Exodus 19:3

3 Moshe went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall tell the house of Ya`akov, and tell the children of Yisra'el:

Exodus 19:3 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 19:3

And Moses went up unto God
Who was in the pillar of cloud upon the top of the mount; this was on the second day, according to the Targum of Jonathan: "the Lord called unto him out of the mountain"; or had called unto him, as Aben Ezra, since without his leave he could not have gone up. He called to him out of the cloud upon the top of the mountain to come up, and being come near him, he called to him, and spoke with an articulate voice, as follows:

saying, thus shalt thou say, to the house of Jacob, and tell the
children of Israel;
which are the same, and are described as descending from the same person, who was called by both names; the one was his name in the former and lower state of his life, the other in the latter and more prosperous one; and his posterity are called by these two names, as Bishop Patrick observes, to put them in mind, that they who had lately been as low as Jacob, when he went to Padanaram, were now grown as great as God made him when he came from thence, and was called Israel.

Exodus 19:3 In-Context

1 In the third month after the children of Yisra'el had gone forth out of the land of Mitzrayim, on that same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 When they had departed from Refidim, and had come to the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Yisra'el encamped before the mountain.

3 Moshe went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "This is what you shall tell the house of Ya`akov, and tell the children of Yisra'el:

4 'You have seen what I did to the Mitzrim, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself.

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the eretz is mine;