Exodus 20:19 (GNV)

Passage

And sayde vnto Moses, Talke thou with vs, and we will heare: but let not God talke with vs, lest we die.

Nearby Context

Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house, neither shalt thou couet thy neighbours wife, nor his man seruant, nor his mayde, nor his oxe, nor his asse, neyther any thing that is thy neighbours.

Exodus 20:18 And all the people sawe the thunders, and the lightnings, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountaine smoking and when the people saw it they fled and stoode afare off,

Exodus 20:19 And sayde vnto Moses, Talke thou with vs, and we will heare: but let not God talke with vs, lest we die.

Exodus 20:20 Then Moses sayde vnto the people, Feare not: for God is come to proue you, and that his feare may be before you, that ye sinne not.

Exodus 20:21 So the people stoode afarre off, but Moses drew neere vnto the darkenes where God was.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sayde", "vnto", "moses", "talke", "thou", "heare", and "lest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sayde" and "vnto", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And all the people sawe the thunders..." into verse 20's "Then Moses sayde vnto the people Feare...", so "sayde" and "vnto" 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 "sayde" and "vnto" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.