Exodus 19:15
ESV
And he said to the people, "Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman."
NIV
Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations."
NASB
He also said to the people, 'Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.'
CSB
He said to the people, "Be prepared by the third day. Do not have sexual relations with women."
NLT
He told them, 'Get ready for the third day, and until then abstain from having sexual intercourse.'
KJV
And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.
NKJV
And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.”
What does Exodus 19:15 mean?
God is giving instructions to the nation of Israel through His spokesman, Moses (Exodus 19:1–3). The people have a few days to prepare to receive a covenant with the Lord (Exodus 19:4–6). In that time, they are to wash their clothes and consecrate themselves (Exodus 19:7–11, 14). These acts involve cleanliness and a deliberate "setting apart" from the world. This is how God's laws for the nation of Israel are meant to function (Leviticus 20:26; 1 Kings 8:53). The Lord has also created a boundary around Mount Sinai, where Moses meets Him. No person nor animal may go there without God's invitation, on penalty of death (Exodus 19:12–13).Another part of the consecration was abstinence from sex. This does not imply that sexuality itself is sinful; God created sex as a natural part of marriage between male and female (Genesis 1:27–28; 2:24–25). A few days' abstinence was part of devoting everything the people had to God. For those days, nothing was to matter more than preparing to receive His laws.
