that occurred just before God gave the covenant of the ten commandments. We call the chapter READY FOR GOD'S COVENANT. The people were made ready by (1) their arrival at the destination, Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19:1-2); (2) God's promise to take them as His own (Exodus 19:3-6); (3) Their public promise to obey God (Exodus 19:7-8); (4) The Lord's last-minute instructions (Exodus 19:9-15); (5) The Lord's descent upon the mount (Exodus 19:16-25).

The Greek version of Exodus 19:1 contains the word exodos, from which we get the name Exodus, meaning going out.

2.

When did Israel arrive at Sinai? (Exodus 19:1)

They arrived in the third month after going forth from Egypt. Moses had kept a log book. See Numbers 33:2. They had left Egypt on the fourteenth day of the first month (See Exodus 12:6; Exodus 12:51). and arrived in the third month. On the same day they came to the wilderness of Sinai. If this expression means the first day of the month, their trip had taken about forty-five days. But the Hebrew simply says in this day. It is by no means certain that this means Israel arrived at the desert of Sinai on the first day of the month. Later traditions affirmed that the giving of the law was fifty days after the Passover. We feel that this is about correct, but it cannot be proved from the text. Exodus 19:11 indicates that the Lord came upon Mt. Sinai on the third day after their arrival. These three days, plus about forty-five days for the journey, give a total of approximately fifty days.

God's promise to Moses about Israel's serving Him in this mountain (Exodus 3:12) was fulfilled upon their arrival there.

3.

What place is the Wilderness of Sinai? (Exodus 19:1)

We think that the name refers here to the plain of Er-Rahah at the north edge of Mt. Sinai, at the foot of the peak Ras Safsafeh. Ras Safsafeh is 6540 feet high, and is part of an oval-shaped ridge with a second (and higher) peak - Jebel Musa, or the Mt. of Moses - at its south end. Jebel Musa is 7647 feet high.

The name Wilderness of Sinai is sometimes applied to the entire southern area of the Sinai peninsula covered by granite mountains. But here the term seems to be restricted to the area just beside Mt. Sinai.
There is a small plain at the south side of Jebel Musa called Wady es-Sebaiyeh. This has been often said to be the plain of Israel's encampment. But travellers in the area report it is only about 7000 feet long and four to six hundred feet broad; and its whole surface is covered with sharp rough stones. There is scarcely a good place for three tents to be pitched together; and its whole area is about 145 acres.[291] Furthermore, a small hill lies between es-Sebaiyeh and Jebel Musa, so that there was no possibility of the people coming up to the Mount without a previous process of hard climbing or a long walk around. See Exodus 19:12; Exodus 19:21. Es-Sebaiyeh is in no wise fitted for a major camping ground.

[291] S. C. Bartlett, From Egypt to Palestine (New York: Harper, 1879), pp. 270-271.

On the other hand the plain er-Rahah on the north of Ras Safsafeh comes up to the very foot of the mountain. It is two miles long and one-half broad, and slopes gradually down from the plateau to the north. The slopes of the enclosing mountains afford further space and seating for an almost unlimited multitude. The Wady (valley) Leja, which opens into er-Rahah on the west, is an extensive recess about a mile and a half long and three-fourths broad. This would add substantially to the camping ground.[292]

[292] Bartlett, op. cit., p. 272.

No other district in the premises affords such excellent pasturage as the immediate neighborhood of Mt. Sinai. There are four streams of running water there and several springs and cisterns.

4.

What place had Israel left just before reaching Sinai? (Exodus 19:2)

They had left Rephidim. Rephidim had been a place of several eventswater from the rock, war with Amalek, Jethro's visit, a system of judges set up. Now they leave Rephidim. It was not far from there to the mount of God (Sinai), probably only one day's journey of about ten miles. See Exodus 17:6; Exodus 18:5.

5.

From where did the LORD call Moses? (Exodus 19:3)

Jehovah called Moses from the mount. The text implies that Moses heard the voice of the LORD (Jehovah) as he was ascending the mount unto God. We are not told why Moses went up into the mountain. It probably seemed to be the obvious thing to do inasmuch as God had said, Ye shall serve God upon this mountain. (Exodus 3:12)

The expression house of Jacob is not found elsewhere in the Pentateuch, but it is very appropriate in the light of God's promises to Jacob (Genesis 46:4).

Note that Moses went up unto God (the general term for God as creator and ruler), but the LORD (Jehovah, or Yahweh) called unto him. Jehovah is God's covenant name, used when dealing with His people. We can almost always detect reasons for the use of the one name or the other.

6.

What had the Israelites seen God do? (Exodus 19:4)

Three things: (1) What He had done to the Egyptians; (2) How He bore them on eagles-' wings; (3) How He brought them unto Himself!
The expression upon the wings of eagles is a figurative but vivid description of the strong and loving care of God. The mother eagle will fly beneath her newly feathered eaglet as it makes its first attempt to fly. The eagle may refer to the Palestinian vulture.

Deuteronomy 32:11: As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, that fluttereth over her young, He spread abroad his wings, he took them, and bare them on his pinions. The mother eagle will tear up her nest and thus force the eaglets to fly. In a similar way God had impelled Israel to leave Egypt. Then He protected them in their spiritual immaturity as they journeyed.

The reference in Exodus 19:4-5 to eagles-' wings and the conditional nature of God's covenant reminds us of Deuteronomy, which stresses the same points. How consistent is God's revelation through it all!

Note God's purpose in delivering Israel: He brought them unto Himself!

Exodus 19:3 begins a great block of divine teaching that stretches clear into Numbers ten.

7.

What did God want Israel to keep? (Exodus 19:5)

He wanted Israel to keep his COVENANT, and to become His own covenant people.
This word covenant refers to a formal arrangement of relationship between two parties. Covenants can be made between individuals or groups. A national constitution is a covenant. So also is a peace treaty, and a will (or testament).

The principle of covenant has always been the basis of God's dealings with his people. God made a covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:9), and with Abraham (Genesis 15:18), and others. Unless we grasp the idea of covenant, we simply will not understand Exodus.

The law which God gave through Moses to Israel is presented as a covenant (Exodus 24:7-8; Exodus 34:27). Exodus Chapter s nineteen through twenty-four tell of the giving of the covenant and its ordinances. Exodus 32-34 tell how the covenant was broken by making the golden calf and then how the covenant relationship was restored.

There are two main types of covenants:
(1) Parity covenants (or treaties), between parties of equal importance.
(2) Suzerainty treaties (covenants), by rulers for the subjects beneath them.

In the first type of covenant the contracting parties each agree to do certain things, and the covenant is in effect only if both parties keep their bargains. Abraham and Abimilech made such a covenant together (Genesis 21:27).

God's covenants are more like the second type of covenant. God as a ruler makes certain promises and then demands particular acts of obedience. The covenant is imposed by the superior upon the inferiors. Such covenants may be basically offers of grace to an undeserving people; God's covenants are always such. A will, or testament, is a covenant of the second type because the blessings promised to the heirs after the death of the testator are offered solely upon the basis of the wishes of the testator.
Archaeologists have observed that the suzerainty treaties (covenants) made by ancient Hittite and other kings with their vassals follow the same general format and literary pattern as God's covenant with Israel.[293] These generally contain a preamble (like Exodus 19:3), a historical introduction (Exodus 19:4), general principles for future conduct (Exodus 19:5), specific stipulations (Exodus 20-23), divine witnesses (Exodus 24:9-11), and curses and blessings (Exodus 23:22-31).

[293] Davis, op. cit., p. 193. K. A. Kitchen, Ancient Orient and the Old Testament (Chicago; Inter-Varsity, 1966), pp. 90-96.

