Exodus 19:5 (YLT)

Passage

`And now, if ye really hearken to My voice, then ye have kept My covenant, and been to Me a peculiar treasure more than all the peoples, for all the earth <FI>is<Fi> Mine;

Nearby Context

Exodus 19:3 And Moses hath gone up unto God, and Jehovah calleth unto him out of the mount, saying, `Thus dost thou say to the house of Jacob, and declare to the sons of Israel,

Exodus 19:4 Ye--ye have seen that which I have done to the Egyptians, and I bear you on eagles' wings, and bring you in unto Myself.

Exodus 19:5 `And now, if ye really hearken to My voice, then ye have kept My covenant, and been to Me a peculiar treasure more than all the peoples, for all the earth <FI>is<Fi> Mine;

Exodus 19:6 and ye--ye are to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation: these <FI>are<Fi> the words which thou dost speak unto the sons of Israel.'

Exodus 19:7 And Moses cometh, and calleth for the elders of the people, and setteth before them all these words which Jehovah hath commanded him;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "really", "hearken", "voice", "kept", "covenant", "been", "peculiar", and "treasure". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "really" and "hearken", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Ye--ye have seen that which I have..." into verse 6's "and ye--ye are to Me a kingdom...", so "really" and "hearken" 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 "really" and "hearken" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.