The Covenant Confirmed
Exodus 24:1-18
Exo.24.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- ואהרן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נדב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואביהוא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושבעים: CONJ+NUM,card,pl,abs
- מזקני: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והשתחויתם: CONJ+VERB,hithpael,perf,2,m,pl
- מרחק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.24:9-11 (structural): Direct continuation of the same scene: Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders go up the mountain and behold God’s presence—same participants and narrative moment.
- Num.11:16-17 (verbal): God commands Moses to bring seventy elders to share leadership and the Spirit; provides background for the presence of the seventy elders in the Sinai assembly.
- Exod.19:3-8 (thematic): Earlier stage of the Sinai covenant context: Moses ascends to God, conveys God’s terms to Israel, and prepares the people and leaders for covenantal encounter with the LORD.
- Josh.24:1-2 (thematic): Covenant/assembly motif: Joshua gathers all the tribes and the elders to renew the covenant—parallels the calling together of Israel’s leaders for a covenantal meeting with God.
Alternative generated candidates
- To Moses he said, Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship from a distance.
- He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel—and you shall worship from a distance.”
Exo.24.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונגש: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבדו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והם: CONJ+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- יגשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- והעם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- יעלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 19:12-13 (verbal): God sets strict boundaries at Sinai and forbids anyone from approaching the mountain—directly parallels the prohibition that only Moses may come near.
- Exodus 33:7-11 (thematic): Describes Moses having unique access to the tent of meeting and speaking with God 'face to face,' echoing the idea that Moses alone approaches Yahweh.
- Leviticus 16:2,17 (structural): Regulates that only the high priest may enter the holy of holies (and that others must not be present), a cultic parallel to one-person access to God's presence.
- Hebrews 9:7 (allusion): New Testament reflection on the Levitical rule that the high priest alone enters the innermost sanctuary once a year—echoes the motif of singular mediatorial access to God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Moses alone shall come near to the LORD; they shall not come near, and the people shall not go up with him.
- Moses alone shall approach the LORD; they shall not approach, and the people shall not go up with him.
Exo.24.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויספר: VERB,piel,impf,3,m,sg
- לעם: PREP
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- המשפטים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- קול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- כל: DET
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
Parallels
- Exod.19.8 (verbal): The people earlier respond in one voice: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do” — the same corporate pledge found here at Sinai, a near-verbatim verbal parallel.
- Exod.24.7 (quotation): Moses reads the Book of the Covenant and the people declare “we will do and we will hear,” an immediate narrative repetition/expansion of the commitment in 24:3.
- Deut.5:27-29 (thematic): After revelation at Sinai the people express willingness to hear and obey God’s words; echoes the covenantal vow to accept and enact God’s commands and the tension about direct divine speech.
- Josh.24:24 (thematic): At the covenant renewal in Shechem the people pledge to serve the LORD and obey his voice — a later corporate commitment that thematically echoes Israel’s original vow in Exodus to do the LORD’s words.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.
- Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances, and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.”
Exo.24.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויכתב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- וישכם: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- בבקר: PREP
- ויבן: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תחת: PREP
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושתים: NUM,card,pl,fem
- עשרה: NUM,card,m,pl
- מצבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשנים: PREP+NUM,card,pl,masc
- עשר: NUM,card,m,sg,cons
- שבטי: NOUN,m,pl,con
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Deut.31.9 (verbal): A later summary that Moses ‘wrote’ the law—parallels Exodus’ statement that Moses wrote all the words of Yahweh (same action and wording).
- Deut.27.2-4 (verbal): Instruction to set up stones on Mount Ebal and write all the words of the law on them—closely parallels writing God’s words and erecting a memorial/monument.
- Josh.24.26 (verbal): After covenant renewal Joshua ‘wrote these words’ in the book of the law and set up a stone—parallels Moses’ writing and erection of a monument for the twelve tribes.
- Gen.12.7 (thematic): Abram builds an altar where God appears—illustrates the recurring motif of building an altar as the mark of divine encounter and covenant.
