Exodus 19:13 (ASV)

Passage

no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Nearby Context

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:

Exodus 19:13 no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Exodus 19:14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments.

Exodus 19:15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hand", "shall", "touch", "surely", "stoned", "shot", and "through". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hand" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And thou shalt set bounds unto the..." into verse 14's "And Moses went down from the mount...", so "hand" and "shall" 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 "hand" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.