Bible Glide

Exodus 24

Exodus 24 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Exodus 24 describes the covenant being confirmed between the Lord and Israel. The people agree to obey the Lord's words, sacrifices are offered, and Moses leads a small group of leaders partway up the mountain. The chapter ends with Moses entering the cloud of God's glory to receive instruction.

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What happens in Exodus 24?

Moses reports the Lord's words to the people, and Israel agrees to do what the Lord has spoken. He writes the covenant terms, builds an altar, and oversees sacrifices. The blood is used to seal the covenant, marking the seriousness of the agreement. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders then go partway up the mountain and see the God of Israel. The Lord calls Moses higher still, where the cloud covers Sinai and the glory of the Lord rests on the mountain. Moses enters the cloud and remains there forty days and forty nights.

This chapter comes after the covenant laws of Exodus 20 to 23. It shows Israel formally accepting those words and prepares for the instructions about the tabernacle that follow in Exodus 25 and beyond. The scene at Sinai also highlights Moses' role as mediator between God and the people.

Themes to notice

  • Covenant commitmentIsrael gives its answer to the Lord's commands and accepts the covenant terms.
  • Sacrifice and bloodOfferings and sprinkled blood mark the covenant as solemn and binding.
  • God's presenceThe mountain, cloud, and glory show the holiness of meeting with God.

Questions for Exodus 24

  • What does Israel's response in this chapter show about their commitment to the Lord?
  • Why is blood used when the covenant is confirmed?
  • What stands out about Moses entering the cloud on Mount Sinai?

Read the full text of Exodus 24 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Exodus 24

The Covenant Sealed

1Then 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.2Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him.”

3When Moses came and told the people all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all responded with one voice: “All the words that the LORD has spoken, we will do.”

4And Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Early the next morning he got up and built an altar at the base of the mountain, along with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.5Then he sent out some young men of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD.6Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar.7Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people, who replied, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”

8So Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

9Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,10and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.11But God did not lay His hand on the nobles of Israel; they saw Him, and they ate and drank.

Moses on the Mountain

12Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and stay here, so that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

13So Moses set out with Joshua his attendant and went up on the mountain of God.14And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute can go to them.”

15When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,16and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.17And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.18Moses entered the cloud as he went up on the mountain, and he remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

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