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Monday, September 15th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Hebrew Names Version

Exodus 19:22

Let the Kohanim also, who come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth on them."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   Law;   Priest;   Reverence;   Sinai;   Worship;   Scofield Reference Index - Israel;   Thompson Chain Reference - Leaders;   Priests;   Religious;   Sanctification;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Law of Moses, the;   Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Exodus;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Commandments, the Ten;   Festivals, Religious;   First-Born, Sanctification of the;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Levites;   Mediator;   Priest;   Sabbath;   Trumpets, Feast of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Exodus;   Mediator, Mediation;   Moses;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Sina, Sinai ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Sinai;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Encampment at Sinai;   Events of the Encampment;   Proclamation of the Law;   Tabernacle, the;   Peculiarities of the Law of Moses;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Break;   Law in the Old Testament;   Priests and Levites;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Holiness;   Primogeniture;   Theophany;  

Parallel Translations

King James Version
And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord , sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them.
Lexham English Bible
And even the priests who come near Yahweh must consecrate themselves, lest Yahweh break out against them."
New Century Version
Even the priests, who may come near me, must first prepare themselves. If they don't, I, the Lord , will punish them."
New English Translation
Let the priests also, who approach the Lord , sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through against them."
Amplified Bible
"Also have the priests who approach the LORD consecrate (sanctify, set apart) themselves [for My sacred purpose], or else the LORD will break forth [in judgment] against them [and destroy them]."
New American Standard Bible
"Also have the priests who approach the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And let the Priestes also which come to the Lorde be sanctified, least the Lorde destroy them.
Legacy Standard Bible
Also let the priests who come near to Yahweh set themselves apart as holy, lest Yahweh break out against them."
Contemporary English Version
Only the priests may come near me, and they must obey strict rules before I let them. If they don't, they will be punished."
Complete Jewish Bible
Even the cohanim, who are allowed to approach Adonai , must keep themselves holy; otherwise, Adonai may break out against them."
Darby Translation
And the priests also, who come near to Jehovah, shall hallow themselves, lest Jehovah break forth on them.
Easy-to-Read Version
Also tell the priests who come near the Lord that they must prepare themselves for this special meeting. If they don't, I, the Lord , will punish them."
English Standard Version
Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them."
George Lamsa Translation
And let the priests also who come near to the LORD sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.
Good News Translation
Even the priests who come near me must purify themselves, or I will punish them."
Christian Standard Bible®
Even the priests who come near the Lord must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out in anger against them.”
Literal Translation
And also the priests, those approaching Jehovah, let them sanctify themselves that Jehovah not burst forth among them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The rulers also that come nye vnto ye LORDE, shal sanctifie themselues, lest the LORDE smyte the.
American Standard Version
And let the priests also, that come near to Jehovah, sanctify themselves, lest Jehovah break forth upon them.
Bible in Basic English
And let the priests who come near to the Lord make themselves holy, for fear that the Lord may come on them suddenly.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And let the priestes also whiche come to the Lorde sanctifie them selues, lest the Lorde destroy them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And let the priests also, that come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.'
King James Version (1611)
And let the Priestes also which come neere to the Lord, sanctifie themselues, lest the Lord breake foorth vpon them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And let the priests that draw nigh to the Lord God sanctify themselves, lest he destroy some of them.
English Revised Version
And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.
Berean Standard Bible
Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
also preestis, that neiyen to the Lord, be halewid, lest Y smyte hem.
Young's Literal Translation
and also the priests who are coming nigh unto Jehovah do sanctify themselves, lest Jehovah break forth on them.'
Update Bible Version
And let the priests also, that come near to Yahweh, sanctify themselves, or else Yahweh will break forth on them.
Webster's Bible Translation
And let the priests also who come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.
World English Bible
Let the priests also, who come near to Yahweh, sanctify themselves, lest Yahweh break forth on them."
New King James Version
Also let the priests who come near the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them."
New Living Translation
Even the priests who regularly come near to the Lord must purify themselves so that the Lord does not break out and destroy them."
New Life Bible
Have the religious leaders who come near to the Lord set themselves apart to be holy. Or the Lord will go against them."
New Revised Standard
Even the priests who approach the Lord must consecrate themselves or the Lord will break out against them."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Yea, even the priests who do approach unto Yahweh, must hallow themselves, - lest Yahweh break in upon them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The priests also that come to the Lord, let them be sanctified, lest he strike them.
Revised Standard Version
And also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out upon them."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them."

