Bible Commentaries

And he ^a said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.

(a) When he called him up to the mountain to give him the laws, beginning at the 20th chapter till now.

^b And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.

(b) When he had received these laws in mount Sinai.

And he sent young ^c men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.

(c) For as yet the priesthood was not given to Levi.

And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled [it] on the people, and said, Behold the ^d blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

(d) Which signifies that the covenant broken cannot be satisfied without shedding of blood.

And they ^e saw the God of Israel: and [there was] under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in [his] clearness.

(e) As perfectly as their infirmities could behold his majesty.

And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he ^f laid not his hand: also they saw God, and ^g did eat and drink.

(f) He did not make them afraid, nor punish them.

(g) That is, rejoiced.

And the LORD ^h said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee ⁱ tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach ^k them.

(h) The second time.

(i) Signifying the hardness of our hearts, unless God writes his laws in it by his Spirit, (Jeremiah 31:33) ; (Ezekiel 11:19) ; (2 Corinthians 3:3) ; (Hebrews 8:10) , (Hebrews 10:16)

(k) That is, the people.

And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like ^l devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.

(l) The Lord appears like devouring fire to carnal men: but to them that he draws with his Spirit, he is like pleasant sapphire.