Exodus 19:21

21 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: go doune and charge the people that they prease not vp vnto the Lorde for to se hi, ad so many off the perissh.

Exodus 19:21 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 19:21

And the Lord said unto Moses, go down
As soon as he was got to the top of the mount he was bid to go down again to the bottom, with a message to the people:

charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze;
to see if they could observe any similitude or likeness of God, that they might have an idea of it in their minds, or make an image like unto it; to prevent which, the Lord, knowing the vanity and curiosity of their minds, ordered Moses to give them a strict charge not to transgress the bounds set them, or to break down or break through the fence of stones and sand, or hedge of bushes, brambles, and branches of trees, or whatever was placed for bounds:

and many of them perish;
or "fall" ^F26; by the hand of God; either fall by death, or into some grievous calamity, as the men of Bethshemesh perished through looking into the ark, ( 1 Samuel 6:19 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (lpn) (peswsin) Sept. "et corruant", Pagninus, Tigurine version; "et cadat", Montanus; "cadant", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius; so Ainsworth.

Exodus 19:21 In-Context

19 And the voyce of the horne blewe and waxed lowder, ad lowder. Moses spake, ad God answered hi ad that with a voyce.

20 And the Lord came doune vppon mounte Sinai: euen in the toppe of the hyll, ad called Moses vp in to the toppe of the hyll. And Moses went vppe.

21 And the Lorde sayde vnto Moses: go doune and charge the people that they prease not vp vnto the Lorde for to se hi, ad so many off the perissh.

22 And let the preastes also which come to the Lordes presence, sanctifie them selues: lest the Lorde smyte them,

23 Then Moses sayde vnto the Lorde: the people can not come vp in to mounte Sinai, for thou chargedest vs saynge: sett markes aboute the hyll and sanctifie it.