Exodus 19 · Verse 23

Exodus 19:23

And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
Exodus 19:23, King James Version

Exodus 19:23 in other translations

BSBBut Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You solemnly warned us, ‘Put a boundary around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”
WEBMoses said to the LORD, “The people can’t come up to Mount Sinai, for you warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify it.’”
ASVAnd Moses said unto Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
YLTAnd Moses saith unto Jehovah, ‘The people is unable to come up unto mount Sinai, for Thou--Thou hast protested to us, saying, Make a border for the mount, then thou hast sanctified it.'
DARBYAnd Moses said to Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou hast testified to us, saying, Set bounds about the mountain, and hallow it.
BBEAnd Moses said to the Lord, The people will not be able to come up the mountain, for you gave us orders to put limits round the mountain, marking it out and making it holy.
WebsterAnd Moses said to the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

What does Exodus 19:23 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 The people cannot come up - Either because they had been so solemnly forbidden that they would not dare, with the penalty of instant death before their eyes, to transgress the Divine command; or the bounds which were set about the mount were such as rendered their passing them physically impossible. And sanctify it - וקדשהי vekiddashio. Here the word קדש kadash is taken in its proper literal sense, signifying the separating of a thing, person or place, from all profane or common uses, and devoting it to sacred purposes.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · 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 19:23 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
מֹשֶׁה֙mo.ShehMosesH4872
אֶל\־'el-toH413
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
יוּכַ֣לyu.Khalit is ableH3201
הָעָ֔םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
לַעֲלֹ֖תla.'a.Lotto go upH5927
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַ֣רhar[the] mountain ofH2022
סִינָ֑יsi.NaiSinaiH5514
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
אַתָּ֞ה'a.TahyouH859
הַעֵדֹ֤תָהha.'e.Do.tahyou warnedH5749
בָּ֙נוּ֙ba.nu<in> <the> us
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הַגְבֵּ֥לhag.Belset a boundary forH1379
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הָהָ֖רha.Harthe mountainH2022
וְקִדַּשְׁתּֽוֹ\׃ve.ki.dash.Toand you will consecrate itH6942

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

Cross references for Exodus 19:23

  • Exodus 19:12

    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:

  • Joshua 3:4-5

    Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the Lord will do wonders among you.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Set bounds.
12; Jos 3:4,5

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

Context

  • Exodus 19:22

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

  • Exodus 19:23

    And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

  • Exodus 19:24

    And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them.

Read all of Exodus 19

Exodus 19:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Moisés dijo á Jehová: El pueblo no podrá subir al monte de Sinaí, porque tú nos has requerido diciendo: Señala términos al monte, y santifícalo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Moïse dit à l’ Éternel: Le peuple ne pourra pas monter sur la montagne de Sinaï, car tu nous as solennellement avertis, en disant: Mets des bornes autour de la montagne, et sanctifie-la.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Mose sprach zu Jehova: Das Volk wird den Berg Sinai nicht ersteigen können; denn du hast uns ja gewarnt und gesagt: Mache eine Grenze um den Berg und heilige ihn.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixitque Moyses ad Dominum: Non poterit vulgus ascendere in montem Sinai: tu enim testificatus es, et jussisti, dicens: Pone terminos circa montem, et sanctifica illum.