48443 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... As the Targum of Jonathan, on the third day; though Jarchi says the fourth; which seems not so well to agree with his words on the preceding verse, since it seems to be at the same time that Moses returned the words of the people to the Lord, that he said what follows to him: lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord said unto Moses,.... On the fourth day, according to the Targum of Jonathan; go unto the people; go down from the mountain, from the top of it, where he now was, to the camp of Israel, which was pitched before it: and sanctify them today and tomorrow; the fourth and fifth days of the month; that is, he was, to instruct them how they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And be ready against the third day,.... Not the third day of the month, but the third day from hence, this being the fourth, and the morrow the fifth, and the third day, the day following that, the sixth, on which day it is generally agreed by the Jews that the law was given, [See comments on Exodus 19:16] for the third day the Lord will come down...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And thou shall set bounds to the people round about,.... That is, round about the mountain, by drawing a line, throwing up a foss or ditch, or else by laying up heaps of stones or sand, which might be come at easily, or bushes and branches of trees, which grew thick on the mount, from whence it had its name; but be it what will that were used,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
There shall not a hand touch it,.... The mountain or the border of it, which is repeated that it might be taken notice of; and to show that it would be resented if they were to stretch out their hand and only lightly touch it, much more should they set their feet upon it and attempt to ascend it: or rather, "shall not touch him" (o); that is, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Moses went down from the mount unto the people,.... The same day that he went up, the fourth day of the month: and sanctified the people; instructed them and ordered them what they should do for their sanctification, in order to their hearing the law from the mouth of the Lord: and they washed their clothes; as the Lord had directed Moses to...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he said unto the people, be ready against the third day,.... 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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, c:] The sixth of the month, according to the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi on which day, as the Jews generally say (t), the law was given, and which, they also observe, was a sabbath day: yea, they are sometimes so very particular as to fix the hour of the day, and say (u), it was the sixth...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp,.... Which was before the mountain and near it, when the above tokens were given of the divine Presence on it; as they were thrown into a panic upon the sound of the trumpet, it was, perhaps, with some difficulty that they were brought out of the camp, or persuaded to quit it; and nothing short of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke,.... Not from nature, as volcanos, but for a reason after given; it seemed to be one large body of smoke, nothing else to be seen but smoke; an emblem of the darkness of the legal dispensation, which was full of obscure types and figures, of dark shadows and smoky sacrifices, to which the clear day, of the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long,.... Not in one continued tone, as before, Exodus 19:13, where a different word is used, and when it decreased, and was about to cease, which was to summon the people to attend; but now they were come to the foot of the mount, and this sounding was a preparation to the giving of the law unto them, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord came down on Mount Sinai,.... In the above visible tokens of his presence and power; otherwise he is the incomprehensible Jehovah, that immense and omnipotent Being, who fills heaven and earth, and cannot be contained and circumscribed in either: on the top of the mount; where the fire he descended in rested, and where the smoke and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord said unto Moses, go down,.... As soon as he was got to the top of the mount he was bid to go down again to the bottom, with a message to the people: charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze; to see if they could observe any similitude or likeness of God, that they might have an idea of it in their minds, or...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And let the priests also, which come near unto the Lord,.... Either the firstborn, as the Jews generally interpret it, so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; who were sanctified to the Lord, and in whose stead afterwards the Levites were taken; or the sons of Aaron, who should be, and were potentially, though not actually priests, as Ben Gersom expresses it,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And Moses said unto the Lord,.... Upon his giving such strict orders both with respect to the people and the priests: the people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; suggesting as if there was no need for him to go down on that account, to give them a charge not to break through and gaze; since, as he thought, there was no probability that they ever...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Lord said unto him, away, get thee down,.... And prevent the people and priests from breaking through the bounds and gazing, to which their curiosity would tempt them; as the Lord knew better than Moses, and it was high time for him to be gone, the matter required haste, the people were under great temptations of indulging their curiosity,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So Moses went down to the people,.... As the Lord commanded him: and spake unto them: charging them to keep their distance, and not presume to pass the line he had drawn, or the foss or fence he had made: in the Jerusalem Targum it is added, "come and receive the ten words;'' the decalogue or ten commands; and the Targum of Jonathan, "come and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO Exodus 20 In this chapter we have an account of the giving of the law on Mount Sinai; the preface to it, Exodus 20:1, the ten commandments it consists of, Exodus 20:8, the circumstances attending it, which caused the people to remove at some distance, Exodus 20:18, when they desired of Moses, that he would speak to them and not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And God spake all these words,.... Which follow, commonly called the decalogue, or ten commands; a system or body of laws, selected and adapted to the case and circumstances of the people of Israel; striking at such sins as they were most addicted to, and they were under the greatest temptation of falling into the commission of; to prevent which,...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
All things being prepared for the solemn promulgation of the divine law, we have, in this chapter, I. The ten commandments, as God himself spoke them upon Mount Sinai (ver. 1-17), as remarkable a portion of scripture as any in the Old Testament. II. The impressions made upon the people thereby, ver. 18-21. III. Some particular instructions which...