The similarities between the treaties of men and the covenant of God prove very little, except that God has chosen to express His proposals in terms familiar to men; or that the essential features in any complete and logical covenant are similar.
The ancient covenants of human kings which have been preserved show a slight difference in form between those made in the second millennium B.C. (the time of Moses), and those made in the first millennium B.C. (after 1000 B.C.). The fact that the form of the Mosaic covenant more closely corresponds to the form of the covenants of the second millennium than to those of the first millennium supports our belief that the Exodus covenant was indeed written in the time of Moses, rather than by several unknown sources (J, E, D, P) living centuries later, as many critics allege.
K. A. Kitchen lists several differences between covenant forms of the first and second millenniums. (1) In late second millennium forms, as far as preserved, the divine witnesses almost always come between the stipulations and the curses, whereas in first millennium covenants, so far as known, they never do. (2) A historical prologue is typical of late second millennium covenants, but is unknown in our first millennium examples.

8.

What did God propose to make of Israel? (Exodus 19:5-6)

Three things: (1) Mine own possession; (2) A kingdom of priests; (3) A holy nation. All of these titles are now applied to the people of Christ's church (1 Peter 2:9).

Mine own possession means my own special (or peculiar) treasure, one belonging privately to a king. The same expression is found in 1 Chronicles 29:3; Deuteronomy 7:6; Ecclesiastes 2:8. How we guard and protect our treasures! Israel was very precious to God. The expression mine own possession sounds more partial than it really is. There was no thought of favoritism in God's choice of Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6-8). Israel had not been called to privilege and rulership, but to being an example and rendering service.

God owns all the earth (Exodus 9:29). God could exalt any people by choosing them, but no people could exalt and elevate God. God is by nature supreme and ultimate. What man says or does cannot change God's power, glory, or authority. Man can neither cause God to be glorious nor diminish His glory. Thus for God to choose one people as HIS people was a great favor, one demanding a grateful response.

God's ownership of Israel has an exact parallel in the church. We are now a people for God's own possession (1 Peter 2:9; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20).

A kingdom of priests means more than merely a nation of priests governed by Jehovah. It implies that the people had kingly qualities as well as priestly qualities. This is evident by the fact that the Greek O.T. translates the phrase as a royal priesthood, and the inspired apostle Peter adopted the Greek translation as the true meaning of the verse. See 1 Peter 2:9. The Israelites were a royal people, who would devour the nations that were their adversaries and crush their bones in pieces (Numbers 24:8; Deuteronomy 33:29). Similarly, Christians have a royal as well as a priestly character. Christians shall have authority over the nations and rule them with a rod of iron (Revelation 2:26-27). They shall sit down with Jesus upon His throne.

The fact that Israel was a kingdom of priests suggests that their individual and collective purpose was to function as a go-between between God and men of all nations. They were to be living examples of what God would do with and for obedient mankind, and were to teach the ways of God to men, and otherwise help men come to God.

The fly in the ointment (Ecclesiastes 10:1) in this glorious honor for Israel was that Israel was as sinful and as far from God as the nations to whom they were to be priests and light! (Romans 2:19)

The same self-contradictory situation exists in the cases of worldly, covetous, lustful, disobedient, lukewarm Christians (?). While they may consider themselves as being the light of the world, the light that is in them is darkness.
Israel was to be a holy nation. The primary meaning of holy is not separated, but to be pure, splendid, untarnished.[294] The meaning of holy is not to be weakened by saying that a thing is holy only insofar as it is the exclusive property of God. Sin opposes holiness, and the sinner resists sanctification. God intends that holiness shall prevail and the unholy be destroyed if they will not repent. Holiness means being like God! (Leviticus 19:2; 1 John 3:3). That means more than belonging to an exclusive clique labelled Holy (or Private Property).

[294] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, The Pentateuch, Vol. II in The Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956), pp. 99-100.

The concept of Israel's becoming a NATION looms large in Exodus. God had promised Abraham that He would make him to become a great NATION (Genesis 12:2). But when Israel left Egypt, they were hardly a nation! They were a band of escaped slaves without homeland, national constitution, an established system of government, judges, or priests. The story of how Israel became a NATION is really the grand theme of the book of Exodus. The events at Mt. Sinai brought Israel into nationhood.

9.

