Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
BrLXXΚαὶ εἶπε Μωυσῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, οὐ δυνήσεται ὁ λαὸς προσαναβῆναι πρὸς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινά· σὺ γὰρ διαμεμαρτύρησαι ἡμῖν, λέγων, ἀφόρισαι τὸ ὄρος, καὶ ἁγίασαι αὐτό. (Kai eipe Mōusaʸs pros ton Theon, ou dunaʸsetai ho laos prosanabaʸnai pros to oros to Sina; su gar diamemarturaʸsai haʸmin, legōn, aforisai to oros, kai hagiasai auto. )
BrTrAnd Moses said to God, The people will not be able to approach to the mount of Sina, for thou hast solemnly charged us, saying, Set bounds to the mountain and sanctify it.
ULTAnd Moses said to Yahweh, “The people are not able to come up on Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying: ‘Set boundaries on the mountain and set it apart.’ ”
USTThen Moses said to Yahweh, “The people will not climb the mountain because you commanded them, saying, ‘Set a boundary around the mountain, to consecrate it.’ ”
BSB § But Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, for You solemnly warned us, ‘Put a boundary around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ”
NETMoses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’ ”
LSVAnd Moses says to YHWH, “The people [are] unable to come up to Mount Sinai, for You have protested to us, saying, Make a border [for] the mountain, then you have sanctified it.”
FBVBut Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai. You yourself warned us, ‘Set up a boundary around the mountain, and treat it as holy.’ ”[fn]
19:23“Treat it as holy”: the same word is used as for the people making them spiritually prepared, consecrated. Clearly however an inanimate object such as a mountain cannot be “consecrated” in the same way as a person.
T4TThen Moses/I said to Yahweh, “The people will not climb the mountain, because you commanded them, saying, ‘Set a boundary around the mountain, to make it sacred/taboo.’ ”
LEBAnd Moses said to Yahweh, “The people are not able to go up to Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’ ”
BBEAnd Moses said to the Lord, The people will not be able to come up the mountain, for you gave us orders to put limits round the mountain, marking it out and making it holy.
JPSAnd Moses said unto the LORD: 'The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou didst charge us, saying: Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.'
ASVAnd Moses said unto Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
DRAAnd Moses said to the Lord: The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou did charge, and command, saying: Set limits about the mount, and sanctify it.
YLTAnd Moses saith unto Jehovah, 'The people [is] unable to come up unto mount Sinai, for Thou — Thou hast protested to us, saying, Make a border [for] the mount, then thou hast sanctified it.'
DrbyAnd Moses said to Jehovah, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou hast testified to us, saying, Set bounds about the mountain, and hallow it.
RVAnd Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou didst charge us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
WbstrAnd Moses said to the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.
KJB-1769And 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. (And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou/you chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. )
KJB-1611And Moses said vnto the LORD, The people cannot come vp to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst vs, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctifie it. (And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou/you chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctifie it.)
BshpsAnd Moyses said vnto the Lord: The people can not come vp into the mount Sinai, for thou chargest vs, saying: set boundes about the hill, and sanctifie it. (And Moses said unto the Lord: The people cannot come up into the mount Sinai, for thou/you chargest us, saying: set boundes about the hill, and sanctifie it.)
GnvaAnd Moses sayde vnto the Lord, The people can not come vp into the mount Sinai: for thou hast charged vs, saying, Set markes on the mountaine, and sanctifie it. (And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up into the mount Sinai: for thou/you hast charged us, saying, Set markes on the mountain, and sanctifie it. )
CvdlBut Moses sayde vnto the LORDE: The people cannot come vp vpon mount Sinai, for thou hast charged vs, & sayde: Set markes aboute the mount, and sanctifie it. (But Moses said unto the LORD: The people cannot come up upon mount Sinai, for thou/you hast charged us, and said: Set markes about the mount, and sanctifie it.)
WyclAnd Moises seide to the Lord, The comyn puple may not stie in to the hil of Synai; for thou hast witnessid, and hast comaundid, seiyinge, Sette thou termes aboute the hil, and halewe it. (And Moses said to the Lord, The common people may not stie in to the hill of Synai; for thou/you hast witnessid, and hast commanded, seiyinge, Sette thou/you termes about the hill, and halewe it.)
LuthMose aber sprach zum HErr’s: Das Volk kann nicht auf den Berg Sinai steigen; denn du hast uns bezeuget und gesagt: Mache ein Gehege um den Berg und heilige ihn. (Mose but spoke for_the LORD’s: The people kann not on the mountain/hill Sinai climb; because you have us/to_us/ourselves bezeuget and said: Mache a Gehege around/by/for the mountain/hill and holye ihn.)
