"And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about …" — Exodus 19:23

Exodus 19:23 · KJV

“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.”

— Exodus 19:23

Verse 22

And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

Verse 24

And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.

Exodus 19 — Context

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. {charge: Heb. contest}

And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.

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.

So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.

Cross References

Exodus 19:12

And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, {that ye} go {not} up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:

Joshua 3:4-5

Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed {this} way heretofore. {heretofore: Heb. since yesterday, and the third day}