Bible Strands
Exodus 30:20
Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the LORD, they must wash with water so that they will not die.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Lord speaks to Moses, who conveys a permanent statute to Aaron and his descendants for all generations. The instruction applies whenever priests enter the Tent of Meeting or approach the altar to present offerings.
The words — יִרְחֲצוּ (yir.cha.tzu) means "they will wash," and יָמֻ֑תוּ (ya.Mu.tu) means "they will die." These verbs establish the action and the stated penalty for neglecting the ritual.
The thread — The command functions as a permanent statute in Exodus 30:19–21. The lethal consequence of approaching the sanctuary unclean parallels the narrative warnings in Leviticus 10:1 and Leviticus 16:1.
Why it lands — The text requires priests to perform a specific water ritual before any ministerial duty. It treats preparedness as a non-negotiable condition for standing in the divine presence.
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
When they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto the Lord:
Cross-references
- Exodus 12:15 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
- Leviticus 10:1 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command.
- Leviticus 16:1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 6:19 But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
- 1 Chronicles 13:10 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
- Psalms 89:7 In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Acts 5:5 On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened.
- Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be filled with gratitude, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.
- Acts 5:10 At that instant she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.