Exodus 19:15 · Bible study
Exodus 19:15 Commentary: Holiness and Preparation Before Sinai
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did God require sexual abstinence before the Sinai theophany?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Ceremonial preparation, abstinence and washing, required before God’s theophany at Sinai.
- Key words: “Be ready” (הֱי֥וּ נְכֹנִ֖ים), “draw near” (תִּגְּשׁ֖וּ) often used of sexual approach; “a woman” (אִשָּֽׁה) generic, includes one’s wife.
- Main debate: Whether this is purely ceremonial and temporary (so most commentators) or carries ongoing moral principle for worship preparation.
- Theological theme: Holiness of God demands consecration from His people; even legitimate good must yield to the holy.
- Best use: Teaching on reverence, the fear of God, and the connection between physical disciplines and spiritual readiness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
“Be prepared for the third day,” he said to the people. “Do not draw near to a woman.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
He said to the people, “Be ready by the third day. Don’t have sexual relations with a woman.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and he saith unto the people, `Be ye prepared for the third day, come not nigh unto a woman.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; do not come near [your] wives.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
He said to them: Be ready against the third day, and come not near your wives.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y dijo al pueblo: Estad apercibidos para el tercer día; no lleguéis á mujer.
E disse ao povo: Estai prontos para o terceiro dia; não chegueis a mulher.
Et il dit au peuple: Soyez prêts dans trois jours; ne vous approchez d’aucune femme.
Und er sprach zu ihnen: Seid bereit auf den dritten Tag, und keiner nahe sich zum Weibe.
En hij zeide tot het volk: Weest gereed tegen den derden dag, en nadert niet tot de vrouw.
Ed egli disse al popolo: “Siate pronti fra tre giorni; non v’accostate a donna”.
I mówił do ludu: Bądźcie gotowi na dzień trzeci, nie przystępujcie do żon.
И сказал народу: будьте готовы к третьему дню; не прикасайтесь к женам.
他對 百姓 說：「到第三 天 要 預備好了。不可 親近 女人。」
And he said to the people, Be ready by the third day: do not come near a woman.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 19:15
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the command to abstain from sexual relations was part of a broader ceremonial purification before the Sinai theophany. Keil and Delitzsch state that abstinence was required “on account of the defilement connected therewith,” citing Leviticus 15:18. Gill explains that what was normally lawful was temporarily set aside “for the greater sanctification and solemnity of the service of this day.” The Cambridge Bible cross-references 1 Samuel 21:4, where David’s men kept themselves from women before eating holy bread. The Hebrew verb nagash (draw near) often carries the sense of approaching for sexual intimacy, so the prohibition is specific.
The shared point: this was not a moral judgment on marriage or sexuality, but a temporary ceremonial restraint. The people sanctified themselves by washing clothes, setting boundaries, and abstaining, to approach the presence of the living God. Even the most ordinary and good activities must yield when God draws near. None of the consulted commentators treat this as a rejection of marital intimacy; they see it as a mark of the seriousness of the encounter.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The command to abstain from sexual relations was a temporary ceremonial requirement to prepare the people for the theophany at Sinai, rooted in the need for bodily purity before encountering God's holiness.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose of the abstinence | It was a ceremonial purification for approaching God’s presence | Some see it as a universal principle for worship (e.g., fasting from marital intimacy before Eucharist); others limit it to this unique redemptive-historical event. |
| Duration of preparation | Three days was sufficient for the required purification | Whether the three days had symbolic meaning (three days being a common period for preparation) or was simply practical. |
| Implication for marriage | The command was not a negative judgment on marital relations | Christians differ on whether the principle of temporary abstinence for prayer (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:5) should be practised in regular worship preparation. |
| Ongoing application for Christians | The principle of preparing one’s heart before approaching God is timeless | How that preparation looks: through confession, self-examination, fasting, physical disciplines, or simply through faith in Christ’s work. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The scene is Mount Sinai, where Yahweh descended in fire and cloud with thunder, lightning, and an earth-shaking trumpet (Exodus 19:16, 19). God commanded Moses to set bounds around the mountain so no one would touch it and die (19:12). The people were to spend two days preparing and be ready on the third day for God’s appearance.
Three days was a standard preparation period in ancient ritual. Ellicott notes that one day was not sufficient; the length signalled thoroughness, not special symbolism. Parallels exist in Egyptian and Greek purification rites (Herodotus, Odyssey). The abstinence connected to ritual defilement from seminal emission (Leviticus 15:18), making it part of the Levitical purity system. But more than hygiene, the physical restraint expressed the people’s consecration. They were to approach their holy God with every aspect of life, including the most intimate, set apart.
The command to “draw near to a woman” uses the same verb (nagash) used later for approaching God’s presence (Exodus 19:22). The contrast is deliberate: the people could not draw near to their wives because they were about to draw near to God. This spatial and physical boundary taught Israel that God’s holiness is not casual. The preparations, washing, abstinence, boundaries, were not optional steps; they were essential to surviving the encounter. This event shaped Israel’s understanding of covenant and worship for generations.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 19:15. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts. The verb tiggeshu (תִּגְּשׁ֖וּ) appears consistently, and the phrase “draw near to a woman” is standard. The only minor variation among translations is whether to render it as “come not at your wives” (KJV, Geneva) or “do not draw near to a woman” (BSB, ASV, Darby), but this reflects translation choice rather than textual difference.
