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Exodus 19:15

Old Testament Law (Torah) ASV (1901)

What does Exodus 19:15 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.
Exodus 19:15 — American Standard Version

Context — Exodus 19

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
12And 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:
13no hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, he shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.
14And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments.
15And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.
16And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp trembled.
17And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18And mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
← Exodus 19:14Exodus 19:16 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And he said unto the people, be ready against the third day, etc.] The third day from thence, the sixth of the month Sivan, against which day they were to prepare themselves, by washing their garments, and all other outward acts of sanctification and purity they were directed to, that they might be ready for the service of that day, to hear and receive the law from God himself: Aben Ezra has this note on the passage, “perhaps not a man slept that night, that he might hear the voice of the Lord in the morning, as was the way or custom of the high priest on the day of atonement;” that is, not to sleep the night before: come not at your wives; or, “do not draw nigh to a woman” f595, to lie with…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Be ready: Amo 4:12; Mal 3:2; Mat 3:10-12, Mat 24:44; Pe2 3:11, Pe2 3:12 the third: Exo 19:11, Exo 19:16 come not: Sa1 21:4, Sa1 21:5; Joe 2:16; Zac 6:3, Zac 7:3, Zac 12:12-14; Co1 7:5 Exodus 19:16”
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Related study paths

Read Exodus 19 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification