Exodus 19:1

Israel at Mount Sinai

1 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they 1came into the wilderness of Sinai.

Exodus 19:1 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 19:1

In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt
Which was the month Sivan, and answers to part of May and part of June:

the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai;
which had its name from the mountain situated in it, and that from the bushes which grew upon it. Justin F26 calls it Synan, which he says Moses occupied, and Strabo F1, Sinnan. Hither they came either on the same day they came from Rephidim; which, according to Bunting F2, were eight miles from it, or on the same day of the month, as to number, that is, on the third day of the third month; and so Jerom F3 and others say it was on the forty seventh day after their coming out of Egypt, three days after which they received the law on Mount Sinai, it being a generally received notion that the law was given fifty days after the passover; hence the feast of weeks is called from thence the feast of pentecost, or fifty days: or rather this was the first day of the month, as Jarchi and R. Moses; with which agrees the Targum of Jonathan; and so was the forty fifth of their coming out of Egypt, five days after which they received the law; it being a tradition with the Jews, as Aben Ezra observes, that that was given on the sixth of Sivan, and may be accounted for thus; on the first day they came to Sinai, and encamped there, on the day following Moses went up to God, ( Exodus 19:3 ) , on the third day Moses gathered the elders together, ( Exodus 19:7 ) , and declared to them the words of God, and on the third day after that, which was the sixth, the law was delivered to them.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 E Trogo, l. 36. c. 2.
F1 Geograph. l. 16. p. 520.
F2 Travels, p. 82.
F3 Epist. Fabiolae de 42 mansion. fol. 15. c. 1. tom. 3.

Exodus 19:1 In-Context

1 On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,
3 while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, 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, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;

Cross References 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.