The Meaning of Exodus 19:15 Explained

Exodus 19:15

KJV: And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.

YLT: and he saith unto the people, 'Be ye prepared for the third day, come not nigh unto a woman.'

Darby: And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.

ASV: And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not near a woman.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said  unto the people,  Be  ready  against the third  day:  come  not at [your] wives. 

What does Exodus 19:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 19:1-15 - Moses Receives Jehovah's Words In The Mount
The plain beneath Sinai, where Israel encamped, has been identified, and the reader should study the books of travelers which afford a mental conception of the scene. The brilliant colors, in which red sandstone predominates; the shattered, thunder-stricken peaks; the awful silence; the utter absence of vegetation; the level plain giving abundant opportunity for all to hear and see-all these deserve notice. The tenderness of the divine address is very touching. Nor are we excluded from these promises, if we are among Abraham's spiritual children. See Romans 4:10. If God could carry this multitude of people, He is sufficient for us and our burdens. We also may be His peculiar treasure and a kingdom of priests.
But Israel's solemn pledge was a profound mistake. Had they known themselves better, they would never have made it, and one design of the Decalogue was to show how absolutely impossible it is for any to be justified by the works of the Law. Pentecost, which Whitsuntide commemorates, took place on the anniversary of this august scene. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 19

1  The people arrive at Sinai
3  God's message by Moses unto the people out of the mount
8  The people are prepared against the third day, for the giving of the law
12  The mountain must not be touched
16  The fearful presence of God upon the mount

What do the individual words in Exodus 19:15 mean?

And he said to the people Be ready for three day not do come near [your] wives
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־ הָעָ֔ם הֱי֥וּ נְכֹנִ֖ים לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים אַֽל־ תִּגְּשׁ֖וּ אֶל־ אִשָּֽׁה

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הָעָ֔ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
נְכֹנִ֖ים  ready 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת  for  three 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
יָמִ֑ים  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
תִּגְּשׁ֖וּ  do  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָגַשׁ  
Sense: to draw near, approach.
אֶל־  near 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אִשָּֽׁה  [your]  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.