Exodus 24

Introduction

Exodus 24 is one of the most extraordinary chapters in the entire Old Testament. It records the formal ratification of the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai — a ceremony involving blood, a written document, a public oath, and a sacred meal in the very presence of God. Everything that has preceded this chapter — the deliverance from Egypt, the crossing of the sea, the journey through the wilderness, the giving of the law in chapters 20-23 — has been building toward this moment. Here the relationship between God and Israel is solemnized with the gravity and permanence of an ancient Near Eastern covenant ceremony, yet with elements that have no parallel in any human treaty: the blood is thrown on the people, binding them bodily to their oath, and then their leaders ascend the mountain and see God face to face without perishing.

The chapter divides into four distinct movements: the people's unanimous affirmation of the covenant and Moses' writing of it (vv. 1-3), the blood ritual that seals the covenant (vv. 4-8), the astonishing theophany in which the elders see God and share a meal in his presence (vv. 9-11), and Moses' ascent into the glory cloud for forty days to receive the stone tablets (vv. 12-18). The theological weight of this chapter is immense. The phrase "blood of the covenant" in v. 8 is taken up directly by Jesus at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20) and expounded at length in Hebrews 9:18-22. The vision of God on the sapphire pavement (vv. 9-10) raises profound questions about how mortals can see God and live — a tension the text itself acknowledges in v. 11. And Moses' forty-day sojourn on the mountain foreshadows both Elijah's forty-day journey to the same mountain (1 Kings 19:8) and Jesus' forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2).

The People Affirm the Covenant (vv. 1-3)

Notes

• The chapter opens with an instruction that is somewhat chronologically dislocated. The command in vv. 1-2 for Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders to ascend is not carried out until v. 9, after the blood ceremony. Verses 1-2 provide the divine directive; vv. 3-8 describe the preparation and ratification; vv. 9-11 narrate the ascent. This arrangement is typical of Hebrew narrative, which sometimes gives the command first and then fills in intervening events before reporting its execution.

• נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא ("Nadab and Abihu") — These are the two eldest sons of Aaron (Exodus 6:23). Their presence here, in the glory of this covenant moment, makes their later story all the more tragic: in Leviticus 10:1-2, they offer "unauthorized fire" before the LORD and are consumed. The very men who saw God and ate in his presence will later die for approaching him wrongly. Their inclusion here underscores both the privilege and the peril of proximity to the holy God.

• וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם מֵרָחֹק ("and worship from a distance") — Even those privileged to ascend must worship מֵרָחֹק ("from afar"). There are degrees of access: the people remain at the base, the elders and Aaron's sons may ascend but must keep their distance, and Moses alone may approach the LORD. This graded holiness — concentric circles of access around the divine presence — will become the architectural principle of the tabernacle and later the temple, with its outer court, inner court, Holy Place, and Most Holy Place.

• הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים ("the ordinances") — The word מִשְׁפָּט (plural מִשְׁפָּטִים) means "judgments, rulings, ordinances." This refers to the case laws and regulations in Exodus 21-Exodus 23, sometimes called the "Book of the Covenant" or the Covenant Code. The דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה ("words of the LORD") likely refers to the Ten Commandments and the broader covenant stipulations, while the מִשְׁפָּטִים are the specific legal applications. Together they form the content of the covenant that Israel is being asked to accept.

• נַעֲשֶׂה ("we will do") — This is the Qal imperfect first person common plural of עָשָׂה ("to do, to make"). The people's response is emphatic and unanimous: קוֹל אֶחָד ("with one voice"). There is no dissent, no hesitation. This first declaration — "we will do" — will be expanded in v. 7 to נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע ("we will do and we will hear/obey"). The Jewish tradition treasures this moment as Israel's supreme act of faith — committing to obedience even before fully understanding all that would be required.

