Exodus 19:11
in Exodus 19and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and be ready against the third day; for the third day Jehovah will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
KJV
And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
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This verse in Exodus 19
Commentary
7 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
sanctify them to day and to morrow
on Exodus 19:10-11
Two days of preparation are ordered before God comes down, and the outward sign of it is washed clothing. Sanctify first occurs in Scripture at 13:2, of the firstborn spared in Egypt, and here it reaches a whole nation that has neither priesthood nor tabernacle yet. The third day is fixed in advance, so the people know the hour of the appearing and can count toward it.
This site's exposition
in the sight of all the people
In the sight of all the people makes the descent public, and Deuteronomy 4:12 recalls that the nation heard the voice and saw no form. Origen reads every third day as a day of mysteries. He sets this one beside the third day of the Lord's resurrection.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
); though they should see no manner of similitude, yet they should see so much as would convince them that God was among them of a truth. And so high was the top of mount Sinai that it is supposed that not only the camp of Israel, but even the countries about, might discern some extraordinary appearance of glory upon it, which would strike a terror upon them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And be ready against the third day,....
Note, When we are to attend upon God in solemn ordinances it concerns us to sanctify ourselves, and to get ready beforehand. Wandering thoughts must be gathered in, impure affections abandoned, disquieting passions suppressed, nay, and all cares about secular business, for the present, dismissed and laid by, that our hearts may be engaged to approach unto God.
Note, When we are to attend upon God in solemn ordinances it concerns us to sanctify ourselves, and to get ready beforehand. Wandering thoughts must be gathered in, impure affections abandoned, disquieting passions suppressed, nay, and all cares about secular business, for the present, dismissed and laid by, that our hearts may be engaged to approach unto God.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
The Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come . . . in a thick cloud, &c.--The deepest impressions are made on the mind through the medium of the senses; and so He who knew what was in man signalized His descent at the inauguration of the ancient church, by all the sensible tokens of august majesty that were fitted to produce the conviction that He is the great and terrible God.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
I.e., so that all the people will behold His coming down, meaning that they will see the appearance of the Glory of the Eternal like devouring fire on the top of the mount, 208 Further,:17.
3 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Rashi explained: “ V’kidashtam means ‘and thou shalt prepare them.’” And so is the opinion of Onkelos. A similar usage is found in the verse: I have commanded ‘lim’kudashai’ (“those who are prepared for Me” or “My consecrated ones”), 200 Isaiah:3.
Place a border on the mount. 105 The Biblical text reads, And thou shalt set bounds (ve-higbalta) unto the people. I.E.
Adonoy said to Moshe, “Go to the people, and sanctify [prepare] them today and tomorrow, and let them cleanse their clothing.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהָי֥וּ | vehayu | and they will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| נְכֹנִ֖ים | nekhonim | prepared | H3559 → | 217 times |
| לַיּ֣וֹם | laiyom | for the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י | hashelishi | <the> third | H7992 → | 107 times |
| כִּ֣י׀ | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| בַּיּ֣וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י | hashelishi | <the> third | H7992 → | 107 times |
| יֵרֵ֧ד | yered | he will come down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| לְעֵינֵ֥י | leeinei | to [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| כָל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָעָ֖ם | haam | the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַ֥ר | har | [the] mountain of | H2022 → | 546 times |
| סִינָֽי׃ | sinai | Sinai | H5514 → | 35 times |
וְהָי֥וּand they will be
vehayuH1961 →3559 times
נְכֹנִ֖יםprepared
nekhonimH3559 →217 times
לַיּ֣וֹםfor the day
laiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י<the> third
hashelishiH7992 →107 times
כִּ֣י׀for
kiH3588 →4482 times
בַּיּ֣וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י<the> third
hashelishiH7992 →107 times
יֵרֵ֧דhe will come down
yeredH3381 →381 times
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
לְעֵינֵ֥יto [the] eyes of
leeineiH5869 →887 times
כָל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
הָעָ֖םthe people
haamH5971 →1873 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
הַ֥ר[the] mountain of
harH2022 →546 times
סִינָֽי׃Sinai
sinaiH5514 →35 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 3:13No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
it leads to
- Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?…
- Acts 2:34
For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
- John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.
- John 1:18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
- John 13:3
Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.
- Proverbs 30:4
Through
Deuteronomy 33:2He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.
it leads to
- Habakkuk 3:3
God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and His praise filled the earth.
- Revelation 5:11
Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.
- Habakkuk 3:3
Through
Exodus 34:5And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.
it leads to
- Exodus 33:19
“I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will…
- Exodus 33:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Exodus
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, Homilies on Genesis 8.