Exodus 19:13
in Exodus 19No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows—whether man or beast, he must not live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
KJV
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.
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This verse in Exodus 19
Commentary
10 notes on this verseBut if any is an evil and savage beast and altogether incapable of taking in the subject matter of contemplation and theology, let him not hurtfully and malignantly lurk in his den among the woods, to catch hold of some dogma or saying by a sudden spring and to tear sound doctrine to pieces by his misrepresentations. But let him stand yet afar off and withdraw from the mount, or he shall be stoned and crushed and shall perish miserably in his wickedness.
This site's exposition
when the trumpet soundeth long
Trumpet occurs here for the first time in Scripture, and the first thing it sounds is a summons to come up to the mountain the people have just been forbidden to touch. The same instrument marks the feast at Leviticus 23:24, brings down Jericho in Joshua 6, and stands at the last trump in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The verse also puts the offender out of reach, since no hand is to touch him and he is stoned or shot through from a distance.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 5 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
And here is shown how a prelate should behave: being perfect in both action and contemplation, he must accept the laws. Where? On the Mountain of Contemplation, with Moses, so that he may act with propriety and industry, and not as a beast, for a …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Now, at length, comes that memorable day, that terrible day of the Lord, that day of judgment, in which Israel heard the voice of the Lord God speaking to them out of the midst of the fire, and lived, Deut. iv. Never was there such a sermon preached, before nor since, as this which was here preached to the church in the wilderness. The preacher was God himself (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
There shall not a hand touch it,....
This was to intimate, (1.) That humble awful reverence which ought to possess the minds of all those that worship God. We are mean creatures before a great Creator, vile sinners before a holy righteous Judge; and therefore a godly fear and shame well become us, Heb. xii.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Touch it - Rather “touch him.” The person who had touched the mount was not to be touched, since the contact would be pollution.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
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.
There shall not a hand touch it - בו bo, Him, not the mountain, but the man who had presumed to touch the mountain. He should be considered altogether as an unclean and accursed thing, not to be touched for fear of conveying defilement; but should be immediately stoned or pierced through with a dart, Heb 12:20.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Touch it - Rather “touch him.” The person who had touched the mount was not to be touched, since the contact would be pollution.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
WHEN ‘HAYOVEIL’ (THE RAM’S HORN) SOUNDETH LONG, THEY SHALL COME UP TO THE MOUNT. “The Hebrew word hayoveil denotes a ram’s horn, and the horn used here was that of Isaac’s ram.” 210 Genesis:13. Thus Rashi’s language.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
This verse teaches that the command expressed in the [above] verse, And the Eternal said unto Moses: Go unto the people and sanctify them, 217 Above, Verse. was also given to him on the mountain which Moses ascended everytime that he was about to speak to Him.
Place a border on the mount. 105 The Biblical text reads, And thou shalt set bounds (ve-higbalta) unto the people. I.E.
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
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תִגַּ֨ע | tiga' | it will touch | H5060 → | 150 times |
| בּ֜וֹ | bo | <in> <the> him | ||
| יָ֗ד | yad | a hand | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| סָק֤וֹל | sakol | certainly <to stone> | H5619 → | 22 times |
| יִסָּקֵל֙ | yisakel | he will be stoned to death | H5619 → | 22 times |
| אוֹ־ | ʾov- | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| יָרֹ֣ה | yaroh | certainly <to shot> | H3384 → | 80 times |
| יִיָּרֶ֔ה | yiyareh | he will be shot | H3384 → | 80 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | whether | H518 → | 1069 times |
| בְּהֵמָ֥ה | behemah | an animal | H929 → | 190 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | or | H518 → | 1069 times |
| אִ֖ישׁ | ʾish | a human | H376 → | 1663 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִחְיֶ֑ה | yichyeh | it will live | H2421 → | 282 times |
| בִּמְשֹׁךְ֙ | bimshokh | when sounds | H4900 → | |
| הַיֹּבֵ֔ל | haiyovel | the ram's horn | H3104 → | |
| הֵ֖מָּה | hemah | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| יַעֲל֥וּ | yaalu | they will go up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| בָהָֽר׃ | vahar | on the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תִגַּ֨עit will touch
tiga'H5060 →150 times
בּ֜וֹ<in> <the> him
bo
יָ֗דa hand
yadH3027 →1618 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
סָק֤וֹלcertainly <to stone>
sakolH5619 →22 times
יִסָּקֵל֙he will be stoned to death
yisakelH5619 →22 times
אוֹ־or
ʾov-H176 →321 times
יָרֹ֣הcertainly <to shot>
yarohH3384 →80 times
יִיָּרֶ֔הhe will be shot
yiyarehH3384 →80 times
אִם־whether
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
בְּהֵמָ֥הan animal
behemahH929 →190 times
אִם־or
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
אִ֖ישׁa human
ʾishH376 →1663 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יִחְיֶ֑הit will live
yichyehH2421 →282 times
בִּמְשֹׁךְ֙when sounds
bimshokhH4900 →
הַיֹּבֵ֔לthe ram's horn
haiyovelH3104 →
הֵ֖מָּהthey
hemahH1992 →553 times
יַעֲל֥וּthey will go up
yaaluH5927 →890 times
בָהָֽר׃on the mountain
vaharH2022 →546 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
1 Thessalonians 4:16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to…
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:51–52
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
- Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
- Matthew 24:30–31
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds…
- 1 Corinthians 15:23
But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- 1 Corinthians 15:51–52
Through
1 Corinthians 15:52in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to…
- Matthew 24:31
And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
- John 5:28
Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Exodus
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 5; Gregory of Nazianzus, THEOLOGICAL ORATION 2:2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.