- Gen.31.46-52 (structural): Jacob and Laban set up a heap of stones and a pillar as a witness to their covenant—parallels the erection of twelve pillars as covenant memorials for the tribes.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
- And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve stone pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exo.24.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישלח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נערי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויעלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עלת: VERB,qal,perf,3,_,pl
- ויזבחו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- זבחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שלמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- פרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Leviticus 1:2-3 (verbal): Instructions for bringing burnt offerings (olah) — parallels the act of offering burnt sacrifices to Yahweh described in Exod 24:5.
- Leviticus 3:1 (verbal): Prescribes the peace (shelamim) offering; connects to Exod 24:5’s reference to Israelites offering peace offerings (oxen) at the covenant ceremony.
- Genesis 15:9-10 (structural): Abram’s covenant ceremony involving the slaughter of animals (cutting a covenant) — parallel ritual pattern of sacrifice as part of covenant ratification.
- Joshua 8:30-31 (thematic): Joshua builds an altar on Mount Ebal and offers burnt offerings and peace offerings — a later covenant/renewal event that echoes the Sinai sacrificial rite in Exod 24.
- Deuteronomy 27:2-7 (thematic): Command to set up stones, write the law, and offer sacrifices on Mount Ebal — another instance of covenant proclamation accompanied by sacrificial worship, paralleling Exod 24:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he sent the young men of the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of bulls to the LORD.
- He sent young men of the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.
Exo.24.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חצי: NOUN,m,sg,const
- הדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וישם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- באגנת: PREP,NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וחצי: CONJ,NOUN,m,sg,const
- הדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- זרק: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- המזבח: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exod.24:8 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation: Moses sprinkles the blood and declares the covenant—directly connected action and result within the same ritual scene.
- Exod.29:12 (verbal): Similar ritual language about taking blood and applying/sprinkling it on the altar as part of consecration ceremonies for priests and the altar.
- Lev.8:15 (verbal): In the priestly consecration Moses sprinkles blood on the altar and on the people—uses the same mode of applying blood to effect covenantal/ritual consecration.
- Lev.16:14-15 (thematic): High‑priestly atonement ritual: blood is sprinkled before the mercy seat and on the holy place—same theological function of blood as purifying/ratifying presence before God.
- Heb.9:19 (quotation): New Testament citation/allusion to Moses' sprinkling of blood on people and book/altar when establishing the covenant; interprets Exodus ritual typologically for Christological argument.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
- Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he dashed against the altar.
Exo.24.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ספר: VERB,piel,impf,3,m,sg
- הברית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמרו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,pl
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- נעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- ונשמע: VERB,qal,imprf,1,_,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 19:8 (verbal): The people earlier respond with the same formula, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do," showing the consistency of Israel’s verbal assent to God's commands.
- Joshua 24:24 (verbal): Joshua reports the people’s declaration, "All that the LORD our God commands we will do," echoing the covenantal pledge language found in Exod 24:7.
- Deuteronomy 29:10-13 (structural): Describes the whole assembly standing before the Lord to enter a covenant and hear the words — a similar covenant-ceremony setting to the reading of the book of the covenant.
- 2 Chronicles 34:31-32 (allusion): During Josiah’s reform the king and people make a covenant to walk after the LORD and keep his commandments after the law is read — a later royal recapitulation of the Exodus covenant-renewal motif.
- Nehemiah 10:28-29 (thematic): Records the people entering into a binding agreement to follow God's law and observe obligations — another post-exilic example of communal covenant commitment like Exod 24:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will listen.
- He took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will heed.”
Exo.24.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויזרק: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- העם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- הנה: PART
- דם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הברית: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כרת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- הדברים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האלה: DEM,pl
Parallels
- Leviticus 17:11 (thematic): Declares that life is in the blood and that blood is used for atonement — theological basis for using blood in covenantal/atoning rites like Exodus 24:8.
- Leviticus 8:30 (structural): Moses sprinkles/besprinkles blood on Aaron, his sons, and their garments during their consecration — parallel ritual action of applying blood to persons.
- Matthew 26:28 (quotation): At the Last Supper Jesus says, “This is my blood of the covenant,” echoing Exodus’ language of ‘the blood of the covenant’ and reinterpreting covenantal blood in Christic terms.
