Year of the Bible
Exodus 24
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Commentary on the Book of Exodus, Chapter 24:
Over the past three chapters, God has provided laws for proper worship and a just society. Moses shares these with the people gathered at Mt. Sinai who repeatedly promise, “All the words the Lord has spoken we will do.” In a scene foreshadowing the Last Supper and Passion, Moses builds an altar, sacrifices animals, and pours the blood of the animals on the altar. He explains, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” While God had made Covenants with Abraham that applied to his descendants (Genesis 15, 17), this is the first time His Covenant has been made directly with the community of people who are Abraham’s descendants. As the people enjoy a feast to celebrate their Covenant with God, Moses goes up the mountain and God’s glory descends in fire. Moses stays on the mountain for forty days.
The Book of Exodus, Chapter 24:
The Blood of the Covenant
1 And he said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the LORD; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”
3 Moses came and told 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 which the LORD has spoken we will do.” 4 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. 5 And he sent young men of the sons of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the LORD. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 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 be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”
On the Mountain of God
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13 So Moses rose with his servant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them.”
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16 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 out of the midst of the cloud. 17 Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the sons of Israel. 18 And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Lord, help me meditate on being the person of Moses and on receiving the words of instruction from you to go up the mountain, spend 40 days and 40 nights, and receive the commandments from you...What strikes me about this scene?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
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Después el Señor dijo a Moisés:
–Subid hasta el Señor tú y
Aarón, Nadab y Abihú con setenta ancianos
de Israel. Vosotros os postraréis
a distancia. 2 Sólo Moisés se acercará al
Señor; ellos no se acercarán y el pueblo
no subirá con ellos.
3 Vino, pues, Moisés y contó al pueblo
todas las palabras del Señor y todas
las normas. Y el pueblo entero respondió
a una sola voz:
–Haremos todo lo que ha dicho el
Señor.
4 Luego Moisés escribió todas las palabras
del Señor y, levantándose temprano
por la mañana, construyó al pie
de la montaña un altar y doce estelas
por las doce tribus de Israel. 5 Mandó
a algunos jóvenes de los hijos de Israel
que ofrecieran holocaustos y que inmolaran
novillos como sacrificio de comunión
en honor del Señor. 6 Entonces
Moisés tomó la mitad de la sangre y la
echó en unos recipientes; la otra mitad
la vertió sobre el altar. 7 Tomó después el
libro de la alianza y lo leyó a oídos del
pueblo, que respondió:
–Haremos y obedeceremos todo lo
que ha dicho el Señor.
8 A continuación tomó Moisés la
sangre y roció con ella al pueblo, diciendo:
–Ésta es la sangre de la alianza que
ha hecho el Señor con vosotros de
acuerdo con todas estas palabras.
9 Luego subieron Moisés y Aarón,
Nadab y Abihú, y los setenta ancianos
de Israel. 10 Y contemplaron al Dios de
Israel; había bajo sus pies como un en
losado de zafiro con un brillo semejante
al del cielo. 11 Dios no extendió su mano
sobre estos elegidos de los hijos de Israel
y pudieron contemplar a Dios. Después
comieron y bebieron.
12 Dijo el Señor a Moisés:
–Sube hacia mí, a la montaña y quédate
allí, pues voy a darte las tablas de
piedra con la ley y los mandamientos
que he escrito para instruirles.
13 Se levantaron Moisés y Josué, su
ayudante. Moisés subió al monte de
Dios; 14 pero antes dijo a los ancianos:
–Quedaos esperándonos hasta que
volvamos. Aarón y Jur están con vosotros;
quien tenga algún pleito que recurra
a ellos.
15 Cuando Moisés subió a la montaña,
la nube la cubrió 16 y la gloria del
Señor se posó sobre el monte Sinaí. La
nube lo cubrió durante seis días; al séptimo
el Señor llamó a Moisés de en medio
de la nube. 17 La gloria del Señor se
manifestaba a los ojos de los hijos de Israel
como un fuego devorador sobre la
cima del monte. 18 Moisés penetró dentro
de la nube y subió hacia la montaña,
y permaneció en la montaña cuarenta
días y cuarenta noches.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).