And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.
The thick cloud prohibits curious enquiries into secret things and commands awful adoration of what is revealed. God comes down visibly so the people see His glory and are convinced He is among them. This honours Moses especially: when they hear God speak to him and see it with their own eyes, they will believe him forever.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 19:9-15
And Moses went down from the mount unto the people,.... The same day that he went up, the fourth day of the month: and sanctified the people; instructed them and ordered them what they should do for their sanctification, in order to their hearing the law from the mouth of the Lord: and they washed their clothes; as the Lord had directed Moses to enjoin...
God prepares the people through sanctification: washing of body and clothes, and abstaining from conjugal intercourse because defilement attends it. He sets bounds round the mountain itself with death as the penalty for any who touch even its outermost edge, until the long trumpet blast signals that they may ascend.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 19:10-15