Exodus 19:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the Lord said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them."

NIV: The Lord replied, "Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them."

NASB: Then the Lord said to him, 'Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out against them.'

CSB: And the Lord replied to him, "Go down and come back with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out in anger against them."

NLT: But the Lord said, 'Go down and bring Aaron back up with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or the people break through to approach the Lord, or he will break out and destroy them.'

KJV: And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them.

NKJV: Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.”

Up until now, only Moses (Exodus 19:3) has been allowed to climb Mount Sinai to meet with God (Exodus 19:20). Amid the spectacular fire, smoke, and noise (Exodus 19:16–19) God will establish a covenant with the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:5–6). Everyone else has been warned not go beyond the mountain's base on penalty of death (Exodus 19:12–13, 21–23). That includes the people of Israel and their priests; they may not "break through" in impatience or the Lord will "break out" against them in His wrath.

In this instance, Aaron is also invited onto the mountain for some undefined time. This is the same mountain where God called to Moses (Exodus 3:1–2) and where Moses and Aaron reunited (Exodus 4:27). Later, the Lord will meet on Sinai with a group of Israel's elders and religious leaders (Exodus 24:9). As God predicted (Exodus 3:12), his people have arrived at Sinai to serve Him.

Exodus 19:16–25 depicts the Lord God descending onto a mountain to give the Law to Israel. This involved dramatic amounts of smoke, fire, lightning, tremors, and noise. Under the Lord's instruction, Moses makes multiple trips up and down Mount Sinai to relay messages from God. Records of the Law will make up nearly the entire remaining book of Exodus.

God instructs the Israelites to prepare for His arrival on Mount Sinai in Horeb. They are to be clean and careful not to come onto the mountain itself. When God appears, He arrives amidst smoke, fire, lightning, earthquakes, and noise. Moses travels to the mountaintop and back, relaying messages about God's will. The first and most important of these are the fundamental principles of Old Testament law: the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–21).

Prior chapters in the book of Exodus described Israel's history after Jacob and his family settled there (Genesis 46:27; 47:10). God used Moses to deliver divine messages and as a conduit for miraculous power. Once Israel was freed (Exodus 12:40–41), the Lord continued to care for them (Exodus 15:22–25; 16:13–15; 17:6, 8–13). In this chapter, Israel prepares to receive God's Law at Mount Sinai. Almost the entire rest of the book (Exodus 20—40) are details about these commands.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.