- Hebrews 9:19–20 (quotation): The author explicitly cites Moses’ sprinkling of blood and the formula ‘This is the blood of the covenant,’ applying Exodus 24:8 to argue for the role of blood in covenant enactment and purification.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, Look, the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.
- Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Look, the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Exo.24.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואהרן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נדב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואביהוא: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושבעים: CONJ+NUM,card,pl,abs
- מזקני: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 11:16-17 (structural): God commands Moses to gather seventy elders of Israel—corresponds to the gathering/selection of the seventy who accompany Moses in Exod 24:9.
- Numbers 11:24-25 (verbal): The seventy elders receive the spirit from Moses (and prophesy); this passage explicates the role and spiritual status of the same seventy mentioned in Exod 24:9.
- Exodus 24:1-2 (structural): Immediate narrative context: Moses summons the people and then brings Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders up the mountain—directly continuous with v.9.
- Matthew 17:1 (thematic): Both accounts depict a principal figure ascending a mountain with a select inner circle for a theophany/revelatory encounter (Moses with elders; Jesus with Peter, James, John).
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.
- Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.
Exo.24.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ותחת: PREP
- רגליו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,suff:3,m
- כמעשה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבנת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- הספיר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וכעצם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לטהר: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Exod.24.9-11 (structural): Immediate context: the same scene where Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders ‘see the God of Israel’ and the pavement under his feet is described; ties the sapphire imagery to the covenantal vision and shared meal.
- Ezek.1:26-28 (verbal): Ezekiel’s visionary throne-scene speaks of a likeness of a throne and a sapphire-like appearance/brightness above the firmament, echoing the pavement/sky-like clarity under God’s feet in Exodus.
- Ezek.10:1 (verbal): Ezekiel again uses sapphire/stone imagery in a theophanic context (brightness and precious-stone appearance connected to the divine manifestation), paralleling Exodus’ description of a sapphire pavement beneath God’s feet.
- Rev.4:2-3 (thematic): John’s vision of the heavenly throne describes the One on the throne as having an appearance like precious stones (jasper, carnelian), linking throne imagery and gem-like radiance to the heavenly presence as in Exodus.
- Rev.21:18-19 (allusion): The New Jerusalem’s walls and foundations are described in precious stones (jasper, sapphire among others), reflecting the biblical tradition of depicting the heavenly realm and divine dwelling with gem-like, sky-clear imagery found in Exodus 24:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- And they saw the God of Israel, and beneath his feet was something like the work of a sapphire pavement, like the very heavens for purity.
- They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heavens in clarity.
Exo.24.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- אצילי: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ידו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויחזו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וישתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 32:30 (verbal): Jacob's declaration 'I have seen God face to face' echoes the language and claim of beholding the divine presence (similar motif of seeing God without perishing).
- Genesis 18:1-8 (thematic): Abraham's reception of divine/angelic visitors and the shared meal parallels the covenantal/communal eating imagery—divine presence accompanied by food and drink.
- Judges 13:21-22 (thematic): After seeing the angel of the LORD, Manoah and his wife fear they will die—this contrasts with Exod 24:11 where the elders see God yet do not die, highlighting differing outcomes of theophanies.
- Numbers 12:6-8 (verbal): God's statement that Moses sees 'the similitude of the LORD' and that God speaks 'mouth to mouth' underscores the special mode of revelation and the explicit motif of beholding God's form found in Exod 24:11.
- Exodus 33:11 (structural): Within the same book, Moses' 'face to face' encounters with the LORD parallel the report that the leaders 'saw God,' situating Exod 24:11 within Exodus' broader theme of intimate divine-human vision and speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he did not lay his hand on the nobles of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and they drank.
- Yet he did not stretch out his hand against the nobles of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.
Exo.24.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ההרה: ADJ,f,sg
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- ואתנה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לחת: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- האבן: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והתורה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- והמצוה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- כתבתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- להורתם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 19:20 (structural): Same narrative frame: God summons Moses to ascend Mount Sinai to meet God on the mountain (precedes the giving of covenant instruction).
- Exodus 31:18 (verbal): Repeats the core motif of God giving Moses 'tablets of stone' written by God's hand—closely parallels the promise in 24:12 about the tablets and the law.