Reception History
In Jewish tradition, this command was understood as part of the purification for receiving the Torah at Sinai. Philo and later rabbinic writings connected it to the idea that Torah was given in purity, and thus the people had to be pure in body and spirit. Early Christian writers saw the Sinai preparation as a type of the preparation needed for encountering Christ, the living Word. Matthew Henry (18th c.) emphasized that outward purity symbolized inward sanctification and awe. Later Reformed and Baptist commentaries (Gill, Keil) focused on the ceremonial nature of the command, cautioning against reading it as a rejection of marital intimacy. The verse has not been a major point of doctrinal controversy; it has served as a practical example of the seriousness of approaching a holy God.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God calls his people to prepare. Moses speaks God’s words to the people: “Be ready.” Preparation is not optional; it is commanded. The call to preparation respects the character of the One who is coming.
- Preparation involves outward and inward sanctification. The people washed their clothes and abstained from marital intimacy. Outward acts expressed an inward posture of reverence. The whole person, body and spirit, was set apart for the holy meeting.
- Even good things must yield when God calls. Sexual intimacy within marriage is a gift (Song of Solomon, Proverbs 5:18, 19), yet even this good thing was temporarily set aside. God’s presence takes priority over everything, including the best of ordinary life.
Five-point outline
- The command: “Be ready.” Readiness is a repeated theme (Exodus 19:10, 11). God requires intentional preparation, not passive waiting.
- The time frame: by the third day. Three days of sanctification separated the people from their ordinary routines. The waiting built anticipation and reverence.
- The specific prohibition: “Don’t have sexual relations.” This was not about sinfulness but about ceremonial purity. The body’s most intimate act was set aside to signal entire consecration.
- The theological reason: God’s holiness. The mountain was fenced off; the people trembled. Abstinence was part of the barrier that reminded everyone that God is not to be approached casually.
- The application: reverence in worship. While the specific command does not carry over directly (cf. Colossians 2:16, 17), the principle of holy preparation for worship endures. How do we prepare to meet God in prayer, the Word, and the Eucharist?
Illustration hooks
- Preparing for a wedding: couples set aside time, stop ordinary routines, and focus on the coming commitment. The anticipation changes daily life.
- The night before a major surgery: a patient fasts, washes specially, and wears a hospital gown. Everything is ordered toward the critical event.
- An athlete’s pre-game ritual: sleep, diet, and focus are adjusted so that performance honours the competition.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean sex is sinful or that marriage is unholy?
- Should we practise abstinence before taking Communion or before worship?
- How do we prepare our hearts for God’s presence today, without a physical mountain or bounds?
Leading a Discussion
This verse often raises eyebrows. The command to abstain from sexual relations seems strange to modern readers. But within the story of Sinai, it was a normal part of preparing to meet God. The group’s goal is to understand the principle behind the practice and see what it teaches about God’s holiness and our approach to Him.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 19:10, 15. What does Moses tell the people to do to prepare? Why do you think detailed instructions were given?
- The text says “sanctify them” (v.10). What does sanctification mean in this context? How was it demonstrated outwardly?
- Why was sexual abstinence specifically mentioned? What did it communicate about the holiness of the coming encounter?
- Look at 1 Samuel 21:4, 5. How does David’s situation help explain the purpose of such abstinence?
- The people could not even touch the mountain (Exodus 19:12, 13). How do the physical boundaries (washing, abstinence, fencing) teach us about God’s character?
- Hebrews 12:18, 24 contrasts Mount Sinai with Mount Zion. How does the New Covenant change the way we approach God?
- What practical ways can we prepare our hearts for worship, whether on Sunday morning, in personal prayer, or in times of decision?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 19:11 | and be ready for the third day; for on the third day Yahweh will come down in the sight of all the people on Mount Sinai. |
| Exodus 19:16 | On the third day, when it was morning, there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. |
| I Samuel 21:4 | The priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” |
| I Samuel 21:5 | David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?” |
| Joel 2:16 | Gather the people. Sanctify the assembly. Assemble the elders. Gather the children, and those who nurse from breasts. Let the bridegroom go out of his room, and the bride out of her chamber. |
| Amos 4:12 | “Therefore I will do this to you, Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, Israel. |
| Zechariah 6:3 | In the third chariot were white horses. In the fourth chariot were dappled horses, all of them powerful. |
| Zechariah 7:3 | and to speak to the priests of the house of Yahweh of Armies and to the prophets, saying, “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The sequel in E to vv. 10, 11a. Moses comes down from the mountain, and sanctifies the people as instructed in vv. 10, 11a. 15b. Cf. 1 Sa_21:4 ; and the Minaean inscr. cited in ATLAO. p. 433.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note explains that the command to abstain from marital relations was not a condemnation of marriage but a temporary call to ceremonial purity. For this solemn occasion, the people were to set aside ordinary activities and devote themselves fully to preparing for their encounter with God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that the command to abstain from marital relations, not from what was already unlawful, shows how even lawful things must be given up for greater sanctification when approaching God. He draws a parallel with Egyptian priests who spent days in strict preparation before their most sacred services.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch clarifies that the barrier around Sinai was a literal fence, and anyone who crossed it to touch the mountain was to be killed from a distance with stones or arrows. They also explain that the long trumpet blast was a signal for the people's representatives, the elders, to ascend the mountain, not the entire multitude.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the covenant at Sinai is not a one-sided divine imposition but a reciprocal relationship. God’s proposal requires the people’s free, voluntary assent, which they give in verse 8. This personal, self-determined response is essential to the covenant’s nature, distinguishing it from mere enslavement to divine majesty.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that God's coming in a thick cloud was meant both to conceal and to reveal. The cloud stopped the people from prying into God's hidden mysteries while commanding reverent awe for what was shown. Though they saw no visible form, they saw enough to know God was truly present.