Exodus 24
30 May 2026 - Theology
The Mountain of Rooms
Rabbis and Torah scholars note that Exodus 24 reads as multiple distinct stories, rather than one chronological narrative. There is a fundamental hermeneutic principle in Jewish tradition called Ein mukdam u’meuchar ba-Torah, which translates to “there is no ‘earlier’ and ‘later’ in the Torah”, meaning that the chronological order of events in the Written Torah is not strictly historical, but is organized conceptually. Commentators such as Rashi and the sages of the Talmud break Exodus 24 into three separate sequential events:
- The Covenant Ceremony (1-8)
- The Vision of the Elders (9-11)
- Moses’ 40-Day Ascent (12-18)
The Covenant Ceremony (1-8)
The rabbis believe that this event actually occured before the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. They teach that verses 1 through 8 are placed here to act as a summary of Israel’s formal agreement to follow the laws they had just received.
Exodus 24:1 - “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.”
This is the first instance in the chapter that Moses was called up the mountain.
Exodus 24:3 - “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.”
Exodus 24:7 - “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.”
The Lord gave the people the ketubah, and the people all accepted the terms together in one voice. This sounds to me like a Declaration of Intent (“I do”) by the people to marry.
The Vision of the Elders (9-11)
This story describes Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders ascending the mountain, eating, drinking, and seeing God. The Talmud dates this event to the morning after the revelation at Mount Sinai. Instead of being punished for looking at the Divine, they are graciously shielded by God’s presence.
Exodus 24:9-11 - “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”
“Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” (Psalm 78:19)
Moses’ 40-Day Ascent (12-18)
In this final scene, God calls Moses to ascend higher up the mountain to receive the stone tablets. Moses leaves the elders behind, appointing Aaron and Hur to lead in his absence. This section introduces the long, forty-day period during which the golden calf incident eventually unfolds.
Exodus 24:12-13 - “And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.”
“If Moses were to ascend the mountain, why would the Lord also specify that he ‘be there’ [verse 12]? Where else would he be? The answer is that people often expend great effort in climbing a mountain, but once they get there, they’re not there - they’re somewhere else.” 3
Again we read the Lord called Moses to come up the mountain.
Exodus 24:15 - “And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.”
The Mountain of Rooms
The story of the Israelites at the mountain of God is so important that many stories were included. One told how God came down on the mountain. One told how Aaron and his sons ate a feast on the mountain. One told the part Joshua played. All the stories were fit together by someone that Bible critics often call “R”, the “Redactor” or final editor.
The Jewish philosoper, Franz Rosenzweig (1886-1929), said that “R” could also stand for rabbenu, meaning “our teacher” - a name that Jewish tradition reserved for Moses, calling him Moshe Rabbenu, “Our Teacher Moses”. Rosenzweig did not think the R-teller was Moses, only that the final editor of Torah was a great teacher, perhaps as great as Moses.
In fitting the stories together, the R-teller imagined the mountain to be very much like the Temple of Solomon. R divided the mountain into three “rooms” or “zones”. The people could stand at the foot of the mountain, but no closer. The elders, Aaron and his sons, and Joshua could go up partway on the mountain, but no closer. Only Moses could go to the top of the mountain and enter the cloud to meet with God.
In the same way, the ancient Temple had a courtyard for the people, an inner chamber (called “the Holy”) only for priests, and a final inner chamber (the “Holy of Holies”) that only the High Priest could enter. Looking back at all the stories about the mountain, it is easy to see this arrangement. Looking forward, we will soon see it again in more detail.
References:
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
- God Was in This Place & I, i Did Not Know