- Exodus 34:1 (thematic): God again instructs Moses to prepare (cut) two tablets of stone, continuing the same theme of divine inscription and renewal of the covenantal tablets.
- Deuteronomy 4:13 (allusion): Retells and interprets the Sinai event: the Ten Commandments were declared and written on tablets of stone to teach Israel, echoing the language of 24:12 about law and instruction.
- Deuteronomy 10:1-5 (structural): Narrative follow-up: Moses fashions a second set of stone tablets (after the first were broken) and places them in the ark—directly connected to the tablets promised in Exodus 24:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the law and the commandment that I have written to instruct them.
- The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the law and the commandment that I have written for their instruction.”
Exo.24.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויהושע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משרתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+suff3ms
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exod.19.3 (structural): Moses again 'went up' to the mountain to meet God (Sinai); parallels the action of ascending the mountain to receive revelation.
- Exod.24.9 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same episode: Moses (with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders) goes up the mountain — shows the communal/leadership ascent motif.
- Exod.33.11 (verbal): Explicitly identifies Joshua as Moses' attendant/servant who stays close to Moses in the tent — parallels the designation 'משרתו' (his minister/servant) in Exod.24:13.
- Num.27.18-23 (thematic): God instructs Moses to lay hands on and commission Joshua as his successor and attendant; connects Joshua’s role as Moses’ aide and future leader.
- Deut.34.9 (thematic): Summarizes Joshua’s service to Moses ('was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him'): underscores Joshua’s role as minister and continuity after Moses, echoing his presence with Moses on the mountain.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Moses rose with Joshua his assistant, and Moses went up the mountain of God.
- So Moses rose, along with Joshua his attendant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
Exo.24.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- הזקנים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- שבו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- בזה: PREP+DEM
- עד: PREP
- אשר: PRON,rel
- נשוב: VERB,qal,impf,1,pl
- אליכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- והנה: ADV
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וחור: CONJ+NOUN,prop,m,sg
- עמכם: PREP+PRON,2,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- בעל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יגש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אלהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exod.18:13-26 (thematic): Jethro counsels Moses to appoint capable judges to decide disputes and only bring difficult cases to him — parallels Moses’ instruction to leave Aaron and Hur to handle matters while he goes up the mountain (delegation of judicial authority).
- Exod.24:9-11 (structural): Immediate literary context: Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and the seventy elders accompany Moses on the mountain. Verse 14 follows this scene and explains the elders’ role as those who remain to receive cases in Moses’ absence.
- Num.27:18-23 (thematic): Moses commissions Joshua and sets him before Eleazar and the congregation, transferring authority and instructing others to support him — another instance of delegating leadership and arranging procedures for handling Israel’s affairs.
- Deut.17:8-9 (thematic): Law for difficult legal cases: bring them to the priests or the judge at the place God chooses for final decision. Parallels the practice of referring disputes to designated leaders (here, Aaron and Hur).
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to the elders, Wait for us here until we return to you; and look, Aaron and Hur are with you—whoever has a matter may approach them.
- He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a matter may approach them.”
Exo.24.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויכס: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- הענן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 19:16-20 (verbal): Same Sinai scene earlier: thick cloud, thunder and lightning on the mountain as God summons Moses and speaks to Israel — similar language and setting of divine presence on the mountain.
- Exodus 24:16 (structural): Immediate continuation of v.15: the glory of the LORD rests on Mount Sinai and the cloud covers it — directly linked in sequence and meaning to v.15's cloud covering.
- Exodus 40:34-38 (thematic): The cloud filling the tabernacle and the LORD's glory resting on it echoes the Sinai cloud as a sign of God's presence and guidance among his people.
- Numbers 9:15-23 (thematic): The cloud over the tabernacle functions as a guiding and revealing sign for Israel's movement — develops the Sinai motif of a cloud marking God's dwelling and direction.
- Matthew 17:5 (allusion): At the Transfiguration a bright cloud overshadows the mountain and God's voice is heard — an NT echo of Sinai imagery where a cloud on the mountain signals divine presence and revelation.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
- Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
Exo.24.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישכן: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- סיני: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויכסהו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- הענן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ששת: NUM,m,sg,cons
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביום: PREP
- השביעי: NUM,ord,m,sg,def
- מתוך: PREP
- הענן: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Exodus 19:16-20 (thematic): Describes theophanic signs at Sinai (thunder, smoke, trumpet, cloud) and God descending on the mountain — parallels the cloud and the Lord’s glory resting on Sinai.
