Exodus 19:3
in Exodus 19Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Moses went up unto God, and Jehovah called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
KJV
And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;
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This verse in Exodus 19
Commentary
9 notes on this verseNow when I go up eagerly into the mount—or, to use a truer expression, when I both eagerly long and at the same time am afraid (the one through my hope and the other through my weakness), to enter within the cloud and hold converse with God, for so God commands: If any be an Aaron, let him go up with me, and let him stand near, being ready, if it must be so, to remain outside the cloud.
This site's exposition
And Moses went up unto God
on Exodus 19:3-4
The covenant opens with history rather than with law, and the first thing God says at Sinai is what he has already done. Eagles' wings is the figure, and Deuteronomy 32:11 works it out at length, the eagle stirring up her nest and fluttering over her young and bearing them on her wings. The verse names the destination as God himself, brought you unto myself, and the land goes unmentioned.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
And Moses went up unto God,....
It is called Sinai, from the multitude of thorny bushes that overspread it. Moses was called up the mountain (on the top of which God had pitched his tent, and at the foot of which Israel had pitched theirs), and was employed as the mediator, or rather no more than the messenger of the covenant: Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel,
Note, In all our dealings with God, free grace anticipates us with the blessings of goodness, and all our comfort is owing, not to our knowing God, but rather to our being known of him, Gal. iv. We love him, visit him, and covenant with him, because he first loved us, visited us, and covenanted with us. God is the Alpha, and therefore must be the Omega.
Note, In all our dealings with God, free grace anticipates us with the blessings of goodness, and all our comfort is owing, not to our knowing God, but rather to our being known of him, Gal. iv. We love him, visit him, and covenant with him, because he first loved us, visited us, and covenanted with us. God is the Alpha, and therefore must be the Omega.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Moses went up unto God - This seems to imply that the voice was heard by Moses as he was ascending the mount. House of Jacob - This expression does not occur elsewhere in the Pentateuch. It has a special fitness here, referring doubtless to the special promises made to the Patriarch.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
In thus negotiating between God and His people, the highest post of duty which any mortal man was ever called to occupy, Moses was still but a servant. The only Mediator is Jesus Christ [1Ti 2:5;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-brackets
Moses went up unto God - It is likely that the cloud which had conducted the Israelitish camp had now removed to the top of Sinai; and as this was the symbol of the Divine presence, Moses went up to the place, there to meet the Lord. The Lord called unto him - This, according to St. Stephen, was the Angel of the Lord, Act 7:38. And from several scriptures we have seen that the Lord Jesus was the person intended; see Clarke’s note on Gen 16:7; see Clarke’s note on Gen 18:13; see Clarke’s note on Exo 3:2.
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּמֹשֶׁ֥ה | umosheh | and Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| עָלָ֖ה | ʾalah | he went up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וַיִּקְרָ֨א | vaiyikra' | and he called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| אֵלָ֤יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מִן־ | min- | from | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| הָהָ֣ר | hahar | the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כֹּ֤ה | koh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| תֹאמַר֙ | tomar | you will say | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְבֵ֣ית | leveit | to [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יַעֲקֹ֔ב | yaako | Jacob | H3290 → | 350 times |
| וְתַגֵּ֖יד | vetageid | so you may tell | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לִבְנֵ֥י | livnei | to [the] people of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
וּמֹשֶׁ֥הand Moses
umoshehH4872 →765 times
עָלָ֖הhe went up
ʾalahH5927 →890 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
וַיִּקְרָ֨אand he called
vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times
אֵלָ֤יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מִן־from
min-H4480 →1188 times
הָהָ֣רthe mountain
haharH2022 →546 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
כֹּ֤הthus
kohH3541 →577 times
תֹאמַר֙you will say
tomarH559 →5305 times
לְבֵ֣יתto [the] house of
leveitH1004 →2046 times
יַעֲקֹ֔בJacob
yaakoH3290 →350 times
וְתַגֵּ֖ידso you may tell
vetageidH5046 →370 times
לִבְנֵ֥יto [the] people of
livneiH1121 →4930 times
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 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
Acts 7:38He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
it leads to
- Romans 3:2
Much in every way. First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.
- Hebrews 5:12
Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!
- Acts 7:53
you who received the law ordained by angels, yet have not kept it.”
- Romans 3:2
Through
Exodus 20:21And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 8:12
Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.
- Psalms 97:2
Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
- Psalms 18:9
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
- 1 Kings 8:12
Through
Exodus 3:4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 33:16
with the choice gifts of the land and everything in it, and with the favor of Him who dwelt in the burning bush. May these rest on the head of Joseph and crown the…
- 1 Samuel 3:6
Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and…
- Deuteronomy 33:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Exodus
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); 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 (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.