How did Israel respond to God's covenant offer? (Exodus 19:7-8)

ALL the people answered TOGETHER, All which Jehovah hath commanded we shall do. Their spontaneity and unity rejoice us, until we recall how quickly they forget their promises.
Israel's religion was openly presented by God. There were no secret doctrines to a favored class, no books of mysteries, but a divine offer to rich and poor, young and old, learned and unlearned. Though it could never be earned, it had to be personally accepted. It was not an imposed religion.

Note that the statement is made twice that Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD (Exodus 19:8-9). Probably there is a hint in this that Moses rejoiced to report their good words to the Lord. Maybe he felt that the people had finally been converted.

Regarding the elders, see Exodus 4:29-30.

The Hebrew Jehovah (Yahweh, LORD) in Exodus 19:7 is translated God (theos) in the Greek, instead of Lord (kurios) as usual. See footnote on p. 378.

10.

In what manner would God come unto Moses? (Exodus 19:9)

He would come in a thick cloud.
This verse makes quite plain the fact that God spoke primarily with Moses rather than with Israel. God said, I come unto thee. that the people may hear when I speak with thee. God, of course, foreknew that the people could not long endure hearing His voice (Exodus 20:19). Their sin was such that they were both incapable and unwilling to hear God's voice.

One major purpose of the miraculous display of cloud, smoke, etc. was to certify Moses unto the people as God's mediator, that they may hear when 1 speak with thee and believe thee for ever. We still must accept Moses as God's spokesman of that time.

God's appearances are often associated with clouds and smoke. See Isaiah 6:1-4; Isaiah 19:1; Numbers 11:25; 1 Kings 8:10; Psalms 97:2; Revelation 1:7.

There is no way that anyone can prove that God came down upon Mt. Sinai in a cloud and lightning and thunder and earthquake. This is a matter of faith. We accept this record because we have faith in Jesus, who said that the Old Testament was all true (John 10:35; Luke 16:17). We accept it because the fulfilled prophecies of the O.T. give us faith, We rejoice that we can live by faith in what God's word says.

11.

What preparations were to be made for Jehovah's coming down? (Exodus 19:10-11; Exodus 19:15)

The people were (1) to wash their garments, and (2) to abstain from sex relations, and (3) to set bounds, that is, a fence or barrier, around the foot of the mountain.

The washing of clothes before holy ceremonies was a fairly common practice in Bible times. Levites washed their clothes as part of their consecration (Numbers 8:7). Those who touched the dead washed their garments (Numbers 19:19). The reasons for washing of garments seem obvious: all nations have sensed the outward joys of cleanliness, and its symbolic resemblance to the cleansing of mind and heart. See Revelation 7:14.

Sanctify (or consecrate) means to separate, make holy, pure, and set apart for God's use.

The third day in Exodus 19:11 obviously meant two days after the day God spoke. This expression can illustrate the Jewish way of speaking of time, and is helpful in understanding the time meant when our Lord said He would rise on the third day (Matthew 16:21).

Against the third day means for the third day or on the third day.

Abstinence from sex relations prior to God's descent upon Mt. Sinai does not indicate that this is evil or even questionable. Both the O.T. and the N.T. approve of sex relations of married people as good, necessary, protective, and enjoyable. See Proverbs 5:18-20; 1 Corinthians 7:2-5.

Nonetheless, as we sometimes fast from eating lawful food as a means of devoting our total energies and mind to God, so on some occasions sex relations are to be left off, See 1 Corinthians 7:5. Thus it was at Mt. Sinai. In the same way David was permitted to eat the showbread reserved for the priests if the young men have kept themselves from women (1 Samuel 21:4-5). According to Leviticus 15:18 a man was regarded as ceremonially unclean until evening after lying with a woman. Certainly no such uncleanness was to be present at the grand forthcoming appearance of God.

Note that Jehovah was to come down upon the mount in the sight of all the people. When a covenant is made, the parties must meet. Man cannot ascend to heaven.[295] This is the heart of the Biblical concept of revelation. God comes down to man. No man hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven, Jesus said of Himself in John 3:13.