- Exodus 24:15 (verbal): The immediately preceding verse repeats the same scene: Moses ascends, the cloud covers the mountain, and the glory of the LORD rests — closely parallel wording and setting.
- Exodus 34:5-7 (verbal): God ‘descended in the cloud’ and stood with Moses while proclaiming His name — similar language of the Lord’s presence manifesting in a cloud around Moses.
- 1 Kings 8:10-11 (thematic): When the ark is brought into the temple the cloud fills the house and the glory of the LORD fills the temple — parallels the motif of divine glory manifested as a cloud filling a sacred space.
- Hebrews 12:18-21 (allusion): The author invokes Sinai’s terrifying cloud, darkness and voice as the authoritative theophany behind the law — an NT allusion to the Sinai cloud and God’s revelatory presence described in Exod. 24:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
- The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.
Exo.24.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומראה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כאש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אכלת: VERB,qal,ptc,-,f,sg
- בראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לעיני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cons
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 19:18 (structural): Same Sinai scene: the mountain is enveloped in smoke and fire as Yahweh descends — the immediate narrative parallel to Exod. 24:17's vision of God's glory on the mountain.
- Exodus 3:2 (thematic): Theophany in fire at the burning bush: God (or the angel of the LORD) appears as/with fire, thematically linking divine presence and fire imagery.
- Deuteronomy 5:4 (verbal): Deuteronomy echoes the Sinai revelation language — Yahweh speaking 'out of the midst of the fire' — a direct verbal echo of God's fiery manifestation on the mountain.
- Hebrews 12:18-21 (allusion): The NT summons the Sinai theophany (mountain that burned with fire, terrifying appearance) as background for Christian exhortation, alluding to the same awe-inspiring, fire-filled divine presence.
- Hebrews 12:29 (verbal): 'Our God is a consuming fire' echoes the description of God's glory as consuming fire in Exod. 24:17, transferring the Old Testament fire-imagery of divine holiness into New Testament theology.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the Israelites.
- To the eyes of the Israelites the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.
Exo.24.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בתוך: PREP
- הענן: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויעל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- משה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וארבעים: CONJ+NUM,card,m,pl
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exod.34:28 (verbal): Repeat of the same scene and wording — Moses on the mountain 'forty days and forty nights' receiving the tablets (renewal of covenant).
- Deut.9:9 (structural): Retelling of the Sinai episode in Moses' own summary — he twice recounts going up the mountain for forty days and nights (same event placed in Deuteronomic summary).
- 1 Kings 19:8 (verbal): Elijah's forty‑day journey to Horeb uses the identical phrase 'forty days and forty nights,' linking Moses' mountain encounter with later prophetic experience.
- Matt.4:2 (thematic): Jesus' forty days and nights of fasting and testing in the wilderness echoes the motif of forty as a period of divine preparation/trial associated with Moses on the mountain.
- Gen.7:12 (thematic): The flood rains for 'forty days and forty nights' employ the same numerical motif — forty as a period of judgment, testing, and covenantal transition in Israel's story.
Alternative generated candidates
- And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud and went up the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
- Moses entered into the cloud and went up the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
And he said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD—you, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel—and you shall bow down from a distance.”
Moses alone shall draw near to the LORD; they shall not draw near, and the people shall not go up with him.
Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances, and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the LORD has spoken we will do.” And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent the young men of the Israelites, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.
Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people, and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will heed.” And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, “Look, the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.
They saw the God of Israel, and under his feet was something like a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the very heavens. And he did not lay his hand on the nobles of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you the tablets of stone, and the teaching and the commandment that I have written, to teach them.” So Moses arose, with Joshua his attendant, and Moses went up the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait for us here until we return to you. Look, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a matter may go to them.”
Then Moses went up the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. And the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. He called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain, in the sight of the Israelites. And Moses entered the midst of the cloud and went up the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.