Exodus 19:1-25

Exodus 19. Awful Revelation of God in Fire and Cloud. Exodus 19:1 a P, Exodus 19:2 b - Exodus 19:3 a E, Exodus 19:3 b - Exodus 19:6 Rd, Exodus 19:7 a E, Exodus 19:11 b - Exodus 19:13 J, Exodus 19:14 E, Exodus 19:18 J, Exodus 19:19 E, Exodus 19:20 J, Exodus 19:23 Rje, Exodus 19:24 f. J. This highly composite chapter will be most easily followed if the component sources are taken separately. From P we have only the note of the arrival at Sinai. The order of clauses should be: Exodus 19:2 a, And they took their journey (Exodus 16:1) from Rephidim and came to. Sinai, and pitched in the wilderness; 1, in the third month came they. From E also we learn of the pitching of the camp, and that Moses went up unto God. But the very beautiful passage which follows (Exodus 19:3 b - Exodus 19:6) was probably written for another context: it would well follow Joshua 24. It comes from a disciple of the prophets, and describes God's redemptive care and His pride of possession of His people (cf. Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9), God's priest-nation on earth (cf. Isaiah 61:6), and so called to be holy (Romans 1:7). Displaced, perhaps from after Exodus 20:17; Exodus 19:7 f. has found lodgment here. Then in Exodus 19:9 a the promise is given of an interview with Moses in a thick cloud within hearing of the people, who must guard their persons for two days from defilement and wash their clothes (Genesis 35:2 *). Then Exodus 19:14, after relating the preparations, describes the descent of the thunder-cloud, lightning flashing forth from it, and a supernatural trumpet (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:52) booming out its summons. The trembling people are led out to meet God. We leave them there, standing at the foot of the mount (see next Exodus 20:18), and turn to J's parallel. Restoring what seems clearly the right order, we have a picture (in Exodus 19:20 a, Exodus 19:18; Exodus 19:20 b) of the mountain flaming and smoking like a furnace on the descent of Yahweh (cf. Exodus 14:21 f.*) in an earthquake (contrast 1 Kings 19:11, where the still small voice marks a yet higher species of revelation). Then in the present text, after Moses has been called up to the top of the mount (Exodus 19:20), he is immediately sent down again (Exodus 19:21; Exodus 19:24 a, to down) merely to give directions to prevent the people profaning the sacred mount by coming too near, while Exodus 19:11 b - Exodus 19:13 tells of his obedience, and ends: when the ram's horn soundeth long, they (emphatic these, i.e. the priests of Exodus 19:22) shall come up to the mount. After Exodus 19:23 (an obvious gloss), Exodus 19:24 b - Exodus 19:25 summons Moses, with Aaron but no one else, though some render, Come up, thou and Aaron with thee and the priests; but., and ends, And Moses went down unto the people, and said unto them. The sequel is Exodus 34:1 ff., and it has been suggested that the stringent regulations against sacrilege reflect a later stage of feeling, and may have been added to the original. On the other hand, the injunctions may merely rest upon the idea of taboo, which is of great antiquity. The allusion to priests shows that J took them as a matter of course, like altars and sacrifices (yet see Exodus 32:29 *, and cf. p. 106). P does not recognise priests till Leviticus 8. It is important, in conclusion, to note that, while God uses natural occurrences, which are among the lower manifestations of His being and power, as channels for arousing men to a sense of things unseen, His messages can be received only by one whose mind and conscience and heart are attuned to the right pitch.

[ Exodus 19:22. The presence of Yahweh is so dangerous that even the priests, whose function it is to approach Him, him have to sanctify themselves (Genesis 35:2 *) as a precaution against His breaking out upon them. He reacts against ritual uncleanness, almost automatically. For this barely ethical idea we might compare the attack on Moses at the inn (Exodus 4:24) or the smiting of the men of Beth-shemesh (1 Samuel 6:19) and of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:6 f.). A. S. P.]