[295] Ramm, op. cit., p. 123.

Certainly it was a condescension on the part of God to localize His appearance at Mt. Sinai, seeing that He fills heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:23-24). But God has done this often for man's sake, even sending His own son into the world in human form.

12.

How were the people to be kept away from the mountain? (Exodus 19:12-13)

By two means: (1) A bound, or fence, was placed about the foot of the mountain; (2) Quick execution was threatened if they even touched the mount.
It was possible to set a boundary about the north end of Mt. Sinai because the rock mass of the mountain rises rather abruptly from the plain beside it.
The people were neither to go up into the mount or even to touch the edge of it while God was appearing upon it. Death by stoning or shooting with arrows was the penalty for this.

This command was quite terrifying to the people. They could not endure that which was commanded, that if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart (Hebrews 12:20).

The reason for this stern restriction was very basic: Sinful mankind cannot approach near God's presence, and God's presence was upon Mt. Sinai. Moses did not even dare come too close to God's presence at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). Flesh and blood, such as we are now, cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). We should not seek explanations in some ancient concepts of taboo. It seems unfounded to offer explanations such as that because the mountain had become holy, then anything that touched it became holy also; and that for living creatures this meant sacrifice and death.[296] If that were true, then carrying holy flesh (or meat) would endanger the bearer (Haggai 2:12), but it did not.

[296] Cole, op. cit., p. 147.

Touch it in King James version is better translated touch him.

13.

What would the trumpet sound signal? (Exodus 19:13)

When the trumpet (Heb. yovel, or ram's horn trumpet) sounds a long blast, they shall ascend to the mount. This is a difficult verse. We suppose that the they spoken of are the people, but that is not without question. Only Moses and Aaron went up (Exodus 19:24). The close connection of this statement to the command about not coming onto or touching the mount makes it a surprising switch of thought.

Probably the verse merely refers to what is related in Exodus 19:17: At the blowing of the trumpet Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the lower part of the mountain.

The Greek O.T. reads, When the voices and trumpets and the cloud departs from the mountain, they shall come up on the mount.[297] This meaning is very clear, maybe so clear as to be trite. However, there were probably numerous people who would feel that even after God's revelation of himself at the mount was completed, the mount was still too holy to climb up into. We could question whether that was a relevant issue at that particular point of time.

[297] We are always reluctant to adopt the Greek reading in preference to the Hebrew when they differ. However, in some cases the Greek reading is preferable. Thus in Romans 10:18 Paul quoted the Greek (sound) of Psalms 19:5 rather than the Hebrew line.

Regarding Exodus 19:14-15, see notes on Exodus 19:10-11.

14.

What happened when God descended upon the mount? (Exodus 19:16; Exodus 19:18)

There were thunders, and lightnings, and a thick cloud, and the voice of a trumpet (Heb., shofar, a horn or cornet), and an earthquake.[298] The whole mountain smoked, for Jehovah descended upon it in fire (probably lightning; see 2 Kings 1:12). The smoke rose like smoke from a furnace (that is, a kiln or melting furnace). Compare Genesis 19:28 where Sodom and Gomorrah appeared burning with the same appearance. Deuteronomy 5:4: The Lord spake to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire.

[298] Exodus 19:8 says The whole mount quaked greatly. The Greek and several Hebrew manuscripts read this The people quaked greatly (or were exceedingly amazed).

Observe that it was morning when God descended on the mount.

The people trembled at this spectacle. What Israelite could doubt that God was there when he saw this display! God intended that His fear should be before their eyes (Exodus 20:20). That surely took place.

This was no ordinary thunderstorm on Sinai. Thunderstorms are not uncommon there in winter; but the Israelites arrived in early June, when the season for these was past. Besides that, no thunderstorm was ever like the appearance of God's coming.

The awesome events at the giving of the law are referred to in Hebrews 12:18-19 as a contrast to the less spectacular and gentler giving of the gospel. The contrasting modes of giving the law and the gospel illustrate the contrasting characters of the law and the gospel. Ye are not come unto a mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, and unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that no more word should be spoken unto them.