The Covenant Ratified with Blood (vv. 4-8)

Notes

• וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה ("And Moses wrote") — This is one of the earliest explicit references to Moses writing down the words of God. The verb כָּתַב ("to write") indicates a formal, deliberate act of inscription. What Moses writes becomes סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית ("the Book of the Covenant") in v. 7 — a written document that serves as the textual basis for the covenant. Ancient Near Eastern treaty practice required a written text to be deposited and read publicly; the Sinai covenant follows this pattern. The content of this "Book of the Covenant" most likely corresponds to the laws given in Exodus 20:22-Exodus 23:33.

• מִזְבֵּחַ ("altar") and מַצֵּבָה ("standing stone, pillar") — Moses builds one altar and twelve מַצֵּבֹת (pillars). The altar represents God's side of the covenant; the twelve pillars represent the twelve tribes — the human parties. Together they form a visual enactment of the covenant relationship. The word מַצֵּבָה comes from the root נָצַב ("to stand, be set up") and refers to an upright stone erected as a memorial or marker. Jacob set up a מַצֵּבָה at Bethel (Genesis 28:18) and at Rachel's tomb (Genesis 35:20). Later Israelite law will prohibit standing stones associated with pagan worship (Deuteronomy 16:22), but here they serve a legitimate commemorative function within covenant ceremony.

• נַעֲרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ("the young men of the sons of Israel") — Moses sends נְעָרִים ("young men") to perform the sacrifices rather than priests. This is significant because the Aaronic priesthood has not yet been formally established — that will come in Exodus 28-Exodus 29. Some commentators suggest these were firstborn sons, who held a priestly role before the Levitical system was instituted (cf. Exodus 13:2, Numbers 3:12-13). Others see them simply as young men chosen for the physical labor of animal sacrifice.

• עֹלֹת ("burnt offerings") and זְבָחִים שְׁלָמִים ("peace offerings") — Two types of sacrifice are offered. The עֹלָה ("burnt offering," from עָלָה, "to go up") is entirely consumed on the altar — it "goes up" as smoke to God, expressing total consecration and atonement. The שְׁלָמִים ("peace offerings," related to שָׁלוֹם, "peace, wholeness") are shared meals: part goes on the altar, part to the priest, and part is eaten by the worshippers. The combination of both types is fitting: the burnt offering consecrates the covenant, and the peace offering seals it with a communal meal — the same pattern seen in the covenant meal of vv. 9-11.

• חֲצִי הַדָּם ("half of the blood") — The blood is divided into two equal portions. Half is thrown against the altar (representing God), and half is thrown on the people. The two halves of blood bind the two parties of the covenant together. The blood on the altar consecrates the covenant to God; the blood on the people consecrates the people to God. In ancient Near Eastern covenant rituals, the parties would sometimes pass between the halves of slaughtered animals (cf. Genesis 15:9-17), invoking a self-curse: "May I be cut in pieces like these animals if I break this covenant." Here, the blood rather than the carcasses serves as the bonding agent.

• זָרַק ("he threw, he splattered") — The verb זָרַק means "to throw, to toss, to dash" and describes a vigorous flinging of liquid, not a gentle sprinkling. This is the same verb used for the priestly manipulation of sacrificial blood in Levitical ritual (Leviticus 1:5, Leviticus 3:2). The people are physically marked by the blood — it touches their bodies, binding them to the covenant in a tangible, visceral way. I have translated it "threw" to preserve the forceful quality of the Hebrew.

• סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית ("the Book of the Covenant") — The sequence is carefully ordered: (1) the covenant terms are spoken (v. 3); (2) the people agree verbally; (3) Moses writes the terms down (v. 4a); (4) the altar and pillars are erected (v. 4b); (5) sacrifices are offered and blood collected (vv. 5-6); (6) the written document is read aloud (v. 7a); (7) the people affirm again, this time with the expanded formula (v. 7b); (8) the blood is applied to the people (v. 8). This careful ritual sequence demonstrates that the covenant is not casual or impulsive but deliberate, public, and binding.

• נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע ("we will do and we will obey") — This expanded form of the people's oath adds נִשְׁמָע (Qal imperfect first person common plural of שָׁמַע, "to hear, to obey") to the earlier נַעֲשֶׂה ("we will do"). The order is striking: "we will do" comes before "we will hear/obey." In the rabbinic tradition (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 88a), this is celebrated as Israel's supreme act of trust — they committed to action before fully hearing all the implications, placing obedience before understanding. The word שָׁמַע encompasses both hearing and obeying; to truly "hear" God's word in Hebrew is to act on it.

