Exodus 19:10 (ASV)

Passage

And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments,

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah hath spoken we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people unto Jehovah.

Exodus 19:9 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto Jehovah.

Exodus 19:10 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their garments,

Exodus 19:11 and be ready against the third day; for the third day Jehovah will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

Exodus 19:12 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:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "said", "moses", "people", "sanctify", "to-day", "to-morrow", and "wash". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And Jehovah said unto Moses Lo I..." into verse 11's "and be ready against the third day...", so "jehovah" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.