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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Exodus 24:2

Then only Moses will come close to the Lord . The other men must not come close, and the rest of the people must not even come up the mountain."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   Israel;   Worship;   Thompson Chain Reference - Divine;   Fellowship, Divine;   Fellowship-Estrangement;   God;   Spiritual;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Access to God;   Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Aaron;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moses;   Priest;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Forgiveness;   Hospitality;   Immorality, Sexual;   Mediator, Mediation;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Blood;   Exodus, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Leviticus;   Priests and Levites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Israel, Israelite;   Lord's Supper (Ii);   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elder;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Aaron;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Abram;   Events of the Encampment;   On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Genesis;   Moses;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Elohist;   Moses;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Moshe alone shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, neither shall the people go up with him."
King James Version
And Moses alone shall come near the Lord : but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.
Lexham English Bible
And Moses alone will come near to Yahweh, and they will not come near, and the people will not go up with him."
New Century Version
Then Moses alone must come near me; the others must not come near. The rest of the people must not come up the mountain with Moses."
New English Translation
Moses alone may come near the Lord , but the others must not come near, nor may the people go up with him."
Amplified Bible
"Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him."
New American Standard Bible
"Moses alone, however, shall approach the LORD, but they shall not approach, nor shall the people come up with him."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Moses himselfe alone shal come nere to the Lord, but they shall not come neere, neither shall the people goe vp with him.
Legacy Standard Bible
Moses alone, however, shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."
Contemporary English Version
but you are to come near. Don't let anyone else come up."
Complete Jewish Bible
while Moshe alone approaches Adonai — the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him."
Darby Translation
And let Moses alone come near Jehovah; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.
English Standard Version
Moses alone shall come near to the Lord , but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."
George Lamsa Translation
And Moses alone shall come near the LORD; but they shall not draw near; neither shall the people come up with him.
Good News Translation
You alone, and none of the others, are to come near me. The people are not even to come up the mountain."
Christian Standard Bible®
Moses alone is to approach the Lord, but the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.”
Literal Translation
And let Moses approach by himself to Jehovah, and they shall not approach. And the people shall not go up with him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But let Moses onely come nye vnto the LORDE, and let not them come nye, and let not the people also come vp with him.
American Standard Version
and Moses alone shall come near unto Jehovah; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.
Bible in Basic English
And Moses only may come near to the Lord; but the others are not to come near, and the people may not come up with them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Moyses hym selfe alone shall go vnto the Lorde: but they shall not come nygh, neither shall the people go vp with hym.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and Moses alone shall come near unto the LORD; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.'
King James Version (1611)
And Moses alone shall come neere the Lord: but they shall not come nigh, neither shall the people goe vp with him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Moses alone shall draw nigh to God; and they shall not draw nigh, and the people shall not come up with them.
English Revised Version
and Moses alone shall come near unto the LORD; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.
Berean Standard Bible
Moses alone shall approach the LORD, but the others must not come near. And the people may not go up with him."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and Moises aloone stie to the Lord, and thei schulen not neiye, nether the puple schal stie with hym.
Young's Literal Translation
and Moses hath drawn nigh by himself unto Jehovah; and they draw not nigh, and the people go not up with him.
Update Bible Version
and Moses alone shall come near to Yahweh; but they shall not come near; neither shall the people go up with him.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.
World English Bible
Moses alone shall come near to Yahweh, but they shall not come near, neither shall the people go up with him."
New King James Version
And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him."
New Living Translation
Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord . The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him."
New Life Bible
But Moses alone may come near the Lord. The others should not come near and should not come up with him."
New Revised Standard
Moses alone shall come near the Lord ; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Moses alone shall draw near unto Yahweh, but, they shall not draw near, and, the people, shall not come up with him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Moses alone shall come up to the Lord, but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people come up with him.
Revised Standard Version
Moses alone shall come near to the LORD; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him."

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord told Moses, "You, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders of Israel must come up the mountain and worship me from a distance. 2 Then only Moses will come close to the Lord . The other men must not come close, and the rest of the people must not even come up the mountain." 3 Moses told the people all the rules and commands from the Lord . Then all the people said, "We will obey all the commands that the Lord has spoken." 4 So Moses wrote down all the commands of the Lord . The next morning he got up and built an altar near the bottom of the mountain. And he set up twelve stones—one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then Moses sent young men of Israel to offer sacrifices. These men offered bulls to the Lord as burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 6 Moses saved the blood from these animals. He put half of the blood in bowls, and he poured the other half of the blood on the altar. 7 Moses read the scroll with the special agreement written on it. He read the agreement so that all the people could hear him. And the people said, "We have heard the laws that the Lord has given us. And we agree to obey them." 8 Then Moses held the bowls full of the blood from the sacrifices. He threw that blood on the people. He said, "This blood shows that the Lord has made a special agreement with you. The laws God gave you explain the agreement."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Exodus 24:13, Exodus 24:15, Exodus 24:18, Exodus 20:21, Numbers 16:5, Jeremiah 30:21, Jeremiah 49:19, Hebrews 9:24, Hebrews 10:21, Hebrews 10:22

Reciprocal: Exodus 24:12 - Come up Leviticus 1:1 - called Deuteronomy 5:5 - General Deuteronomy 29:1 - beside the Psalms 103:7 - He made John 7:19 - not

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
But Abram said, "Lord God , there is nothing you can give me that will make me happy, because I have no son. My slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die."
Genesis 24:4
Go back to my country, to my own people, to find a wife for my son Isaac. Bring her here to him."
Genesis 24:6
Abraham said to him, "No, don't take my son to that place.
Genesis 24:8
If the girl refuses to come with you, you will be free from this promise. But you must not take my son back to that place."
Genesis 24:9
So the servant put his hand under his master's leg and made the promise.
Genesis 24:10
The servant took ten of Abraham's camels and left that place. The servant carried with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Mesopotamia, to Nahor's city.
Genesis 44:1
Then Joseph gave a command to his servant. He said, "Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can carry. Then put each man's money into his sack with the grain.
Genesis 47:29
The time came when Israel knew he would soon die, so he called his son Joseph to him. He said, "If you love me, put your hand under my leg and make a promise. Promise that you will do what I say and that you will be truthful with me. When I die, don't bury me in Egypt.
1 Chronicles 29:24
All the leaders, soldiers, and all of King David's sons accepted Solomon as king and obeyed him.
1 Timothy 5:17
The elders who lead the church in a good way should receive double honor—in particular, those who do the work of counseling and teaching.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Moses alone shall come near the Lord,.... Into the cloud where he was, and talk with him face to face, as a man talketh with his friend; which was great nearness indeed, and a peculiar favour and high honour was this:

but they shall not come nigh; Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel:

neither shall the people go up with him; not any of them, much less the whole body. It seems, by this account, that Moses had been down from the mount after he had received the laws recorded in the two preceding chapters; though as yet he had not related them to the people, but did before he went up again by the above order, as appears from what follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Are placed by some with great probability between Exodus 24:8-9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 24:2. Moses alone shall come near — The people stood at the foot of the mountain. Aaron and his two sons and the seventy elders went up, probably about half way, and Moses alone went to the summit.


 
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