Exodus 19 · Verse 21

Exodus 19:21

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, King James Version

Exodus 19:21 in other translations

BSBand the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish.
WEBThe LORD said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.
ASVAnd Jehovah said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish.
YLTAnd Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Go down, protest to the people, lest they break through unto Jehovah to see, and many of them have fallen;
DARBYAnd Jehovah said to Moses, Go down, testify to the people that they break not through to Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish.
BBEAnd the Lord said to Moses, Go down and give the people orders to keep back, for fear that a great number of them, forcing their way through to see the Lord, may come to destruction.
WebsterAnd the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

What does Exodus 19:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people--No sooner had Moses proceeded a little up the mount, than he was suddenly ordered to return, in order to keep the people from breaking through to gaze--a course adopted to heighten the impressive solemnity of the scene. The strict injunctions renewed to all, whatever their condition, at a time and in circumstances when the whole multitude of Israel were standing at the base of the mount, was calculated in the highest degree to solemnize and awe every heart.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Exodus 19:16-25

Never was there such a sermon preached, before or since, as this which was preached to the church in the wilderness. It might be supposed that the terrors would have checked presumption and curiosity in the people; but the hard heart of an unawakened sinner can trifle with the most terrible threatenings and judgments. In drawing near to God, we must never forget his holiness and greatness, nor our own meanness and…

Read the full comment on Exodus 19:16-25 →

Exodus 19:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מֹשֶׁ֔הmo.ShehMosesH4872
רֵ֖דredgo downH3381
הָעֵ֣דha.'EdwarnH5749
בָּעָ֑םba.'Am<in> the peopleH5971
פֶּן\־pen-lestH6435
יֶהֶרְס֤וּye.her.Suthey should break throughH2040
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
לִרְא֔וֹתlir.'otto seeH7200
וְנָפַ֥לve.na.Faland it will fallH5307
מִמֶּ֖נּוּmi.Me.nuof itH4480
רָֽב\׃RavmanyH7227

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Exodus 19:21

  • 1 Samuel 6:19

    And he smote the men of Beth–shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

  • Exodus 3:5

    And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

  • Hebrews 12:28-29

    Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.

  • Exodus 19:12-13

    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.

  • Exodus 3:3

    And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

  • Exodus 33:20

    And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

  • Ecclesiastes 5:1

    Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
charge. Heb. contest.
12,13
break.
3:3,5; 33:20; 1Sa 6:19; Ec 5:1; Heb 12:28,29

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Exodus 19:20

    And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

  • Exodus 19:21

    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 19:22

    And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them.

Read all of Exodus 19

Exodus 19:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: Desciende, requiere al pueblo que no traspasen el término por ver á Jehová, porque caerá multitud de ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel dit à Moïse: Descends, avertis solennellement le peuple, de peur qu’ils ne rompent les barrières pour monter vers l’ Éternel pour voir, et qu’un grand nombre d’entre eux ne tombe.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova sprach zu Mose: Steige hinab, warne das Volk, daß sie nicht zu Jehova durchbrechen, um zu schauen, und viele von ihnen fallen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		dixit ad eum: Descende, et contestare populum: ne forte velit transcendere terminos ad videndum Dominum, et pereat ex eis plurima multitudo.