Exodus 19:5–6

Context

In the third month after leaving Egypt, the people of Israel arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:1–2). This passage records the words God gave to Moses, who had gone up the mountain, to deliver to the people. In the preceding verse (19:4), God reminds them of what he had done to the Egyptians and of how he "bare you on eagles' wings." Then, in verses 5–6, he proposes the covenant. The people respond that they will do all that the Lord has spoken (19:8). There follow the Ten Commandments (chapter 20) and the ceremony ratifying the covenant (chapter 24). The passage thus serves as the preamble to the Sinai covenant.

The Hebrew word segullah, rendered "peculiar treasure" in the KJV, is understood to denote a specially cherished possession, like treasure that a king keeps set apart for himself.

Interpretation

• Obedience following grace: Many Protestant commentators note that the deliverance (v. 4) precedes the conditional statement (v. 5). They therefore regard obedience not as a condition for obtaining salvation but as a response to grace already received.
• Missional reading: This interpretation holds that, just as a priest mediates between God and human beings, Israel was given the role of standing between the nations and God and making him known. It appeals to the words "for all the earth is mine" as support.
• New Testament application: 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 1:6 apply this language to the church. During the Reformation, Martin Luther developed the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers on the basis of the 1 Peter text, and this passage is read as its Old Testament background.
• Jewish reading: The passage is understood as Israel's calling to live a distinct life by keeping the Torah (the Law).

Debates and Issues

• The church and Israel: Presbyterian and Reformed traditions that follow covenant theology hold that this promise is fulfilled in the church. Dispensationalism distinguishes between Israel and the church; accordingly, some within it regard this passage as a promise to ethnic Israel and anticipate a future fulfillment.
• The nature of the Sinai covenant: Dispensational interpretation holds that the dispensation of law began here. Covenant theology understands the Sinai covenant as one stage in the unfolding of the covenant of grace (see Law and Gospel).
• Appeals to the priesthood of all believers: "A kingdom of priests" is a collective expression referring to the community as a whole. For this reason, some argue that using this passage solely to emphasize the spiritual standing of the individual, or as grounds for rejecting pastoral office, takes it out of context. Understandings of ministry differ among denominations: some churches, such as the Anglican Communion, maintain an ordained priesthood, while other traditions place greater emphasis on the role of the congregation.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the passage is commonly cited together with 1 Peter 2:9, chiefly in sermons addressing the identity of believers, the priesthood of all believers, and mission.

Related Passages

• Exodus 19:4
• Deuteronomy 7:6
• Isaiah 61:6
• 1 Peter 2:5
• 1 Peter 2:9