Exodus 19:23

The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai— To be consistent with the other parts of this chapter, especially Exodus 19:13 these words must signify, that the people, though advanced to the mount, could not ascend up upon it; as being restrained by those bounds which God himself had strictly enjoined, and that consecration of the circumjacent limits which rendered it unlawful for them to tread thereon. The Lord, however, knowing the perverseness of the people, dismissed Moses with repeated injunctions, and with orders to bring up Aaron along with him; the rest, meanwhile, maintaining their appointed distance. This is the general, and perhaps will be thought a very just interpretation: however, I will not dissemble, that it does not perfectly satisfy me. It is strictly enjoined, Exodus 19:12 that the people go not up into the mount, or even touch the border of it: the penalty of doing so was death. When Moses brought the people out of the camp, it is said that they stood only at the nether part, Exodus 19:17 at the very bottom of the mountain; yet, in Exodus 19:13 it is said, they shall come up to the mount, and, in this verse, they cannot come up to Mount Sinai; the same Hebrew word being used in both places for coming up. The solution of the difficulty, therefore, must lie in the prepositions used; and we shall find these, I conceive, adequate to this solution: it is said, in Exodus 19:13 they shall come up, b-er: now the preposition beth signifies not only to, but near, as Noldius shews at large; and may therefore here be rendered near to the mountain: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall ascend [or advance from the camp, that is] near to the mountain: but in Exodus 19:23 not the preposition beth, but al is used: the people cannot ascend, or advance, al-er, into or upon the mountain. Mr. Chais renders it, agreeably to our remark, ils monteront vers la montagne: they shall ascend towards the mountain. To what we have said, respecting Sinai and Horeb elsewhere, we will just add, from Calmet, that though these mountains are promiscuously used by the sacred historian by reason of their contiguity; yet it is certain, they are two different places. Sinai (which the Arabians at this day call. Tor, or the Mountain, by way of eminence; or otherwise gibel Mousa, the Mountain of Moses,) stands in a kind of peninsula, formed by two arms of the Red-sea, one of which stretches out towards the north, and is called the gulph of Kolsom: the other towards the east, and is called the gulph of Elan, or the Elanitish-sea. Sinai is at least one-third part higher than Horeb, and of a much more difficult access: its top terminates in an uneven and rugged space, capable of containing about sixty persons. Here is built the little chapel of St. Catherine, whose church is below at the foot of the mountain. Horeb is to the west of Sinai; so that, at sun-rising, the shadow of Sinai entirely covers Horeb.

REFLECTIONS.—The third, the memorable day appears, ushered in with thunderings and lightnings, and blasts of the mighty trumpet, like those that shortly must awake the dead. The people are drawn out; and now the Lord descends, accompanied with his mighty angels; a fiery cloud his chariot, and Sinai trembles at his presence, while blasts more loud and terrible proclaim the present Deity. Even Moses quakes with fear. God speaks to him—encourages him to approach. Moses draws near, and is sent back to repeat to the people the former solemn injunctions, not to break through, nor gaze with vain curiosity. God knows their wilfulness; and Moses must go down to prevent them, lest they perish through their presumption. Note; 1. Where God hath wrapped a sacred veil around his secrets, to be contentedly ignorant is our highest Wisdom 2. The boundaries God has fixed, are for our good: our folly or perverseness, if unrestrained, would destroy us. 3. Whenever we approach the Lord in his ordinances, let us remember his glory, that we may appear before him as becomes us, with reverence and godly fear.