Then the LORD said to MosesThis phrase indicates direct communication from God to Moses, highlighting Moses' role as a mediator between God and the Israelites. This divine instruction underscores the importance of Moses' leadership and his unique relationship with God, as seen throughout the Pentateuch. The phrase also reflects the pattern of God speaking to His chosen leaders, as seen with figures like Abraham and later prophets.
Go to the people
Moses is instructed to approach the Israelites, emphasizing the communal aspect of the covenant relationship. This directive shows the importance of collective preparation and participation in the events at Mount Sinai. It reflects the communal nature of Israel's identity and their collective responsibility to uphold the covenant.
and consecrate them today and tomorrow
Consecration involves setting apart and making holy, which in this context requires preparation for encountering God. The two-day period signifies the seriousness and thoroughness required for this preparation. This act of consecration is a precursor to receiving the Law, highlighting the need for purity and readiness before approaching God. It parallels the New Testament call for believers to be holy and set apart.
They must wash their clothes
Washing clothes symbolizes external purification, which reflects an internal spiritual cleansing. This act is part of the broader theme of purity found throughout the Bible, where physical cleanliness often represents spiritual readiness. It connects to later purification rituals in Levitical law and foreshadows the New Testament emphasis on inner purity and righteousness through Christ.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who is preparing to reveal Himself to His people at Mount Sinai.
2.
MosesThe leader and prophet of Israel, acting as the mediator between God and the Israelites.
3.
The IsraelitesThe chosen people of God, who are being prepared to meet Him and receive His law.
4.
Mount SinaiThe holy mountain where God will give the Ten Commandments and establish His covenant with Israel.
5.
Consecration EventA divine command for the people to purify themselves in preparation for encountering God.
Teaching Points
The Importance of PreparationJust as the Israelites were required to prepare themselves to meet God, we too must prepare our hearts and lives to encounter Him in worship and daily living.
Holiness and PurityThe washing of clothes symbolizes the need for spiritual purity. As believers, we are called to live lives that reflect God's holiness.
God's Call to ConsecrationConsecration involves setting ourselves apart for God's purposes. This requires intentional actions and decisions to align our lives with His will.
The Role of MediatorsMoses acted as a mediator between God and the people. In the New Covenant, Jesus is our ultimate mediator, bridging the gap between humanity and God.
Community PreparationThe command was given to the entire community, highlighting the importance of collective preparation and accountability in our spiritual journey.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Exodus 19:10?
2.How does Exodus 19:10 emphasize the importance of spiritual preparation before meeting God?
3.What does "consecrate them today and tomorrow" teach about holiness in our lives?
4.How can we apply the concept of consecration in our daily spiritual practices?
5.What scriptural connections exist between Exodus 19:10 and New Testament teachings on holiness?
6.How does the command to "wash their clothes" symbolize spiritual cleansing in our lives?
7.What is the significance of consecration in Exodus 19:10 for believers today?
8.How does Exodus 19:10 relate to the concept of holiness in the Bible?
9.Why did God instruct Moses to consecrate the people in Exodus 19:10?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Exodus 19?
11.What does the Bible teach about consecration?
12.What does 'ruach' mean?
13.What occurred when Moses was on Mount Sinai?
14.How can you be holy like I am?What Does Exodus 19:10 Mean
Then the LORD said to Moses,• The encounter begins with God’s own voice, underscoring that every instruction originates in His absolute authority (Exodus 3:4;Hebrews 12:25).
• Moses is not brainstorming holiness tips; he’s transmitting a message that carries the same weight as the One who speaks.
• Because Scripture is fully reliable, we read this verse confident that it captures a real moment in which the living God addressed His servant.
Go to the people• God sends Moses down the mountain, illustrating that revelation is meant to reach ordinary lives, not stay in rarefied heights (Deuteronomy 5:5).
• The mediator pattern emerges: Moses moves between God and Israel, a shadow of the ultimate Mediator, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5;Hebrews 3:5–6).
• Practical takeaway: when God draws near, He also pushes His people toward community engagement, not isolation.
and consecrate them today and tomorrow.• “Consecrate” means set apart for God’s special use. Holiness is never accidental; it requires deliberate preparation (Joshua 3:5).
• Two full days underscore the seriousness of the moment. Holiness cannot be microwaved; it grows in time and attention (2 Corinthians 7:1).
• God marks the calendar. No one can plead ignorance or procrastination; the timetable is clear.
• We are called to similar intentionality: “Be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:15-16).
They must wash their clothes• External washing points to internal purity. Clean garments symbolize hearts ready for divine encounter (Isaiah 1:16-18).
• The task is personal; no one else can wash your clothes. Likewise, repentance is not outsourced.
