What Does Exodus 19:24 Mean in the King James?
And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The boundary makes the difference: one ascent is permitted, while forcing the same path becomes a breach met by the LORD’s force.
THE MEANING
Here, ascent is granted within a boundary: Moses and Aaron may come up, while the priests and people may not force their way upward. The warning is concrete: if they tear through, the LORD breaks out upon them. The verse holds nearness and danger together, distinguishing an invited approach from seized access.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The verse undoes the belief that wanting nearness makes every approach safe: here, forcing access carries the danger of a destructive encounter.
THE ROOT
יַהֲרְסוּ
yaharəsu
GROWS FROM
הרס
to tear down, demolish, or break through
“break through” in this verse is yaharəsu. The people’s attempted ascent is described with a verb of tearing down. Its root makes the boundary itself part of the danger: they are not simply climbing, but breaking through.
ALSO GROWS
haras: to tear down or demolish
הָרַס
The dictionary form shows the force beneath “break through”: the movement is destructive, directed against what stands in the way.
yeharēsu: they are destroyed or torn down
יֵהָרֵסוּ
In Psalm 11:3, the same root describes foundations being destroyed, echoing the danger of breaching a boundary.
יִפְרָץ
yiphrats
GROWS FROM
פרץ
to break out, burst forth, or make a breach
“break forth” in this verse is yiphrats. The English repeats “break,” but the Hebrew shifts roots: the people tear through, and the LORD bursts out against them. That sequence gives the warning its force, a breach is answered by a counter-breach.
ALSO GROWS
parats: to break out or burst forth
פָּרַץ
This verbal form shows the root’s sudden outward force, matching the warning of the LORD breaking out upon them.
perets: a breach; also the name Perez
פֶּרֶץ
The breach named in Genesis 38:29 makes the root’s image concrete: a boundary is broken open.
THE PATTERN
When access to what is set apart is bounded, crossing without permission carries danger.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:THE THREAD
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.This verse uses the same root for the people’s attempt to break through the boundary. Exodus 19:24 adds the other side of the breach: the LORD may break out upon them.
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