Exodus 24:1
in Exodus 24Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders—and you are to worship at a distance.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto Moses, Come up unto Jehovah, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off:
KJV
And he 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.
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This verse in Exodus 24
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
you are to worship at a distance
on Exodus 24:1-2
The summons sets three distances. Seventy elders with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu worship at a distance, the people stay below, and Moses alone comes near. Nadab and Abihu, named here among the men who will see God, die by fire from the LORD at Leviticus 10:2.
The record, by era
The Reformation1 voice
He is, therefore, commanded to take with him Aaron his brother, and Nadab and Abihu, together with seventy of the elders of the people. This was the number of witnesses selected to behold the glory of God. Before, however, they ascended the mount, a sacrifice was offered by the whole people, and the Book of the Law was read.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And he said unto Moses,....
Before they came near, they must worship. Thus we must enter into God's gates with humble and solemn adorations, draw near as those that know our distance, and admire the condescensions of God's grace in admitting us to draw near. Are great princes approached with the profound reverences of the body?
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Come up unto the Lord - Moses and Aaron were already on the mount, or at least some way up, (Exo 19:24), where they had heard the voice of the Lord distinctly speaking to them: and the people also saw and heard, but in a less distinct manner, probably like the hoarse grumbling sound of distant thunder; see Exo 20:
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Are placed by some with great probability between Exo 24:8-9.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
‘COME UP UNTO THE ETERNAL etc.’ “This section was told to Moses before the giving of the Ten Commandments, on the fourth day of Sivan.” This is Rashi’s language.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֹשֶׁ֨ה | mosheh | Moses | H4872 → | 765 times |
| אָמַ֜ר | ʾamar | he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| עֲלֵ֣ה | ʾaleh | come up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אַתָּה֙ | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| וְאַהֲרֹן֙ | veaharon | and Aaron | H175 → | 347 times |
| נָדָ֣ב | nadav | Nadab | H5070 → | 20 times |
| וַאֲבִיה֔וּא | vaavihu' | and Abihu | H30 → | 12 times |
| וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים | veshivim | and seventy | H7657 → | 91 times |
| מִזִּקְנֵ֣י | miziknei | of [the] elders of | H2205 → | 178 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם | vehishtachavitem | and you will bow down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| מֵרָחֹֽק׃ | merachok | from a distance | H7350 → | 84 times |
וְאֶל־and to
veel-H413 →5510 times
מֹשֶׁ֨הMoses
moshehH4872 →765 times
אָמַ֜רhe said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
עֲלֵ֣הcome up
ʾalehH5927 →890 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אַתָּה֙you
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
וְאַהֲרֹן֙and Aaron
veaharonH175 →347 times
נָדָ֣בNadab
nadavH5070 →20 times
וַאֲבִיה֔וּאand Abihu
vaavihu'H30 →12 times
וְשִׁבְעִ֖יםand seventy
veshivimH7657 →91 times
מִזִּקְנֵ֣יof [the] elders of
mizikneiH2205 →178 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖םand you will bow down
vehishtachavitemH7812 →172 times
מֵרָחֹֽק׃from a distance
merachokH7350 →84 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 28:1“Next, have your brother Aaron brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, to serve Me as priests.
it leads to
- Numbers 18:7
But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the…
- Numbers 18:7
Through
Exodus 6:23And Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
it leads to
- Ruth 4:19–20
Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab,
- Numbers 2:3
On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard:
- 1 Chronicles 6:3
The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
- Ruth 4:19–20
Through
Numbers 11:16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them…
it leads to
- Exodus 24:9
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
- Luke 10:17
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
- Genesis 46:27
And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.
- Deuteronomy 1:15
So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your…
- Exodus 24:9
Where this verse is studied
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About Exodus
Who and where
4 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonExodus and Wilderness PeriodMosesIsrael's deliverer from Egyptian slavery, covenant mediator, and lawgiver.
- PersonExodus eraAaronBrother of Moses and Israel's first high priest; his rod budded, his garments were for glory and beauty, and his line carried the…
- PersonWildernessNadabAaron's eldest son, ordained in Leviticus 8 and killed with his brother Abihu for offering strange fire before Jehovah on the prie…
- PersonWildernessAbihuAaron's second son, killed alongside Nadab for the strange fire Jehovah had not commanded — "I will be sanctified in them that com…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.