15.

Where did Moses assemble the people? (Exodus 19:17)

Moses brought them to the lower (nether) part of the mount, but not where they could touch it. Their encampments surely extended out quite some distance (several miles) in front of the mount and in the adjoining valleys. But Moses directed them into a compact group.

16.

What signal called Moses to the top of the mount? (Exodus 19:19-20)

The voice, or sound, of a trumpet continued and waxed (grew) very strong. Then Moses spoke. We do not know what he said. Perhaps he asked the Lord what he should do. The Lord answered him with a voice. The Hebrew word for voice may also be translated thunder, as in Exodus 9:23 and 1 Samuel 12:17. But the voice (or thunder) was intelligible; and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mount and Moses went up. Compare John 12:28-29.

The trumpet definitely appears to have been a supernatural trumpet of God rather than a trumpet of man. This trumpet will sound again at our Lord's second coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52). The Hebrew word for trumpet here (as in Exodus 19:16) is shofar, not yovel, as in Exodus 19:13. However, shofar and yovel are used synonomously in Joshua 6:5, and probably are so used here also.

Nehemiah 9:13: Thou comest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right ordinances, and true laws, good statutes, and commandments.

17.

Why is the command about keeping the people from the mountain repeated in Exodus 19:21-24?

We think it was necessitated by man's perverse desire to look upon forbidden things and by God's determination to keep the people off the mountain. The command to keep off the mountain had indeed already been once given, and the barricade had been set up about the mountain (Exodus 19:12). But just as Eve longed for the forbidden fruit, and the men of Beth-Shemesh looked into the ark of the covenant when they certainly knew better (1 Samuel 6:19), so some Israelites on this occasion were thinking about taking a little peek beyond the fence.

Moses thought that everything was secure (Exodus 19:23). But God had a deeper knowledge of what was in man than Moses did. Some were tempted with the plan to break through and gaze (Exodus 19:21).

Unbelieving critics have taken aim at Exodus 19:21-25, declaring it to be a secondary passage[299] from a different source, and unnecessary and repetitious. This attitude arises not from any concrete evidence that such sources ever existed, but from a lack of spiritual comprehension and meekness toward God's word.

[299] Noth, op. cit., p. 160.

18.

Who are the priests referred to in Exodus 19:22?

Certainly they were not the sons of Aaron (Exodus 28:1), nor were they the firstborn of every family (Numbers 3:12-13). The exact identity of these priests is not made clear. We can only say that they were the ones who had been discharging the duties of the priestly office according to rights and customs previously employed.

Exodus 24:5 tells of the young men of the sons of Israel offering burnt offerings and sacrificing young bulls and peace-offerings to the LORD. Perhaps they were the priests referred to in Exodus 19:22. Others suggest that the elders were the priests; or that the heads of families served in that function. See Exodus 19:7; Exodus 6:14.

The repetition of the command for all the people, priests included, to stay off the mountain shows their unholiness. Like the people the priests were to sanctify themselves. Compare Exodus 19:10. They were NOT exempt from the commands of God to all the other people. Nor were they too holy to yield to the temptations that attracted other people.

19.

Who was to accompany Moses back up on the mount? (Exodus 19:24-25)

Aaron was to go with him. Aaron did not go up the mount until after Moses himself had received the laws of Exodus 21-23. See Exodus 20:21. Then God called Moses to come up with Aaron, and Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders (Exodus 24:1). But even then these were to worship afar off, and only Moses came near to Jehovah (Exodus 24:2).

Exodus 19:25 ends rather abruptly. The words of Moses to the people are not recorded, but they surely consisted of God's repeated warning in Exodus 19:21.

As we come to the end of chapter nineteen, we should be in eager expectancy. All things are ready for the declaration of the covenant of the law. The awesome appearance at the mount shows the greatness of the occasion. The miracles of the deliverance from Egypt and the wilderness journey all point toward this great moment. We shall not be disappointed as we proceed into chapter twenty!