Exodus 19:1 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.
Exodus 19:1 nkjv
In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19:1 niv
On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt?on that very day?they came to the Desert of Sinai.
Exodus 19:1 esv
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19:1 nlt
Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai.
Exodus 19 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Exod 3:12 | "…When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." | God's prior promise of Sinai as the meeting place for His people. |
| Exod 12:2, 6, 11 | "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months...On the tenth day of this month...you shall eat it in haste..." | Establishment of Nisan (first month) as starting point for counting the journey. |
| Exod 13:3-4 | "Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place...You are going out in the month of Abib." | The defining event (Exodus) from which the three months are counted. |
| Exod 16:1 | "They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt." | Specific progress markers and time references in the wilderness journey. |
| Deut 4:10 | "Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, 'Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words...' " | Recalls the historical moment of the covenant at Horeb (Sinai). |
| Neh 9:13 | "You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right rules and true laws, good statutes and commandments..." | Affirmation of God's revelation at Sinai. |
| Ps 68:7-8 | "O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, the earth trembled; the heavens poured down rain before God..." | Poetic depiction of God leading Israel through the wilderness to Sinai. |
| Ps 105:43 | "Then he brought out his people with joy, his chosen ones with singing." | Emphasizes the joy and purpose of their exodus. |
| Acts 7:30 | "Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush." | Connects Sinai to Moses' initial calling and God's purpose for the site. |
| Acts 7:38 | "This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us." | Stephen's sermon highlights Sinai as the place of receiving divine revelation. |
| Gal 3:19 | "Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary." | Explains the purpose and temporary nature of the Law given at Sinai. |
| Heb 12:18-24 | "For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire and to darkness and gloom and a tempest...but you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God..." | Contrasts the fearful, physical Sinai covenant with the accessible, spiritual new covenant. |
| Lev 23:15-16 | "You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath...You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath..." | The command for Shavuot (Pentecost), later associated with the timing of the Law's giving. |
| Num 10:11 | "In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony..." | Marks their departure from Sinai after establishing the covenant. |
| Isa 43:16-19 | "Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea...Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness..." | Connects the physical Exodus and wilderness journey to God's continued redemptive acts. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah..." | Prophecies a New Covenant, highlighting the eventual replacement of the Sinai covenant. |
| John 1:17 | "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." | Distinguishes between the Law (Sinai) and the person of Christ. |
| 2 Cor 3:7-11 | "Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face...how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" | Contrasts the glory of the old covenant at Sinai with the superior glory of the new covenant. |
| Rom 10:4 | "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." | Christ as the ultimate fulfillment and goal of the Law given at Sinai. |
| Rev 15:3 | "And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb..." | Recalls Moses and the Exodus as a foundational act of God's redemption, connected to future salvation. |
Exodus 19 verses
Exodus 19 1 Meaning
Exodus 19:1 marks the precise timing of Israel's arrival at Mount Sinai, signifying a pivotal transition from their recent liberation from Egypt to the impending covenant and law-giving. It sets the scene for the Lord to formally establish His relationship with the children of Israel, solidifying their identity as His treasured possession and a holy nation. This chronological detail emphasizes God’s meticulous Providence and deliberate plan in guiding His people.
Exodus 19 1 Context
Exodus 19:1 is placed strategically in the biblical narrative, serving as a gateway to the central theological event of the Old Testament: the giving of the Law and the establishment of God's covenant with Israel. After escaping Egyptian slavery through the miraculous Red Sea crossing, Israel had endured a challenging two-month journey through the wilderness, where God provided manna, quail, and water (Exod 15-18), demonstrating His unfailing provision and guiding presence (pillar of cloud/fire). The verse details their arrival at "the wilderness of Sinai," fulfilling God's earlier promise to Moses at the burning bush that "you shall worship God on this mountain" (Exod 3:12). This moment marks a pivot from the narrative of physical liberation to the deeper spiritual and legal formation of a nation wholly dedicated to God. It precedes the dramatic revelation of God's glory and the pronouncement of the Ten Commandments, setting the stage for Israel to transition from a freed group of slaves to a chosen people, formally entering into a unique covenant relationship with their deliverer.
