Exodus 19:22 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Exodus 19:24 And Jehovah said to him, Go, descend, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee; but the priests and the people shall not break through to go up to Jehovah, lest he break forth on them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "priests", "come", "near", "jehovah", "shall", "hallow", "themselves", and "lest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "priests" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And Jehovah said to Moses Go down..." into verse 23's "And Moses said to Jehovah The people...", so "priests" and "come" 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 "priests" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.