Exodus 19:11 (KJV)

Passage

And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.

Exodus 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

Exodus 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD 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 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ready", "against", "third", "lord", "come", "down", and "sight". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ready" and "against", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "And the LORD said unto Moses Go..." into verse 12's "And thou shalt set bounds unto the...", so "ready" and "against" 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 "ready" and "against" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.