Exodus 19:1

1 In the third month of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in this day they have come 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 In the third month of the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in this day they have come into the wilderness of Sinai,
2 and they journey from Rephidim, and enter the wilderness of Sinai, and encamp in the wilderness; and Israel encampeth there before the mount.
3 And Moses hath gone up unto God, and Jehovah calleth unto him out of the mount, saying, `Thus dost thou say to the house of Jacob, and declare to the sons of Israel,
4 Ye -- ye have seen that which I have done to the Egyptians, and I bear you on eagles' wings, and bring you in unto Myself.
5 `And now, if ye really hearken to My voice, then ye have kept My covenant, and been to Me a peculiar treasure more than all the peoples, for all the earth [is] Mine;
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.