Exodus 19 25

Exodus 19:25 kjv

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

Exodus 19:25 nkjv

So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

Exodus 19:25 niv

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Exodus 19:25 esv

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Exodus 19:25 nlt

So Moses went down to the people and told them what the LORD had said.

Exodus 19 verses

Exodus 19 25 Meaning

Exodus 19:25 details Moses' immediate and obedient action in descending from Mount Sinai to deliver God's specific commands to the people regarding the strict boundaries set around the holy mountain. This verse concludes the pre-covenant warnings, ensuring the Israelites understood the sanctity of God's presence and the grave danger of approaching Him without His explicit permission or the proper mediation. It underscores Moses' pivotal role as the faithful messenger and mediator between God and His people, upholding both divine holiness and the people's safety.

Exodus 19 25 Context

Exodus chapter 19 describes the momentous arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai, three months after their departure from Egypt. Here, God formally proposes a covenant with Israel, declaring them His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation, provided they obey His voice and keep His covenant (Exod 19:4-6). This proposal leads to a preparation phase for God's descent on the mountain. Verses 10-15 detail God's command for the people to consecrate themselves for two days, and for strict boundaries to be set around the mountain. The core purpose of these boundaries was to protect the people from perishing due to God's holy and powerful presence. Verse 20 mentions the Lord descending upon Mount Sinai.

Leading up to Exodus 19:25, God issues increasingly emphatic warnings to Moses in verses 21-24:

• In verse 21, God instructs Moses to "go down and warn the people lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish."
• In verse 23, Moses, perhaps emphasizing the people's compliance, informs the Lord that the people "cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.'"
• However, the Lord reiterates and intensifies the warning in verse 24, saying, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them." This repeated warning highlights God's unwavering holiness and the critical importance of these boundaries.Exodus 19:25, therefore, is Moses' obedient and final action in this prelude to the Ten Commandments, acting immediately upon God's repeated and urgent commands.

Exodus 19 25 Word analysis

• וַיֵּרֶד (vayyēreḏ): "And he went down."

  • This word, from the root יָרַד (yarad), meaning "to go down, descend," signifies a physical movement from a higher to a lower place. Here, it refers to Moses' descent from Mount Sinai, a sacred place of divine encounter, back to the Israelite camp below. It emphasizes his role as the necessary intermediary, bridging the divine and human realms. The repetitive nature of this action (Moses going up and down) highlights the intense communication process taking place between God and His people.

• מֹשֶׁה (mōšeh): "Moses"

  • The named human agent appointed by God. Moses is consistently portrayed as the primary leader and direct recipient of God's revelation. His obedience and unique access to God are central to the Exodus narrative and the establishment of the covenant. He embodies both prophetic and mediatorial functions.

• אֶל־הָעָם (ʾel-hāʿām): "to the people"

  • Refers to the entire assembly of Israelites gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai. This phrase emphasizes the collective nature of God's covenant with His chosen nation. Moses' message is for the whole community, stressing the communal responsibility to adhere to God's commands and boundaries.

• וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyōʾmer): "and he said/told"

  • From the root אָמַר (ʾamar), "to say, speak, declare." This indicates the verbal communication of God's command to the people. It implies direct and clear articulation, ensuring that God's instructions were not misinterpreted or unheard. It highlights Moses' faithful transmission of divine will without addition or omission.

• אֲלֵהֶם (ʾalêhem): "to them"

  • A pronominal suffix referring back to "the people." It reaffirms that the message was explicitly for the Israelite congregation, solidifying the chain of command and communication from God through Moses to the people.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "So Moses went down": This phrase underlines the immediate and necessary obedience of Moses. It's not just a physical descent, but an action in direct response to God's repeated and urgent commands in the preceding verses. Moses' willingness to promptly obey signals his faithfulness as God's servant, demonstrating the pattern of divine-human interaction essential for the unfolding covenant.
• "to the people": This signifies the practical objective of Moses' descent – to communicate with the gathered community. It shows the purpose of the previous dialogue between God and Moses: not just for Moses' personal knowledge, but for the collective understanding and adherence of the Israelites. It reinforces their role as the recipients of divine law and their responsibility in the covenant.
• "and told them": This emphasizes the crucial act of communication. Moses isn't just descending, but actively conveying the divine message. This completes the communication loop, where God commands, Moses hears and descends, and then communicates. This direct telling ensured the people were fully informed of the grave implications of violating the sacred boundary around Sinai, crucial for the forthcoming encounter with God and the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 19 25 Bonus section

The seemingly repetitive nature of God's command to "go down" (Exod 19:21, 24) and Moses' action in 19:25 can be interpreted as emphasizing the urgency and criticality of the message. Some scholars suggest God's reiteration indicates a perception that Moses had not adequately conveyed the severity of the warnings, or perhaps to reinforce that Moses himself, despite his unique status, was not above the rules of careful approach. It reinforces the divine pattern that whenever a significant boundary is crossed, whether physical or spiritual, divine instruction must be meticulously followed. This interaction establishes Moses as not merely a conveyer of messages, but an executor of divine will, ensuring the sanctity of the moment and the people's safety before the Ten Commandments were even spoken. This deep respect for the sacred is a cornerstone of biblical theology.

Exodus 19 25 Commentary

Exodus 19:25 acts as the concluding scene to the preparatory instructions for God's appearance on Sinai. Its simplicity belies its profound significance. It is a powerful affirmation of Moses' complete and immediate obedience to the divine command, however redundant it may have seemed (given his previous protests that the people already knew the boundaries). This highlights not only Moses' unique role as the trusted mediator, capable of standing between the awe-inspiring holiness of God and the fallible humanity of Israel, but also God's insistence on absolute adherence to His boundaries.

The verse showcases a core theological truth: a holy God cannot be approached on human terms. The repeated warnings and Moses' subsequent descent to convey them stress the severe consequences of unauthorized access. This isn't divine capriciousness but divine purity. The danger posed by an unholy people confronting an utterly holy God is real and fatal. Moses' act of "telling them" fulfills God's explicit instruction to re-warn the people (Exod 19:21, 24), underscoring God's patience and desire for their safety, even while demanding strict obedience. This moment establishes the protocol for all future approaches to God's presence, highlighting the need for consecrated means and mediating figures. It foreshadows the sacrificial system and ultimately points to Jesus Christ as the singular, perfect Mediator through whom access to God becomes possible, without fear of immediate perishing.