And is the usual conjunction waw, but here it marks the next event in sequence. So New Revised Standard Version and others begin with “Then.” Good News Translation connects this with the last part of verse 20 in order to avoid repeating Moses: “and the LORD said to him.” Contemporary English Version deals with this problem by placing Moses’ name at the beginning of the quote: “Then he said, ‘Moses, ….’ ”
Go down is a command to Moses that emphasizes again the vertical movement in this chapter (see verse 20). Warn the people means to “caution” the Israelites (Durham). Revised English Bible adds emphasis to the meaning: “warn the people solemnly.” Other ways to express this are “and strictly warn the people,” “give the people a stern warning that,” or even “Moses, go down and say to the people, ‘I solemnly warn you….’ ” Lest they break through is literally “so that they will not destroy.” They are not to destroy, or break down, the boundary line that Moses was told to mark off in verse 12. So the meaning as expressed by Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version is “Warn the people not to cross the boundary.” Revised English Bible has “that they must not force their way through.” To the LORD refers to the area inside the boundary that is made holy or taboo because Yahweh is there.
To gaze means “in order to see,” or “look at.” Here it refers to looking at the LORD, or Yahweh, which would be the purpose of their crossing the “boundary.” Since Yahweh is the one speaking, Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have “to come and look at me.” And many of them perish gives the consequence or punishment if the warning is not obeyed. An American Translation has “or else they will fall,” since perish literally means “to fall.” But here the idea is similar to falling in battle, so Good News Translation has “many of them will die.” Contemporary English Version has “They must not cross it [the boundary] to come and look at me, because if they do, many of them will die.”
An alternative translation model for this verse, using direct speech throughout, is the following:
• Then the LORD [or, Yahweh] said, “Moses, go and strictly warn the people, saying, ‘Do not cross the boundary at the foot of the mountain to go and look at Yahweh. If you [plural] do, many of you will die.’ ”
Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .