Exodus 19:12 (DBY)

Passage

And set bounds round about the people, saying, Take heed to yourselves, [not] to go up unto the mountain nor touch the border of it: whatever toucheth the mountain shall certainly be put to death:

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:10 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to the people, and hallow them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash their clothes;

Exodus 19:11 and let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down before the eyes of all the people on mount Sinai.

Exodus 19:12 And set bounds round about the people, saying, Take heed to yourselves, [not] to go up unto the mountain nor touch the border of it: whatever toucheth the mountain shall certainly be put to death:

Exodus 19:13 not a hand shall touch it, but it shall certainly be stoned, or shot through; whether it be a beast or a man, it shall not live. When the long drawn note of the trumpet soundeth, they shall come up to the mountain.

Exodus 19:14 And Moses came down from the mountain to the people, and hallowed the people; and they washed their clothes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bounds", "round", "people", "saying", "take", "heed", "yourselves", and "mountain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bounds" and "round", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "and let them be ready for the..." into verse 13's "not a hand shall touch it but...", so "bounds" and "round" 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 "bounds" and "round" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.