Exodus 19:15 (WEB)

Passage

He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it is animal or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds long, they shall come up to the mountain.”

Exodus 19:14 Moses went down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.

Exodus 19:15 He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”

Exodus 19:16 On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.

Exodus 19:17 Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lower part of the mountain.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "people", "ready", "third", "sexual", "relations", and "woman". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Moses went down from the mountain to..." into verse 16's "On the third day when it was...", so "said" and "people" 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 "said" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.