Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
6 . And ye (emph.)] in contrast to the other nations.
a kingdom of priests ] i.e. a kingdom whose citizens are all priests, living wholly in God’s service, and ever enjoying the right of access to Him. Comp., of the ideal future, Isa 61:6; and in the NT., of Christians, 1Pe 2:5; 1Pe 2:9, Rev 1:6; Rev 5:10; Rev 20:6.
an holy nation ] separated from other nations, and holy to Jehovah. The expression implies not a promised privilege only, but also a duty: Israel, enjoying this privilege, is also (as is developed more fully in Dt.) under the obligation to make it a reality, to keep itself free from everything heathen, and fulfil the ideal of a holy nation upon earth. The expression is taken up in Dt. in the form ‘a holy people,’ Deu 7:6; Deu 14:2; Deu 14:21; Deu 26:19; cf. Isa 62:12 (the ideal of the future), 1Pe 2:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A kingdom of priests – Israel collectively is a royal and priestly race: a dynasty of priests, each true member uniting in himself the attributes of a king and priest. Compare 1Pe 2:5; Rev 1:6.
An holy nation – The holiness of Israel consisted in its special consecration to God: it was a sacred nation, sacred by adoption, by covenant, and by participation in all means of grace. Compare Deu 7:6; Deu 26:19; Deu 28:9; 1Co 3:17; 1Th 5:27.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. And a holy nation.] They should be a nation, one people; firmly united among themselves, living under their own laws; and powerful, because united, and acting under the direction and blessing of God. They should be a holy nation, saved from their sins, righteous in their conduct, holy in their hearts; every external rite being not only a significant ceremony, but also a means of conveying light and life, grace and peace, to every person who conscientiously used it. Thus they should be both a kingdom, having God for their governor; and a nation, a multitude of peoples connected together; not a scattered, disordered, and disorganized people, but a royal nation, using their own rites, living under their own laws, subject in religious matters only to God, and in things civil, to every ordinance of man for God’s sake.
This was the spirit and design of this wonderful institution, which could not receive its perfection but under the Gospel, and has its full accomplishment in every member of the mystical body of Christ.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
A kingdom of priests; so they are called in regard,
1. Of their exemption and separation from all the people of the world, as priests are taken out of the multitude of men.
2. Of their consecration to the worship and service of God, every subject of this kingdom being in some sort a priest to offer some kind of sacrifices to God,
3. Of their privileges, because God conferred upon them singular honour, safety, and immunity, and liberty of coming near to him, as priests among all nations have been esteemed privileged persons. An holy nation, purged from the idolatry and other abominations of the heathen world, and separated from them by a avail of partition; allied to me by a holy covenant, and consecrated to my use and service.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. ye shall be unto me a kingdom ofpriestsAs the priestly order was set apart from the commonmass, so the Israelites, compared with other people, were to sustainthe same near relation to God; a community of spiritual sovreigns.
an holy nationsetapart to preserve the knowledge and worship of God.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests,…. Instead of being in a state of servitude and bondage, as they had been in Egypt, they should be erected into a kingdom, become a body politic, a free state, a commonwealth governed by its own laws, and those laws of God’s making; yea, they should be a kingdom to him, and he be more immediately the king of them, as he was not of others, the government of Israel being a Theocracy; and this kingdom should consist of men that were priests, who had access to God, served him, and offered sacrifice to him; or of men greatly esteemed and honoured, as priests were in those times. Jarchi interprets it, a kingdom of princes, as the word sometimes signifies: the subjects of this kingdom were princes, men of a princely spirit, and these princes, like those of the king of Babylon, who boasted they were altogether kings; and like the Roman senators, of whom the ambassador of Pyrrhus said, that he saw at Rome as many kings as he saw senators. And so here all the Targums render it, “kings and priests”: to which reference seems to be had not only in 1Pe 2:9 but in Re 1:6, they were kings when they got the victory, as in the times of Joshua, over the several kings of Canaan, and had their kingdoms divided among them; and before the priesthood was settled in the family of Aaron, every head of a family in Israel was a priest; and they were all priests at the passover, as Philo i observes: and so the spiritual Israel of God are kings and priests; they are kings, having the power and riches of kings; having got through Christ the victory over sin, Satan, and the world; and being possessed of the kingdom of grace, and heirs of the kingdom of glory; and priests, being allowed to draw nigh to God, to present themselves, souls and bodies, a holy and living sacrifice, to offer to him the sacrifices of prayer and praise through Christ, by whom they become acceptable to him: “and an holy nation”; being separated from all others, and devoted to the worship and service of God, having holy laws, and holy ordinances, and a holy service, and a holy place to perform it in, and holy persons to attend unto it, as they afterwards had. In allusion to this, the spiritual Israel, or people of God, are also called so, 1Pe 2:9 being chosen unto holiness, redeemed from all iniquity, called with an holy calling, sanctified by the blood of Christ, and made holy by the Spirit of God, and under the influence of his grace live holy lives and conversations:
