Exodus 19:21 (DBY)

Passage

And Jehovah said to Moses, Go down, testify to the people that they break not through to Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish.

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:19 And the sound of the trumpet increased and became exceeding loud; Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

Exodus 19:20 And Jehovah came down on mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain; and Jehovah called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Exodus 19:21 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go down, testify to the people that they break not through to Jehovah to gaze, and many of them perish.

Exodus 19:22 And the priests also, who come near to Jehovah, shall hallow themselves, lest Jehovah break forth on them.

Exodus 19:23 And Moses said to Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou hast testified to us, saying, Set bounds about the mountain, and hallow it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "said", "moses", "down", "testify", "people", "break", and "through". 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 20's "And Jehovah came down on mount Sinai..." into verse 22's "And the priests also who come near...", 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.