• Yet the people still depend on God for ultimate cleansing—a reality fulfilled when robes are “washed in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).
• Everyday items—dusty tunics—become tools of worship. God cares about details that seem mundane.
summaryExodus 19:10 shows a holy God taking the first step, a faithful mediator carrying the message, a people called to intentional consecration, and a simple act of laundering that points to profound heart cleansing. Obedience to these instructions readied Israel to meet their covenant-making God; obedience to the same principles prepares us to walk in His presence today.
(10)
Go unto the people, and sanctify them.--The approaching manifestation required, above all things, that the people should be "sanctified." Sanctification is twofold--outward and inward. The real essential preparation for approach to God is inward sanctification; but no external command can secure this. Moses was therefore instructed to issue directions for outward purification; and it was left to the spiritual insight of the people to perceive and recognise that such purity symbolised and required internal purification as its counterpart. The external purification was to consist in three things--(1) Ablution, or washing of the person; (2) washing of clothes; and (3) abstinence from sexual intercourse (
Exodus 19:15).
Let them wash their clothes.--The Levitical law required the washing of clothes on many occasions (Leviticus 11:25;Leviticus 11:28;Leviticus 11:40;Leviticus 13:6;Leviticus 13:34;Leviticus 13:58;Leviticus 14:8-9;Leviticus 14:47;Leviticus 15:5-22, &c.) In connection with purification. The same idea prevailed in Egypt (Herod., 2:37), in Greece (Horn.Od.,iv. 1. 759), and in Rome (Dollinger,Jew and Gentile,vol. ii., p. 82). It is a natural extension of the idea that ablution of the person cleanses, not from physical only, but from moral defilement. . . .
Verses 10-15. - THE PREPARATION OF THE PEOPLE AND OF THE MOUNTAIN FOR THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD UPON IT. The people having accepted God's terms, the time had come for the revelation in all its fulness of the covenant which God designed to make with them. This, it was essential, they should perceive and know to come from God, and not to be the invention of Moses. God, therefore, was about to manifest himself. But ere he could do this with safety, it was requisite that certain preparations should be made. Before man can be fit to approach God, he needs to be sanctified. The essential sanctification is internal; but, as internal purity and holiness cannot be produced at a given moment, Moses was ordered to require its outward symbol, external bodily cleanliness, by ablution and the washing of clothes, as a preliminary to God's descent upon the mountain (vers. 10, 13). It would be generally understood that this external purity was symbolical only, and needed to be accompanied by internal cleanliness. Further, since even the purest of men is impure in God's sight, and since there would be many in the congregation who had attempted no internal cleansing, it was necessary to provide that they should not draw too near, so as to intrude on the holy ground or on God's presence. Moses was therefore required to have a fence erected round the mountain, between it and the people, and to proclaim the penalty of death against all who should pass it and touch the mount (vers. 12, 13). In executing these orders, Moses gave an additional charge to the heads of families, that they should purify themselves by an act of abstinence which he specified (ver. 15)
Verse 10. -
Go unto the people. Moses had withdrawn himself from the people to report their words to God (vers. 8, 9). He was now commanded to return to them.
Sanctify them. Or "purify them." Purification in Egypt was partly by washing, partly, by shaving the hair, either front the head only, or from the entire body (Herod. 2:37), partly perhaps by other rites. The Israelites seem ordinarily to have purified themselves by washing only.
To-day and to-morrow. The fourth and fifth of Sivan, according to the Jewish tradition, the Decalogue having been given upon the sixth. The requirement of a two-days' preparation marked the extreme sanctity of the occasion.
Let them wash their clothes. Compare
Leviticus 15:5. Rich people could "change their garments" on a sacred occasion (
Genesis 35:2); the poorer sort, having no change, could only wash them.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Then the LORDיְהוָ֤ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israelsaidוַיֹּ֨אמֶר(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, sayto Moses,מֹשֶׁה֙(mō·šeh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4872:Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver“Goלֵ֣ךְ(lêḵ)Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1980:To go, come, walktoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, tothe peopleהָעָ֔ם(hā·‘ām)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971:A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flockand consecrateוְקִדַּשְׁתָּ֥ם(wə·qid·daš·tām)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6942:To be set apart or consecratedthem todayהַיּ֖וֹם(hay·yō·wm)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117:A dayand tomorrow.וּמָחָ֑ר(ū·mā·ḥār)Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 4279:Deferred, the morrow, tomorrow, hereafterThey must washוְכִבְּס֖וּ(wə·ḵib·bə·sū)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3526:To trample, to washtheir clothesשִׂמְלֹתָֽם׃(śim·lō·ṯām)Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8071:A dress, a mantle
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OT Law: Exodus 19:10 Yahweh said to Moses Go to (Exo. Ex) 
