SEV Biblia, Chapter 19:17
Y Moisés sacó del real al pueblo a recibir a Dios; y se pusieron a lo bajo del monte.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Exodus 19:17
Verse 17. And Moses brought forth the people-to meet with God] For though they might not touch the mount till they had permission, yet when the trumpet sounded long, it appears they might come up to the nether part of the mount, (see ver. 13, and Deut. iv. 11;) and when the trumpet had ceased to sound, they might then go up unto the mountain, as to any other place. It was absolutely necessary that God should give the people at large some particular evidence of his being and power, that they might be saved from idolatry, to which they were most deplorably prone; and that they might the more readily credit Moses, who was to be the constant mediator between God and them. God, therefore, in his indescribable majesty, descended on the mount; and, by the thick dark cloud, the violent thunders, the vivid lightnings, the long and loud blasts of the trumpet, the smoke encompassing the whole mountain, and the excessive earthquake, proclaimed his power, his glory, and his holiness; so that the people, however unfaithful and disobedient afterwards, never once doubted the Divine interference, or suspected Moses of any cheat or imposture.
Indeed, so absolute and unequivocal were the proofs of supernatural agency, that it was impossible these appearances could be attributed to any cause but the unlimited power of the author of Nature.
It is worthy of remark that the people were informed three days before, ver. 9-11, that such an appearance was to take place; and this answered two excellent purposes: 1. They had time to sanctify and prepare themselves for this solemn transaction; and, 2. Those who might be skeptical had sufficient opportunity to make use of every precaution to prevent and detect an imposture; so this previous warning strongly serves the cause of Divine revelation.
Their being at first prohibited from touching the mount on the most awful penalties, and secondly, being permitted to see manifestations of the Divine majesty, and hear the words of God, subserved the same great purposes. Their being prohibited in the first instance would naturally whet their curiosity, make them cautious of being deceived, and ultimately impress them with a due sense of God's justice and their own sinfulness; and their being permitted afterwards to go up to the mount, must have deepened the conviction that all was fair and real, that there could be no imposture in the case, and that though the justice and purity of God forbade them to draw nigh for a time, yet his mercy, which had prescribed the means of purification, had permitted an access to his presence. The directions given from ver. 10-15 inclusive show, not only the holiness of God, but the purity he requires in his worshippers.
Besides, the whole scope and design of the chapter prove that no soul can possibly approach this holy and terrible Being but through a mediator; and this is the use made of this whole transaction by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews xii. 18-24.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 16-25 - Never was there such a sermon preached, before or since, as this whic was preached to the church in the wilderness. It might be supposed tha the terrors would have checked presumption and curiosity in the people but the hard heart of an unawakened sinner can trifle with the mos terrible threatenings and judgments. In drawing near to God, we mus never forget his holiness and greatness, nor our own meanness an pollution. We cannot stand in judgment before him according to his righteous law. The convinced transgressor asks, What must I do to be saved? and he hears the voice, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, an thou shalt be saved. The Holy Ghost, who made the law to convince of sin, now takes of the things of Christ, and shows them to us. In the gospel we read, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. We have redemption through his blood, eve the forgiveness of sins. Through him we are justified from all things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses. But the Divine law is binding as a rule of life. The Son of God came down from heaven, and suffered poverty, shame, agony, and death, not only to redeem us from its curse, but to bind us more closely to keep it commands __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ויוצא 3318 משׁה 4872 את 853 העם 5971 לקראת 7125 האלהים 430 מן 4480 המחנה 4264 ויתיצבו 3320 בתחתית 8482 ההר׃ 2022
