וְאֶל־מֹשֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵה אֶל־יְהוָה אַתָּה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם    24:1

מֵרָחֹק

Exod. 24:1  And He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you, as well as Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel, and you shall worship from afar.”

וְנִגַּשׁ מֹשֶׁה לְבַדֹּו אֶל־יְהוָה וְהֵם לֹא יִגָּשׁוּ וְהָעָם לֹא יַעֲלוּ עִמֹּו   24:2

Exod. 24:2  “And Moses shall come near to the Lord by himself, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.”

וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וַיְסַפֵּר לָעָם אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה וְאֵת כָּל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וַיַּעַן כָּל־הָעָם קֹול אֶחָד וַיֹּאמְרוּ    24:3

כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶׂה

Exod. 24:3  And Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances, and all the people, of one voice, answered and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken, we will do.”

וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֵת כָּל־דִּבְרֵי יְהוָה וַיַּשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּבֶן מִזְבֵּחַ תַּחַת הָהָר וּשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה מַצֵּבָה לִשְׁנֵים   24:4

 עָשָׂר שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

Exod. 24:4  And Moses inscribed all the words of the Lord, and he rose up early in the morning and built an altar beneath the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־נַעֲרֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲלוּ עֹלֹת וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זְבָחִים שְׁלָמִים לַיהוָה פָּרִים   24:5

Exod. 24:5  Then he sent the young men of the children of Israel and they offered burnt offerings and offered sacrifices of peace offerings of oxen to the Lord.

וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה חֲצִי הַדָּם וַיָּשֶׂם בָּאַגָּנֹת וַחֲצִי הַדָּם זָרַק עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ   24:6

Exod. 24:6  And Moses took half the blood and put in basins and scattered half the blood over the altar.

וַיִּקַּח סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית וַיִּקְרָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע   24:7

Exod. 24:7  And he took the scroll of the covenant and read within hearing of the people.  And they said, “Everything that the Lord has spoken, we will do and obey.”

Here we have yet another example of inverted actions.  To conform with our modern English standards, the final phrase should be “… we will obey and do.”   Nobody does something commanded and then obeys it.  We obey, therefore we do.

In addition, the last word in the verse, וְנִשְׁמָע, translated as and obey, contains a non-inverting vav.  The verb is first person imperfect.

וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־הַדָּם וַיִּזְרֹק עַל־הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה דַם־הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת יְהוָה עִםָּכֶם עַל כָּל־   24:8

הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה

Exod. 24:8  And Moses took the blood and sprinkled on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you based on all these words.”

וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים מִזִּקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל   24:9

Exod. 24:9  Then Moses went up, as well as Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy from the elders of Israel,

וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם לָט ֹהַר   24:10

Exod. 24:10   and they perceived the God of Israel, and a polished work like sapphire was under His feet that was as the very heavens for clarity.                [Return to Numb. 29:34]

וְאֶל־אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁלַח יָדֹו וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ   24:11

Exod. 24:11   And He did not stretch forth His hand to the nobles of the children of Israel, but they beheld He Who is God, and they ate and drank.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה עֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה וֶהְיֵה־שָׁם וְאֶתְּנָה לְךָ אֶת־לֻחֹת הָאֶבֶן וְהַתֹּורָה וְהַמִּצְוָה   24:12

אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי לְהֹורֹתָם

Exod. 24:12   And the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me to the mountain and you will remain there, and I will give to you the tablets of stone with the Torah and the commandment that I have inscribed to teach them.”

The seventh word from last in the top line, וְאֶתְּנָה, translated as and I will give, contains a non-inverting vav.  The verb is first person imperfect.

וַיָּקָם מֹשֶׁה וִיהֹושֻׁעַ מְשָׁרְתֹו וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הַר הָאֱלֹהִים   24:13

Exod. 24:13   And Moses rose, and Joshua, his minister, and Moses came up to the mountain of God.

וְאֶל־הַזְּקֵנִים אָמַר שְׁבוּ־לָנוּ בָזֶה עַד אֲשֶׁר־נָשׁוּב אֲלֵיכֶם וְהִנֵּה אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עִםָּכֶם מִי־בַעַל דְּבָרִים   24:14

יִגַּשׁ אֲלֵהֶם

Exod. 24:14   And he said to the elders, “Wait for us here until the time we will return to you.  And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has concerns, let him approach to them.”

Once again we encounter Hur, a rather mysterious figure (see Exod. 17:10).  Here we find that he is appointed, along with Aaron, as a leader of the people in Moses’ absence.

                                                                                                                    [Return to Exod. 31:5]

וַיַּעַל מֹשֶׁה אֶל־הָהָר וַיְכַס הֶעָןָן אֶת־הָהָר   24:15

Exod. 24:15   And Moses came up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.

וַיִּשְׁכֹּן כְּבֹוד־יְהוָה עַל־הַר סִינַי וַיְכַסֵּהוּ הֶעָןָן שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בַּיֹּום הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִתֹּוךְ   24:16

הֶעָנָן

Exod. 24:16   And the Glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai six days as the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day He called out to Moses from within the cloud.

וּמַרְאֵה כְּבֹוד יְהוָה כְּאֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל   24:17

Exod. 24:17   And the appearance of the Glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on top of the mountain to the eyes of the children of Israel.

וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה בְּתֹוךְ הֶעָןָן וַיַּעַל אֶל־הָהָר וַיְהִי מֹשֶׁה בָּהָר אַרְבָּעִים יֹום וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה   24:18

Exod. 24:18   And Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up to the mountain, and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

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