The Bible — World English Bible
Exodus 24
In brief
Exodus 24 tells of the solemn conclusion of the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai. Moses reports God's words, and the people answer with one voice that they will do everything the Lord has said. He writes down the law, builds an altar, offers sacrifices and sprinkles blood on the altar and on the people. Then Moses, Aaron, his sons and seventy elders go up, see the God of Israel and eat in his presence. Moses enters the cloud alone and stays on the mountain forty days.
The chapter in 4 parts
1He said to Moses, “Come up to Yahweh, you, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship from a distance.
2Moses alone shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near. The people shall not go up with him.”
3Moses came and told the people all Yahweh’s words, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which Yahweh has spoken will we do.”
4Moses wrote all Yahweh’s words, then rose up early in the morning and built an altar at the base of the mountain, with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
5He sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of cattle to Yahweh.
6Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
7He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that Yahweh has said, and be obedient.”
8Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”
9Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.
10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.
11He didn’t lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.
12Yahweh said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and stay here, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commands that I have written, that you may teach them.”
13Moses rose up with Joshua, his servant, and Moses went up onto God’s Mountain.
14He said to the elders, “Wait here for us, until we come again to you. Behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever is involved in a dispute can go to them.”
15Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16Yahweh’s glory settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. The seventh day he called to Moses out of the middle of the cloud.
17The appearance of Yahweh’s glory was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18Moses entered into the middle of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Key verses
Moses came and told the people all Yahweh’s words, and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, “All the words which Yahweh has spoken will we do.”
The people answer with one voice that they will do everything the Lord has said. The commitment is sincere, but chapter 32 will soon show how fragile it is.
He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “We will do all that Yahweh has said, and be obedient.”
Moses reads the book of the covenant to the people, who promise to obey. The covenant rests on a written word, known to all, and on the people's response.
Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Look, this is the blood of the covenant, which Yahweh has made with you concerning all these words.”
Moses sprinkles the blood on the people, saying that it is the blood of the covenant. Jesus takes up this expression at the Last Supper to speak of his own blood.
He didn’t lay his hand on the nobles of the children of Israel. They saw God, and ate and drank.
The leaders see God and eat before him without dying. The meal shows a communion with God made possible by the covenant and by the blood.
Moses entered into the middle of the cloud, and went up on the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Moses enters the cloud and stays forty days and forty nights on the mountain, to receive God's instructions, including those for the tabernacle.
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Frequently asked questions about Exodus 24
What does the blood of the covenant mean in Exodus 24:8?
Moses sprinkles the blood of the sacrifices on the people, saying that it is the blood of the covenant. The blood seals the commitment between God and Israel. Jesus takes up this expression at the Last Supper, and Christians understand his blood as that of a new covenant.
What do the elders of Israel see in Exodus 24?
In verse 10, Moses, Aaron, his sons and seventy elders see the God of Israel, with something like a paved work of brilliant stone under his feet. They eat and drink before him without being struck down. The text stresses God's grace, which welcomes his people to his table.
Why does Moses stay forty days on the mountain?
After the sacrifice and the meal, God calls Moses from the midst of the cloud. He goes up to the summit and stays there forty days and forty nights. He receives the tablets of the law and the instructions for building the tabernacle, which fill the following chapters of Exodus.
Articles quoting Exodus 24
World English Bible translation — public domain.