Bible Strands
Exodus 19:23
But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You solemnly warned us, ‘Put a boundary around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses speaks to Yahweh at Mount Sinai, responding to the divine command to warn the people and priests against approaching the mountain. This exchange occurs immediately after Exodus 19:22 warns that unauthorized approach will provoke God's wrath.
The words — The phrase לֹא יוּכַל (lo'- yu.Khal) translates literally as "not able" or "cannot," underscoring the people's inability to ascend. This follows the directive to establish a boundary and set the mountain apart as holy.
The thread — The boundary restriction mirrors the command in Exodus 19:12 to mark off the mountain, and the distance principle echoes the instruction in Joshua 3:4 to keep two thousand cubits from the ark. Both passages reinforce the separation between the holy and the common.
Why it lands — The text demands obedience to divine boundaries without attempting to bypass them. It requires the reader to respect prescribed limits rather than seeking unauthorized access to the sacred.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
Cross-references
- Exodus 19:12 And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.
- Joshua 3:4 But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between yourselves and the ark. Do not go near it, so that you can see the way to go, since you have never traveled this way before.”