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27,299 commentary entries
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:18
Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke. Literally, smoked, all of it. Kalisch suggests that "the dense clouds from which the thunders broke forth had the appearance of smoke." But the reason assigned—"because the Lord de…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:19
When the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder. This is a somewhat free translation; but it gives well the real meaning of the Hebrew. We may conclude that the trumpet's blast was not continuous…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:19
Only a voice. The people were expecting a revelation—a vision of the hitherto unseen Jehovah—it came, but not as they expected; no vision, only a voice (cf. Deuteronomy 4:12). The fact was the law was not a final, only…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:20
On the top of the mount. Not, probably, on the highest point of the Sinaitic group, the Jebel Musa, which is out of sight from the plain Er-Rahah, where the Israelites must have been assembled; but on the highest part o…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:21
Charge the people lest they break through—i.e; "lest they force a passage through the barrier made by Moses" in accordance with the command given in Exodus 19:12. And many of them perish. Irreverent gazing on holy thing…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:21-25
EXPOSITION The further warning to the people and the priests. It is very remarkable that, after all the directions given (Exodus 19:10-13), and all the pains taken by Moses and the Israelites themselves (Exodus 19:14, E…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:22
Let the priests also. It has been objected, that no priests had been as yet appointed, and that we have here therefore an anachronism. But every nation in ancient times had priests, appointed on one principle or another…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:22-24
The priestly office does not dispense a man from personal purity, but obliges him the more to it. Holiness of office, of profession, of function is too often regarded as if it secured, by some occult power, the personal…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:23
The people cannot come up. Moses can only have meant, that the people could not approach the mount unwittingly, since the fence commanded (Exodus 19:12) was made. But to scale the fence, or break through it, was of cour…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:24
And the Lord said … Away, Get thee down. God wholly rejected the plea of Moses, that there was no need to give an additional warning. He knew best, and would not have issued the order to "go down and charge the people "…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 19:25
So Moses went down. After the sharp rebuke addressed to him in Exodus 19:24, Moses made no further resistance, but returned to the camp, delivered the warning to priests and people, and having so done re-ascended the mo…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1
God spake all these words. It has been suggested that Moses derived the Decalogue from Egypt, by summarising the chief points of the Egyptian teaching as to the duty of man. But neither the second, nor the fourth, nor t…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1-17
EXPOSITION THE DELIVERY OF THE MORAL LAW. Every necessary preparation had now been made. The priests, as well as the people, had "sanctified themselves." A wholesome dread of "breaking" through the fence, and "touching"…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1-17
The ten commandments collectivety. The ten commandments form a summary of our main duties towards God, and towards man. They stand out from the rest of the Old Testament in a remarkable way. 1. They were uttered audibly…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1-17
The ten commandments severally. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. To the Christian the First Commandment takes the form which our Lord gave it—"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all-thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with a…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1
The moral law-Preliminary. The law given from Sinai is the moral law by pre-eminence. The principles which it embodies are of permanent obligation. It is a brief summary of the whole compass of our duty to God and man.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1-18
The moral law-General survey. View this law of the ten commandments as— I. AUTHORITATIVELY DELIVERED. "God spake all these words, saying," etc. (Exodus 20:1). An authoritative revelation of moral law was necessary— 1. T…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:1-2
Utility of a course of teaching on the commandments, that Divine law which can never be destroyed. Let those who object to the preaching of morality remember John Wesley's words: "I find more profit in sermons on either…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:2
I am the Lord thy God. The ten precepts were prefaced by this distinct announcement of who it was that uttered them. God would have the Israelites clearly understand, that he himself gave them the commandments. It is on…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:3-11
The soul for God only. I. GOD'S DEMAND. "Thou shalt have no other," etc. All else is emptiness and falsehood. There must be nothing even of our holy things put between the soul and God. His presence must be the soul's l…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:3
Thou shalt have. The use of the second person singular is remarkable when a covenant was being made with the people (Exodus 19:5). The form indicated that each individual of the nation was addressed severally, and was r…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:3-6
These two commandments are complementary: one God only to be worshipped, one way only in which to worship him. Consider:— I. THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. 1. How Israel would understand it. "No foreign god in opposition to me.…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:3-6
The first and seceded commandments: against polytheism and image-worship. These two commandments seem to be bound together naturally by the reason given in Exodus 20:5. There Jehovah says, "I am a jealous God;" obviousl…
The Pulpit Commentary on Exodus 20:4
As the first commandment asserts the unity of God, and is a protest against polytheism, so the second asserts his spirituality, and is a protest against idolatry and materialism. Exodus 20:4 and Exodus 20:5 are to be ta…