Exodus 19:6 (DRB)

Passage

And you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation. These are the words thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:4 You have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, how I have carried you upon the wings of eagles, and have taken you to myself.

Exodus 19:5 If therefore you will hear my voice, and keep my covenant, you shall be my peculiar possession above all people: for all the earth is mine.

Exodus 19:6 And you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation. These are the words thou shalt speak to the children of Israel.

Exodus 19:7 Moses came; and calling together the elders of the people, he declared all the words which the Lord had commanded.

Exodus 19:8 And all the people answered together: All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do. And when Moses had related the people's words to the Lord,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "priestly", "kingdom", "holy", "nation", "words", "thou", and "shalt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "priestly", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "If therefore you will hear my voice..." into verse 7's "Moses came and calling together the elders...", so "shall" and "priestly" 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 "shall" and "priestly" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.