these are the words thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel: what he would have them do, and they were bound to do in a way of duty to him, and what he in a way of grace would do for them, and they should be unto him,
i De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 686.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. And ye shall be unto me. He points out more clearly, and more at length, how the Israelites will be precious unto God; viz., because they will be for “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” By these words, he implies that they will be endowed with sacerdotal as well as royal honors; as much as to say, that they would not only be free, but also like kings, if they persevered in faith and obedience, since no kingdom is more desirable, or more happy, than to be the subjects of God. Moreover, he calls this “an holy kingdom,” because all the kingdoms of the world were then in heathenism; for the genitive, according to the usual idiom of the language, is put for an adjective, as if he had said, that they would enjoy not merely an earthly and transitory dominion, but also a sacred and heavenly one. Others understand it passively, that God would be their king; whilst mortals, and for the most part cruel tyrants, would rule over other nations. Though I do not altogether reject this sense, yet I rather prefer the other, to which also St. Peter leads us: for when the Jews, who by their refusal of Christ had departed from the covenant, still improperly gloried in this title, he claims this honor for the members of Christ only, saying, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,” etc. (1Pe 2:9.) But the passive sense would not accord with these words, viz., that believers are subject to the priesthood of God, for the Apostle gracefully applies the words to take away the unacceptableness of novelty; as if he had said, God formerly promised to our fathers that they should be to Him for a royal priesthood. This privilege all, who separate themselves from Christ the Head, falsely lay claim to, since He alone makes us a royal priesthood. Meanwhile he teaches, by this apparent adaptation of the words, that what had been spoken by Moses is actually fulfilled. And, in fact, Christ appeared invested with the kingdom and the priesthood, that He might confer both of these privileges upon His members; whence it follows, that whosoever divorce themselves from Him, are unworthy of either honor, and are justly deprived of them. The nation is here called holy, not with reference to their piety or personal holiness, but as set apart from others by God by special privilege. Yet on this kind of sanctification the other depends, viz., that they who are exalted by God’s favor should cultivate holiness, and thus on their part sanctify God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) A kingdom of priests.All of them both kings and priests unto Godkings as lords over themselves, equals one to another, owing allegiance to God onlypriests, as entitled to draw near to God in prayer without an intermediary, to bring Him their offerings, pay Him their vows, and hold communion with Him in heart and soul. The same privileges are declared by St. Peter (1Pe. 2:9) and St. John (Rev. 1:6) to belong to all Christians, who in this respect, as in so many others, are now the Israel of God (Gal. 6:16).
An holy nation.It is not the duty of personal, but the privilege of official, holiness that is here intended. Each Israelite was to be as near to God, as fully entitled to approach Him, as the priests of other nations either were or thought themselves. Personal holiness was the natural and fitting outcome from this official holiness; but it is not here spoken of. God has, however, previously required it of Israel by the words If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant (Exo. 19:5).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. A kingdom of priests The Septuagint renders, a royal priesthood, and the Vulgate, a sacerdotal kingdom, and both these ideas seem to inhere in the phrase . Jehovah proposes to make his chosen people a royal and priestly race . They will be royal, or regal, in character, because sons of the living God, and conceived as reigning with him; they will be priestly, because, like a dynasty of priests, they will be the representatives and teachers of religion . To fulfil this lofty destiny it was necessary that they also be a holy nation, pure and clean in character and life; not merely set apart, or consecrated to God, but also cleansed from all moral pollution .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 19:6. A kingdom of priests, and, &c. The latter clause seems explicative of the former; and might be rendered, even an holy nation; a nation separated and set apart by me, and for my service, as priests are separated; and so, from their relation to GOD, called holy: and, as priests were to be holy in themselves, as well as relatively holy; so were the Israelites set apart, not only to preserve the knowledge of the true God, but to shew their improvement of that knowledge by their own becoming practice and experience. In the former ages of the world, we have observed, the royal and priestly offices were commonly united in the same person.
