Exodus 19 21

Exodus 19:21 kjv

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

Exodus 19:21 nkjv

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

Exodus 19:21 niv

and the LORD said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish.

Exodus 19:21 esv

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

Exodus 19:21 nlt

Then the LORD told Moses, "Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the LORD, or they will die.

Exodus 19 verses

Exodus 19 21 Meaning

Exodus 19:21 is a divine command to Moses, emphasizing the critical importance of maintaining the boundaries around Mount Sinai, where God's holy presence was manifested. The verse underscores God's absolute holiness and the dire consequences for any unauthorized intrusion into His sacred space. It serves as a stern warning against the people's presumption, stressing that any attempt to "break through" the established limits, even just to gaze, would result in immediate divine judgment and death for "many."

Exodus 19 21 Context

Exodus 19 is pivotal, detailing Israel's arrival at Mount Sinai, the place where God would establish His covenant with them. After delivering Israel from Egypt, God calls them to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:6). The immediate context of verse 21 is God's preparation for His descent onto the mountain (Ex 19:9-11). Moses is commanded to consecrate the people, have them wash their garments, and set clear boundaries around the mountain, warning against even touching its edge (Ex 19:12-13). Despite this, there's a recurring theme in the chapter of the people needing further warnings and Moses needing to re-ascend to deliver them. Verse 21 indicates that even after initial warnings, God perceives a persistent human tendency to transgress boundaries, hence the repeated command for Moses to go down and re-warn them about their potential desire to gaze upon Him. This highlights both God's foreknowledge of human nature and His absolute intolerance for casual or irreverent approach to His holiness.

Exodus 19 21 Word analysis

• And the LORD (וַיֹּ֙אמֶר יְהוָ֣ה֙ - vayo’mer Yahweh): Refers to YHWH, the covenant name of God, indicating His personal, authoritative declaration to Moses. This is God speaking directly, not an angel or prophet.

• said to Moses, (אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה - ʾel-Moshe): Emphasizes that this is a direct, personal communication from God to His chosen mediator.

• Go down, (רֵ֤ד - rēd): A direct imperative from the verb יָרַד (yarad), "to go down, descend." Moses was already on the mountain (implied by previous verses like Ex 19:20), so he needed to physically descend to the people.

• charge (הָעֵ֣ד - haʿēd): An imperative from the verb עוּד (ʿūd), meaning "to testify," "to warn solemnly," or "to bear witness." It's not a mere instruction but a serious, emphatic warning.

• the people, (בָּעָ֔ם - bāʿām): Refers to the Israelites as a whole, the general populace, distinguishing them from Moses and the designated priests/elders who might have limited access later (Ex 24:1,9-10).

• lest they break through (פֶּן־יֶהֶרְס֥וּ - pen yeherṣū): The Hebrew verb הָרַס (haras) means "to break down," "to tear down," "to destroy," as in demolishing walls or cities. Here, it implies a violent, unlawful, and irreverent bursting past the sacred barrier, a forceful penetration out of curiosity or audacity. The prefix pen- expresses a negative purpose: "lest," "so that...not."

• to the LORD (אֶל־יְהוָה֙ - ʾel-YHWH): The ultimate destination of their presumptuous action—they seek to reach God Himself.

• to look, (לִרְא֔וֹת - lirʾōt): An infinitive verb from רָאָה (ra’ah), "to see," "to look." This indicates that the danger wasn't just touching, but even visually scrutinizing God's manifested presence, an act forbidden for unholy eyes (Ex 33:20).

• and many of them perish. (וְנָפַ֥ל מִמֶּֽנּוּ־רָֽב׃ - və-nāfāl mimmennu rav): Literally "and a multitude of them will fall" or "many will fall from among them." This highlights the certainty and scale of the divine judgment, emphasizing the deadly consequences of such an act of desecration. The verb נָפַל (naphal), "to fall," often describes falling dead (e.g., in battle or by plague).

• "Go down, charge the people": This repeated command (following Ex 19:10-13) suggests either the people's reluctance to fully heed the prior warnings, or God's deep concern about their potential disregard given the momentousness of the upcoming revelation. Moses serves as the essential intermediary; without him, direct communication could be fatal.

• "lest they break through to the LORD to look": This phrase reveals the specific sin being warned against – not just touching, but an unauthorized attempt to approach and gaze upon God's visible glory. This audacious curiosity is met with lethal consequences, emphasizing God's transcendence and the sanctity of His unveiled presence. It highlights the vast qualitative difference between God and humanity.

Exodus 19 21 Bonus section

The repeated emphasis on guarding the boundaries and the people's likely "breaking through" points to the inherent human propensity for curiosity, audacity, and underestimating divine power and holiness. This tendency often leads to disastrous consequences throughout biblical history, as seen in cases like Nadab and Abihu, Uzzah, and the men of Beth Shemesh who disregarded the sacred protocols (Lev 10:1-2; 2 Sam 6:6-7; 1 Sam 6:19). God's warning here is not simply punitive; it's protective, saving the people from their own destructive presumptuousness and setting a profound theological precedent about the sacred space of worship and interaction with the Divine. The mediation of Moses becomes even more critical in this light, as he stands between a holy God and a fallible people, delivering commands that bridge the gap and prevent fatal encounters. This prefigures Christ as the ultimate mediator who grants full and safe access without such lethal warnings.

Exodus 19 21 Commentary

Exodus 19:21 powerfully conveys God's holy and awesome nature, particularly His intolerance for unholy presumption. The repeated divine instruction to Moses to warn the people (after a similar warning in verse 12) signifies the immense danger of the impending divine encounter. The phrase "break through... to look" speaks to a specific form of irreverence—an audacious desire to penetrate the sacred boundary, not necessarily out of malice, but perhaps out of misplaced curiosity or a failure to grasp the profound holiness of God. God's presence at Sinai was not merely spiritual; it was visibly manifested with fire, smoke, and thunder, a terrifying spectacle meant to instill fear and reverence.

This verse underlines a fundamental biblical principle: God is approachable, but only on His terms, through the designated mediator and according to His established laws. Any attempt to access Him outside of these parameters is met with judgment because it fundamentally dishonors His holiness. The death of "many" is not an arbitrary act but a necessary preservation of divine order and the teaching of the absolute purity required in God's presence. This dramatic warning laid the groundwork for the intricate laws of purity and sacrifice in the Mosaic Law, emphasizing that human sinfulness could not abide God's raw holiness. It foreshadows the eventual New Testament truth that while all believers have access to God through Christ (Heb 10:19-22), it is still a fearful thing to approach Him irreverently or presume upon His grace (Heb 12:28-29). The boundaries at Sinai illustrate the veil of separation, which was eventually torn by Christ's sacrifice, granting a new and living way to approach God.