Exodus 24:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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 pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

NIV: Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

NASB: And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he got up early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve memorial stones for the twelve tribes of Israel.

CSB: And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.

NLT: Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

KJV: And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

NKJV: And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Exodus 24:1–8 records an invitation from the Lord and a solemn ceremony. God summons Moses, Aaron, two of Aaron's sons, and seventy elders from Israel for a special meeting. Moses prepares sacrifices, reads the covenant to the people, and sprinkles sacrificial blood. The Israelites agree to follow God's commands.

God calls Moses, seventy of Israel's elders, Aaron, and Aaron's two sons to approach the Lord at Mount Sinai. The people agree to follow the covenant. Moses organizes sacrifices and reads the covenant to the people. Those called onto the mountain see a vision of God. After this, Moses is summoned to meet with the Lord personally. He will be there for forty days and nights receiving more of the Lord's covenant laws.

God has begun delivering the laws of His covenant with Israel (Exodus 20—23). Here, Moses and the elders of Israel affirm this agreement. The Lord calls Moses to receive stone tablets recording the Law. The following chapters describe how to construct the "sanctuary" used for worship and sacrifice. This includes designs for the tabernacle, ark of the covenant, and other famous items (Exodus 25—28).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.