The expression here may probably allude to this particular; as, no doubt, it is to this distinguished separation of the Israelites, that St. Peter in his 1st Epistle, and St. John in the Revelation, allude, when they call Christians a chosen generation,a royal priesthood,an holy nation,a peculiar people,kings and priests unto God. Houbigant renders it, Exo 19:5. Ye shall be a people peculiar to me above all others.Exo 19:6. Ye shall be unto me a priestly kingdom, and an holy nation: God hereby, says he, signified, on one part, that he would be the future guide and protector of the Israelites; and that he would constitute a theocracy on the other part; that the people should be so engaged to him by religion, as the priests then were; and that the Israelites should be so distinguished from other people, as the priests were distinguished from other men.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 19:6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
Ver. 6. A kingdom of priests. ] A holy state, such as shall be all satiated with fatness. Jer 31:14 See Trapp on “ 1Pe 2:9 “ See Trapp on “ Rev 1:6 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
kingdom of priests. Not the genitive of character (App-17), which would be priestly kingdom. But by the Figure of speech Antiptosis (App-6) = “a royal priesthood”, as explained in 1Pe 2:9. The whole nation being a priest with respect to other nations, as the tribe of Levi for Israel. Now in abeyance, because Israel did not fulfil the condition in Exo 19:5. But in the future it will be realised (Isa 61:6; Isa 66:21).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
a kingdom: Deu 33:2-4, Isa 61:6, Rom 12:1, 1Pe 2:5, 1Pe 2:9, Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10, Rev 20:6
and an: Lev 11:44, Lev 11:45, Lev 19:2, Lev 20:24, Lev 20:26, Lev 21:7, Lev 21:8, Lev 21:23, Deu 7:6, Deu 26:19, Deu 28:9, Isa 62:12, 1Co 3:17, 1Th 5:27, 1Pe 1:15, 1Pe 1:16
Reciprocal: Gen 17:7 – and to Gen 34:7 – wrought Exo 4:22 – Israel Exo 6:7 – will take Exo 15:16 – which thou Exo 22:31 – holy Exo 28:2 – glory Exo 33:16 – separated Lev 22:32 – hallow you Lev 26:12 – will be Lev 26:45 – for their Num 16:3 – all the Num 23:9 – dwell alone Deu 4:20 – a people Deu 14:2 – General Deu 26:18 – And the Deu 29:12 – thou shouldest Deu 32:9 – the Lord’s Deu 33:3 – he loved Jdg 20:7 – ye are all 1Sa 10:1 – his inheritance 1Sa 12:12 – when the Lord 1Sa 12:22 – it hath 2Sa 7:23 – went 2Sa 20:19 – the inheritance 2Sa 22:14 – thundered 2Sa 23:3 – God 1Ki 3:8 – thy people 1Ki 8:53 – separate 2Ki 17:35 – With whom 1Ch 16:13 – his chosen 1Ch 17:22 – thy people 2Ch 8:9 – But of the 2Ch 13:10 – the Lord Ezr 9:2 – the holy seed Psa 33:12 – Blessed Psa 50:7 – O my Psa 68:10 – Thy congregation Psa 74:12 – God Psa 114:2 – General Psa 135:4 – his peculiar Psa 148:14 – a people Isa 26:2 – righteous Isa 41:8 – thou Isa 43:1 – thou art mine Isa 43:4 – precious Isa 45:4 – Jacob Isa 51:4 – O my Isa 63:8 – Surely Isa 66:21 – General Jer 2:3 – holiness Jer 7:23 – Obey Jer 13:11 – I caused Jer 51:19 – the rod Eze 20:12 – I am Eze 23:4 – they were Hos 2:1 – Ammi Amo 3:2 – only Amo 6:1 – named Zec 2:12 – inherit Mal 2:11 – profaned Mat 20:2 – he had Mat 21:43 – a nation Tit 2:14 – peculiar Heb 8:10 – they shall
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 19:6. A kingdom of priests, a holy nation All the Israelites, if compared with other people, were priests unto God, so near were they to him, so much employed in his immediate service, and such intimate communion they had with him. The tendency of the laws given them was to distinguish them from others, and engage them for God as a holy nation. Thus all believers are, through Christ, made to our God kings and priests, (Rev 1:6,) a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, 1Pe 2:9.