Exodus 19:21
New International Version
and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the LORD and many of them perish.

New Living Translation
Then the LORD told Moses, “Go back down and warn the people not to break through the boundaries to see the LORD, or they will die.

English Standard Version
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish.

Berean Standard Bible
and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish.

King James Bible
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

New King James Version
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the LORD, and many of them perish.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD spoke to Moses: “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to stare, and many of them perish.

NASB 1995
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

NASB 1977
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to see, and many of them perish.

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through [the barriers around the mountain] to the LORD to see [Me], and many of them perish [as a result].

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD directed Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD; otherwise many of them will die.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD directed Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD; otherwise many of them will die.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And LORD JEHOVAH said to Moshe, “Go down; testify among the people that they do not go too far before LORD JEHOVAH to see, or many of them will fall.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And God spoke to Moses, saying, Go down, and solemnly charge the people, lest at any time they draw nigh to God to gaze, and a multitude of them fall.

Contemporary English Version
Then he said, "Moses, go and warn the people not to cross the boundary that you set at the foot of the mountain. They must not cross it to come and look at me, because if they do, many of them will die.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He said unto him: Go down, and charge the people: lest they should have a mind to pass the limits to see the Lord, and a very great multitude of them should perish.

English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD said to him, "Go down and warn the people not to force their way through [the boundary] to see the LORD, or many of them will die.

Good News Translation
and the LORD said to him, "Go down and warn the people not to cross the boundary to come and look at me; if they do, many of them will die.

International Standard Version
The LORD told Moses, "Go down and warn the people so they don't break through to look at the LORD, and many of them perish.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

Literal Standard Version
And YHWH says to Moses, “Go down, protest to the people, lest they break through to YHWH to see, and many of them have fallen;

Majority Standard Bible
and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish.

New American Bible
Then the LORD told Moses: Go down and warn the people not to break through to the LORD in order to see him; otherwise many of them will be struck down.

NET Bible
The LORD said to Moses, "Go down and solemnly warn the people, lest they force their way through to the LORD to look, and many of them perish.

New Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to the LORD to look; otherwise many of them will perish.

New Heart English Bible
God said to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to God to look, and many of them perish.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

World English Bible
Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Go down, protest to the people, lest they break through unto Jehovah to see, and many of them have fallen;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD Visits Sinai
20The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up, 21and the LORD said to him, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the LORD, lest many of them perish. 22Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”…

Cross References
Exodus 3:5
"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

Numbers 4:20
But the Kohathites are not to go in and look at the holy objects, even for a moment, or they will die."

Deuteronomy 5:5
At that time I was standing between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD, because you were afraid of the fire and would not go up the mountain. And He said:

1 Samuel 6:19
But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD said to Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.

charge.

Exodus 19:12,13
And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: …

break

Exodus 3:3,5
And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt…

Exodus 33:20
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

1 Samuel 6:19
And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

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Break Charge Destruction Fallen Fear Force Forcing Gaze Great Moses Orders Perish Testify Warn Way
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Break Charge Destruction Fallen Fear Force Forcing Gaze Great Moses Orders Perish Testify Warn Way
Exodus 19
1. The people arrive at Sinai
3. God's message by Moses unto the people out of the mount
8. The people are prepared against the third day, for the giving of the law
12. The mountain must not be touched
16. The fearful presence of God upon the mount














GOD'S WARNING TO THE PEOPLE AGAINST A TOO NEAR APPROACH.

(21-25) Warning was given, as soon as God announced His intention of descending upon Sinai, that the people must not approach too near. "Bounds" were set, and the people required to keep within them. Actual contact with the mountain was forbidden under penalty of death (Exodus 19:12). It is evident from Exodus 19:23 that the command to "set bounds" had been obeyed, and a fence erected which it would have required some force to "break through;" nor can there be any doubt that Moses had promulgated the directions, which he had received from God, forbidding any approach to the mount, and threatening death to those who should "touch" it. Yet still it is evident from this concluding paragraph of the chapter (Exodus 19:21-25) that the first warning was insufficient. An intention to "break through, to gaze," must have been entertained by many. To this intention the existing priesthood, whatever it was, were parties (Exodus 19:22). It always grates upon men's feelings to be told that they are less holy than others; and we can easily understand that those who had hitherto acted as priests to the nation would resent their exclusion from "holy ground" to which the sons of Amram were about to be admitted. Even of the people there may have been many who participated in the feeling, and thought that Moses and Aaron were "taking too much upon them, seeing that the whole congregation" was holy. Hence, a further very stringent command was requisite, and Moses, having reached the summit, was sent down again from the top to the bottom in order to enjoin upon priests and people alike, in the most solemn possible way, the necessity of their observing the bounds set.

(21) Lest they break through--i.e., force their way through the barrier which Moses had erected.

To gaze, and many of them perish.--Some might have perished by the execution of the orders given in Exodus 19:13. But the allusion is perhaps rather to such a heaven-sent plague as destroyed the men of Beth-shemesh to the number of 50,070 (1Samuel 6:19). . . .

Verses 21-25. - The further warning to the people and the priests. It is very remarkable that, after all the directions given (vers. 10-13), and all the pains taken by Moses and the Israelites themselves (vers. 14, 15, 23), God should still have thought it necessary to interpose with a fresh warning, and to send Moses back from the top of the mount to the bottom, in order to communicate the renewed warning to the people. We can only suppose that, in spite of the instructions previously given and the precautions taken, there were those among the people who were prepared to "break through" the fence, and invade the mount, and who would have done so, to their own destruction (ver. 21), but for this second warning. The special mention of the "priests" (vers. 22, 24) raises the suspicion, that this proud and rebellious spirit was particularly developed among them. Accustomed to the exercise of sacred functions, they may have been inclined to regard their own purity as equal to that of Moses and Aaron; and they may even have resented their exclusion from a sacred spot to which the two sons of Amram were admitted. Apparently, they had conceived that the injunction to go through the recognised ceremonies of purification (ver. 10) did not apply to them, and had neglected to do so, on which account a special command had to be issued, addressed to them only (ver. 22). Verse 21. - Charge the people lest they break through - i.e., "lest they force a passage through the barrier made by Moses" in accordance with the command given in ver. 12. And many of them perish. Irreverent gazing on holy things was forbidden by the law (Numbers 4:20), and on one occasion (1 Samuel 6:19) was actually punished with death. It did not, however, require a law to make it an offence, natural reason being quite sufficient to teach the duty of reverence.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and the LORD
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

said
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to [him],
מֹשֶׁ֔ה (mō·šeh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver

“Go down
רֵ֖ד (rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

and warn
הָעֵ֣ד (hā·‘êḏ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5749: To duplicate, repeat, to protest, testify, to encompass, restore

the people
בָּעָ֑ם (bā·‘ām)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

not
פֶּן־ (pen-)
Conjunction
Strong's 6435: Removal, lest

to break through
יֶהֶרְס֤וּ (ye·her·sū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2040: To pull down, in pieces, break, & destroy

to see
לִרְא֔וֹת (lir·’ō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7200: To see

the LORD,
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

[lest] many
רָֽב׃ (rāḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

of them
מִמֶּ֖נּוּ (mim·men·nū)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

perish.
וְנָפַ֥ל (wə·nā·p̄al)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie


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OT Law: Exodus 19:21 Yahweh said to Moses Go down warn (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 19:20
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