Exodus 19 1 Word analysis
In the third month: בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי (ba-ḥōḏeš haš-šəlīšī). This precise dating, approximately 45-50 days after leaving Egypt, points to a divinely orchestrated timeline. It likely refers to the month of Sivan. This punctuality highlights God's sovereignty and deliberate guidance, not a random journey. This period, the count to the "third month," forms the foundation for the later Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), signifying the giving of the Torah fifty days after Passover.
when the children of Israel: בְּצֵאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (bəṣēṯ bənê yiśrā’ēl). "Children of Israel" emphasizes their corporate identity as the covenant people, descended from Jacob, a unified entity chosen by God.
בְּצֵאתindicates "at their going out," reinforcing the Exodus as the defining event that frames their journey.were gone forth out of the land of Egypt: מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם (mê’ereṣ miṣrāyim). "From the land of Egypt" underscores their radical separation from slavery and a pagan land, a necessary spiritual and physical cleansing before entering into a holy covenant with the Lord. It signifies God's redemptive act.
the same day: בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה (bayyōm hazzeh). While often understood as "on the first day of that month," the Hebrew can also mean "on that very day," tying the arrival at Sinai directly to the anniversary or remembrance of their initial departure from Egypt, possibly a significant calendar alignment by God. It emphasizes divine precision in their movements.
came they: בָּאוּ (bā’û). "They came," a verb signifying definite arrival and culmination of a directed journey. This was not a chance happening but a purposeful destination.
into the wilderness of Sinai: מִדְבַּר סִינָי (midbar Sînāy). The "wilderness" signifies a desolate place of testing and reliance on God. "Sinai," the "mountain of God" (Horeb), is where God first called Moses. Its name marks it as the designated locus for God's dramatic self-revelation and the establishment of the Law.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt": This phrase firmly roots Israel’s arrival at Sinai within a precise, divinely measured timeline starting from their pivotal liberation. It signifies that their wilderness wandering was not aimless but an intentional journey guided by God's providence, culminating at this sacred mountain for a specific purpose.
- "the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai": This emphasizes the immediate connection between their historical Exodus and their divine destination. The careful notation of time underlines the momentous significance of this location as the preordained place where God would fulfill His promises to dwell among His people and establish His covenant with them.
Exodus 19 1 Bonus section
- The timing "in the third month" and "the same day" aligns precisely with what would later become the Feast of Shavuot (Pentecost in the New Testament), commemorating the giving of the Torah. This highlights a deliberate divine choreography of events in Israel's sacred calendar.
- The "wilderness of Sinai" served as a "desert classroom" where Israel learned obedience and reliance on God before receiving the Law. It was a space removed from the distractions of settled life and pagan influences, ideal for focused communion with God.
- The emphasis on "children of Israel" reinforces the idea that this entire generation, born out of slavery, was brought by God to hear His voice directly, bridging the generations from Abraham's covenant to its formal legal ratification.
- The verse encapsulates the profound shift from their physical liberation from Egyptian bondage to their spiritual inauguration as God’s "peculiar treasure," a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Exodus 19 1 Commentary
Exodus 19:1 is not a mere geographical or chronological footnote; it’s the foundational setting for the most pivotal event in ancient Israel's history—the formal covenant at Sinai. The timing, "in the third month," approximately 45-50 days after Passover, highlights God's sovereign hand guiding His liberated people directly to the mountain He designated for divine revelation. Their journey through the wilderness was a period of both provision and preparation, purging the mentality of slavery and instilling a reliance on God. Arriving at the "wilderness of Sinai" meant arriving at God's appointed place, "the mountain of God," where Moses first encountered the burning bush. This precise arrival at this sacred location underscores that God had orchestrated every step, preparing His chosen people for an intimate encounter that would forever shape their identity, mission, and relationship with Him. It transitions the narrative from God's acts for Israel (deliverance) to His acts through and with Israel (covenant and law). The careful detail foreshadows the solemnity and divine ordering of the events to come, emphasizing the transition from rescued people to a consecrated nation.