Contextual Overview

16 It happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud shofar; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 Moshe led the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the lower part of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai, the whole of it, smoked, because the LORD descended on it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. 19 When the sound of the shofar grew louder and louder, Moshe spoke, and God answered him by a voice. 20 The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. The LORD called Moshe to the top of the mountain, and Moshe went up. 21 The LORD said to Moshe, "Go down, charge the people, lest they break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 Let the Kohanim also, who come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth on them." 23 Moshe said to the LORD, "The people can't come up to Mount Sinai, for you charged us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain, and sanctify it.'" 24 The LORD said to him, "Go down and you shall bring Aharon up with you, but don't let the Kohanim and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest he break forth on them." 25 So Moshe went down to the people, and told them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the priests: Exodus 24:5, Leviticus 10:1-3, Isaiah 52:11

sanctify: Exodus 19:5, Exodus 19:14, Exodus 19:15

break: 2 Samuel 6:6-8, 1 Chronicles 13:9-11, 1 Chronicles 15:13, 2 Chronicles 30:3, 2 Chronicles 30:15, 2 Chronicles 30:18, 2 Chronicles 30:19, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:10, 1 Corinthians 11:30-32

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:24 - lest Leviticus 10:3 - I will be Psalms 68:17 - as in Sinai Joel 2:16 - sanctify

Cross-References

Genesis 13:10
Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Yarden, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sedom and `Amorah, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Mitzrayim, as you go to Tzo`ar.
Genesis 14:2
that they made war with Bera, king of Sedom, and with Birsha, king of `Amorah, Shin'av, king of Admah, and Shem'ever, king of Tzevoyim, and the king of Bela (the same is Tzo`ar).
Genesis 19:1
The two angels came to Sedom at evening. Lot sat in the gate of Sedom. Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them. He bowed himself with his face to the eretz,
Genesis 19:10
But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot into the house to them, and shut the door.
Genesis 19:25
He overthrew those cities, all the plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew on the ground.
Genesis 19:28
He looked toward Sedom and `Amorah, and toward all the land of the plain, and looked, and saw that the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace.
Exodus 32:10
Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation."
Deuteronomy 9:14
let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under the sky; and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.
Isaiah 15:5
My heart cries out for Mo'av; her nobles [flee] to Tzo`ar, to Eglat-Shelishi-Yah: for by the ascent of Luchit with weeping they go up; for in the way of Horonayim they raise up a cry of destruction.
Isaiah 65:8
Thus says the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one says, Don't destroy it, for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And let the priests also, which come near unto the Lord,.... Either the firstborn, as the Jews generally interpret it, so Jarchi and Aben Ezra; who were sanctified to the Lord, and in whose stead afterwards the Levites were taken; or the sons of Aaron, who should be, and were potentially, though not actually priests, as Ben Gersom expresses it, from an ancient book of theirs called Mechilta; or rather some principal persons, as heads of families and the like, who, before the priesthood was settled in the family of Aaron, officiated as priests, and drew nigh to God, and offered up sacrifices for themselves and others, and were distinguished from others by this character, and therefore do not intend princes, as some interpret the word; for the description of them will not agree to them, but plainly points to a sort of men, to whom it was peculiar to perform that office. These Moses is bid to charge that they

sanctify themselves; in the same manner as the people in general were before ordered, and keep themselves within the same bounds; not daring to transgress them, because they were persons that used to draw nigh to God in the performance of religious actions:

lest the Lord break forth upon them; and smite them, that they die, in like manner as he made a breach on Uzzah afterwards for touching the ark of the Lord, 2 Samuel 6:6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The priests also - Sacrifices had hitherto been offered by firstborn, or the heads of families. See Genesis 14:18 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 19:22. Let the priests also - sanctify themselves — That there were priests among the Hebrews before the consecration of Aaron and his sons, cannot be doubted; though their functions might be in a considerable measure suspended while under persecution in Egypt, yet the persons existed whose right and duty it was to offer sacrifices to God. Moses requested liberty from Pharaoh to go into the wilderness to sacrifice; and had there not been among the people both sacrifices and priests, the request itself must have appeared nugatory and absurd. Sacrifices from the beginning had constituted an essential part of the worship of God, and there certainly were priests whose business it was to offer them to God before the giving of the law; though this, for especial reasons, was restricted to Aaron and his sons after the law had been given. As sacrifices had not been offered for a considerable time, the priests themselves were considered in a state of impurity; and therefore God requires that they also should be purified for the purpose of approaching the mountain, and hearing their Maker promulgate his laws. Exodus 28:1.


 
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