ClVgDixitque Moyses ad Dominum: Non poterit vulgus ascendere in montem Sinai: tu enim testificatus es, et jussisti, dicens: Pone terminos circa montem, et sanctifica illum. (And_he_said Moyses to Dominum: Non poterit vulgus ascendere in montem Sinai: you because testificatus es, and yussisti, saying: Pone terminos circa montem, and sanctifica illum. )
19:16-25 The final phase of preparation involved phenomena that moved the people toward acceptance of the covenant. Some of the experiences were visual: lightning and a cloud (19:16), smoke and fire (19:18). The people also heard thunder,a ram’s horn, and the voice of God (19:16, 19), and the whole mountain shook violently (19:18). In the Bible, such phenomena are often associated with a theophany, which is a visible manifestation of God’s holy presence.
Like several other events recorded in Scripture, the Bible’s account of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai includes an abundance of geographical references, yet it remains one of the most hotly debated topics among scholars, and numerous theories have been offered. The vast majority of geographical references provided in the story are disputed, including the place where the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the location of Mount Sinai (see Proposed Locations for Mount Sinai map), and the various stops along the Israelites’ journey. A few locations have been established with some degree of scholarly consensus, but even these are not without opposing viewpoints. Amidst this incredible diversity of opinion, however, a single verse provides one of the most helpful clues for weighing the merits of one viewpoint over another: “By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb” (Deuteronomy 1:2). For those who assume the Bible’s account to be trustworthy, this verse appears to require the following for any theory to be considered viable: 1) Kadesh-barnea and Mount Sinai must have been located at a distance from each other that could reasonably have been expected to take eleven days for an entire nation of people with small children, flocks, equipment, and perhaps even elderly members to travel on foot; and 2) the pace established by this distance over eleven days should most likely be considered the typical pace for the Israelites as they traveled from place to place along the other parts of the journey. This two-pronged test clearly strains many of the theories put forth to this point, especially when one factors in the time references given for the start of the journey (Exodus 12:6; Numbers 33:3), the middle of the journey (Exodus 16:1; Numbers 33:8), and the end of the journey (Exodus 19:1). In short, the journey from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin took 31 days, since it included the 15th day of the second month, and the rest of the journey took another 16 days, assuming they arrived at Mount Sinai on the 15th day (not the first day, etc.) of the third month. Along with these criteria, a theory’s overall congruence with other established geographical and archeological data should bolster its credibility over other proposals. Another consideration is the extreme similarity between the events at Rephidim (Exodus 17) and the events at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 20:1-13; 27:12-14; Deuteronomy 32:51; Ezekiel 47:19; 48:28), raising the question of whether Rephidim (meaning “resting places”) is in fact Kadesh-barnea. With these things in mind, the map below proposes a route for the exodus that meets virtually all of these criteria. A careful analysis and explanation of all the elements of the map is far beyond the scope of this article, but a few key points should be noted. The term Red Sea, in addition to referring to what we now regard it, must have also applied to the interconnected lakes and marshlands that lay along what is now the Suez Canal. Also, the portion of the journey that passed through the wilderness for three days without water (Exodus 15:22; Numbers 33:8) may have been comprised of a partial first day, a full second day, and a partial third day, much like Jesus’ time in the tomb is reckoned as three days in Matthew 12:40. Most notably, Mount Sinai is placed on this map at Gebel Khashm et-Tarif, which is appropriately located near, but not in, Midian (Exodus 3:1; 18:5; Numbers 10:29-30). It is also located 89 miles from Kadesh-barnea (assuming Kadesh is at Tall al-Quderat), which establishes a reasonable pace of 7.6 miles (12.2 km) per day to travel between them in 11 days. This lines up well with several known sources of water along that route (e.g., `Ain Qedeis [Hazar-addar?], Tamilat Suwelima [Hor-haggiggad?], and the spring at Kuntillet al-Girafi [unknown ancient identification]). This general pace then synchronizes very well with the timetable and distances required by this map for the other parts of the journey. The distance from Rameses to the Wilderness of Sin (where it is located here) could be completed in under 26 days, leaving an acceptable buffer of about 5 days for the parting of the Red Sea and perhaps a slower pace through the Wilderness of Shur/Etham. The entire journey took about 60 days, and the journey from the Wilderness of Sin to Mount Sinai took about 29 days. This leaves an acceptable buffer of time to complete the rest of the journey (about 16 days of travel) with a very adequate two weeks of extra time for Jethro to visit Moses and the Israelites to do battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17-18). It should be noted that this timetable generally assumes (but does not necessarily require) that travel continued on sabbath days, but Scripture does not make clear whether travel was prohibited as work prior to the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.