• הִנֵּה דַם הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם ("Behold, the blood of the covenant that the LORD has cut with you") — This is the theological climax of the passage. The word הִנֵּה ("behold") calls attention to something momentous. דַם הַבְּרִית ("blood of the covenant") is a phrase that occurs only here in the Old Testament and is taken up directly by Jesus at the Last Supper. The verb כָּרַת ("to cut") is the standard Hebrew idiom for making a covenant — literally "to cut a covenant" — reflecting the ancient practice of cutting animals in a covenant ceremony (cf. Genesis 15:18). The blood ratifies the covenant; it is the seal that makes it binding and irrevocable.

• The christological significance of this passage is profound. At the Last Supper, Jesus takes the cup and says, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). The Greek phrase to haima mou tes diathekes directly echoes the Septuagint rendering of Exodus 24:8. Jesus is identifying himself as the sacrifice whose blood ratifies a new covenant — not between God and one nation but between God and all who believe. The author of Hebrews makes this connection explicit: "Not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood" (Hebrews 9:18), and then quotes Exodus 24:8 directly in Hebrews 9:20: "This is the blood of the covenant that God has commanded for you." Hebrews goes on to argue that if animal blood could consecrate the old covenant, how much more does the blood of Christ purify the conscience and inaugurate an eternal covenant (Hebrews 9:13-14, Hebrews 9:22-28). The pattern established here — covenant ratified through blood, read from a book, affirmed by the people — is the template that the New Testament authors use to interpret the cross.

Interpretations

The relationship between this "old" covenant and the "new" covenant announced by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34) and inaugurated by Christ has been understood differently across Christian traditions. Covenant theology (prominent in Reformed traditions) sees the Sinai covenant as one administration of a single covenant of grace that runs from Genesis to Revelation; the Mosaic covenant and the new covenant differ in form but share the same underlying substance. The blood of Exodus 24 and the blood of Christ are typologically connected — the former pointing forward to the latter. Dispensational theology draws a sharper distinction between the Mosaic covenant (conditional, law-based, given specifically to national Israel) and the new covenant (unconditional, grace-based, given to the church). In this view, the Sinai covenant has been superseded, not merely renewed. New Covenant theology takes a middle position, arguing that the Mosaic law as a covenant has ended but that the moral reality behind it continues under the law of Christ. All traditions agree on the typological connection between the blood of Exodus 24 and the blood of Christ; they differ on how the covenants themselves relate to one another.

The Elders See God (vv. 9-11)

Notes

• וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל ("and they saw the God of Israel") — The verb רָאָה ("to see") is used plainly and without qualification. The text states, with breathtaking simplicity, that seventy-four human beings saw God. This creates an immediate tension with passages that insist no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20, John 1:18). The text does not resolve this tension; it simply reports what happened. Notably, the description focuses on what was beneath God's feet — the sapphire pavement — rather than on God's form directly. The vision is real but still mediated; they see God's presence without a full, unfiltered revelation of his glory.

• כְּמַעֲשֵׂה לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר ("like a pavement of sapphire stone") — The word מַעֲשֶׂה means "work, craftsmanship, something made," and לִבְנָה likely means "pavement" or "brickwork" (related to לְבֵנָה, "brick"). The סַפִּיר ("sapphire") in the ancient world probably referred to lapis lazuli — a deep blue stone flecked with gold — rather than the transparent blue gemstone known as sapphire today. The vision of a brilliant blue pavement beneath God's feet evokes the sky seen from above — as if the elders are looking at the floor of heaven itself. Ezekiel's later vision of the divine throne uses strikingly similar language: "above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire stone" (Ezekiel 1:26).

• וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם לָטֹהַר ("like the very heavens for purity") — The word עֶצֶם means "bone, substance, essence" — it carries the sense of the very thing itself, its essential nature. טֹהַר means "purity, clearness, brilliance." The pavement was like the substance of the sky in its purity — radiant, unblemished, luminous. The combined image suggests something beyond ordinary sensory description: a surface of deep blue clarity, transparent as the heavens on the clearest day. The language strains at the limits of what human words can describe, which is exactly the point — the elders are seeing something that transcends normal experience.

• וְאֶל אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ ("against the nobles of the sons of Israel he did not stretch out his hand") — The word אֲצִילִים ("nobles") is rare, occurring only here and in a few other places. Some scholars derive it from אָצַל ("to set aside, reserve"), suggesting these are the "set-apart" or "chosen" ones. The phrase לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ ("he did not stretch out his hand") implies that such an action would have been expected — seeing God should have been fatal. The text marvels that they survived. God restrained his hand; the vision was an act of grace, not a natural right. The implication is that under normal circumstances, this sight would have destroyed them.

• וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים ("they beheld God") — The verb here shifts from רָאָה in v. 10 to חָזָה ("to behold, to gaze, to perceive in a vision") in v. 11. The verb חָזָה is often associated with prophetic vision and carries a more contemplative, sustained quality of seeing than the basic רָאָה. The elders did not merely catch a glimpse — they gazed, they beheld, they took in the vision. And in that state of beholding, they ate and drank.

• וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ ("and they ate and drank") — This is a covenant meal in the presence of God. Eating and drinking together was a standard element of ancient Near Eastern covenant ceremonies (cf. Genesis 26:30, Genesis 31:46, Genesis 31:54). The meal ratifies the relationship and celebrates its establishment. But the extraordinary element here is the location: they eat and drink while beholding God. This is communion in its most literal and primal sense — a shared meal between God and his covenant partners. The theological trajectory points forward to the fellowship offerings of the tabernacle, to the Passover meal, and ultimately to the Lord's Supper, where believers eat and drink in the presence of Christ under the new covenant.

Interpretations

The nature of what the elders "saw" has been extensively debated. Some interpreters, following Maimonides and other Jewish rationalists, understand the vision as entirely prophetic or mental — they perceived God's glory in a visionary state but did not see God's actual form. Others, including many patristic and Reformed commentators, take the text at face value: they saw a genuine theophany, a real manifestation of God's presence in visible form, though not the fullness of God's essence (which remains invisible, per 1 Timothy 6:16). The text's focus on what was beneath God's feet rather than on God's face or form may suggest that they saw God's glory from below — the underside of heaven, as it were — without seeing God's face directly. This would be consistent with Exodus 33:20-23, where God allows Moses to see his "back" but not his face. Christian interpreters have also seen in this passage a foreshadowing of the beatific vision — the promise that the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8) — and of the eschatological banquet where the redeemed will feast in God's presence (Revelation 19:9).

Moses Ascends into the Glory Cloud (vv. 12-18)

Notes

• לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן ("the tablets of stone") — The word לֻחֹת (plural of לוּחַ) means "tablets, flat surfaces for writing." These are stone tablets inscribed by God himself — אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי ("which I have written"). The divine authorship of the tablets is emphasized: these are not Moses' words about God but God's own words written by God's own finger (Exodus 31:18, Exodus 32:16). The phrase וְהַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוָה ("the law and the commandment") may refer to the content inscribed on the tablets or to additional instruction God will give Moses during the forty days (the tabernacle instructions of chapters 25-31). The word תּוֹרָה here means "instruction, teaching" (from יָרָה, "to throw, to direct, to teach"), and מִצְוָה means "commandment" (from צָוָה, "to command").

• לְהוֹרֹתָם ("for their instruction") — This Hiphil infinitive construct of יָרָה reveals the purpose of the written law: it is given לְהוֹרֹתָם — "to instruct them," "to teach them." The law is not given as an arbitrary test of obedience but as instruction for life. This didactic purpose connects the tablets to the broader concept of תּוֹרָה — a word that fundamentally means "instruction" or "direction" rather than "law" in the narrow legal sense.

• יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מְשָׁרְתוֹ ("Joshua his servant") — Joshua appears here for the first time as Moses' personal attendant. The word מְשָׁרֵת (Piel participle of שָׁרַת) means "minister, attendant, one who serves." This is a different word from עֶבֶד ("slave, servant"); מְשָׁרֵת connotes honored, close service — the role of an aide or apprentice to a leader. Joshua will later be identified as the one "who did not depart from the tent" (Exodus 33:11). His presence on the mountain — further up than the elders but not as far as Moses — continues the pattern of graded access to God's presence. Joshua's role as Moses' apprentice here prepares him for his later role as Moses' successor (Deuteronomy 31:7-8, Joshua 1:1-9).

• אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר ("Aaron and Hur") — Aaron and Hur are left in charge during Moses' absence. Hur has appeared only once before, in Exodus 17:10-12, where he and Aaron held up Moses' hands during the battle with Amalek. Jewish tradition (Josephus, Antiquities 3.2.4) identifies Hur as the husband of Miriam, Moses' sister, making him Moses' brother-in-law. His pairing with Aaron as a judicial authority suggests he held significant standing in the community. Ironically, when Moses is gone too long and the people demand a golden calf, it is Aaron — not Hur — who complies (Exodus 32:1-4). Some rabbinic traditions suggest Hur opposed the people and was killed, which would explain why Aaron capitulated and why Hur is never mentioned again after this chapter.

• מִי בַעַל דְּבָרִים יִגַּשׁ אֲלֵהֶם ("whoever has a grievance, let him approach them") — The phrase בַּעַל דְּבָרִים literally means "master of words" or "possessor of matters" — an idiom for someone who has a legal case or dispute. This practical instruction reveals that Moses expected to be gone for some time and made provision for governance in his absence. The judicial system set up earlier, at Jethro's suggestion (Exodus 18:13-26), is presumably still in operation, with Aaron and Hur serving as the court of final appeal.

• כְּבוֹד יְהוָה ("the glory of the LORD") — The word כָּבוֹד comes from the root כָּבֵד ("to be heavy, weighty") and means "glory, honor, weight." The glory of the LORD is the visible manifestation of God's presence — not God himself in his essence but the radiant display of his majesty that can be perceived by human senses. Here it is associated with the cloud (עָנָן) and with fire (אֵשׁ). The glory וַיִּשְׁכֹּן ("settled, dwelt") on the mountain — the verb שָׁכַן ("to dwell, to tabernacle") is the root of מִשְׁכָּן ("tabernacle") and שְׁכִינָה (the later rabbinic term for God's dwelling presence). The glory that settles on Sinai will later fill the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35) and ultimately the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

• The six-day waiting period followed by the call on the seventh day echoes the creation pattern of Genesis 1 — six days of divine activity culminating in a climactic seventh. Some commentators see this as deliberate: the giving of the law, like the creation of the world, follows a pattern of divine ordering. The cloud covers the mountain for six days — a period of preparation and purification — before God speaks on the seventh day. Moses, standing in the cloud, waits in God's presence until he is summoned.

• כְּאֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת ("like a consuming fire") — The מַרְאֶה ("appearance, sight") of the glory is compared to אֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת — literally "a fire that devours." The participle אֹכֶלֶת (from אָכַל, "to eat, consume") personifies the fire as something alive and hungry. This is the same language used in Deuteronomy 4:24: "The LORD your God is a consuming fire." From below, the Israelites see the mountaintop ablaze with divine fire. It is both glorious and terrifying — the same God who invited the elders to eat and drink in his presence (v. 11) now manifests as a fire that devours.

• אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה ("forty days and forty nights") — The number forty in the Bible is associated with periods of testing, preparation, and divine encounter. Noah's flood lasted forty days and nights (Genesis 7:12). Moses will spend forty days on the mountain twice — here and again after the golden calf incident (Exodus 34:28). Elijah journeyed forty days to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8). Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). The chapter ends with Moses enveloped in the cloud, on the mountain, for nearly six weeks — a period during which the people below will lose patience and build the golden calf (Exodus 32:1). The narrative thus ends on a note of both intimacy and foreboding: Moses is with God, but the people are left waiting, and their faithfulness will not endure.