שמות 24:11

Hebrew Modern Translation

ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו ויחזו את האלהים ויאכלו וישתו׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו ויחזו את האלהים ויאכלו וישתו {ס}

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
וְאֶל־אֲצִילֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֖ח יָדֹ֑ו וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ ׃ ס

Westminster Leningrad Codex
וְאֶל־אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ ׃ ס

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

nobles: Exodus 24:1, Exodus 24:9, Numbers 21:18, Judges 5:13, 1 Kings 21:8, 2 Chronicles 23:20, Nehemiah 2:16, Jeremiah 14:3

laid not: Exodus 19:21, Exodus 33:20-23, Genesis 32:24-32, Deuteronomy 4:33, Judges 13:22

they saw: Exodus 24:10, Genesis 16:13

did eat: Exodus 18:12, Genesis 18:18, Genesis 31:54, Deuteronomy 12:7, Ecclesiastes 9:7, Luke 15:23, Luke 15:24, 1 Corinthians 10:16-18

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:30 - I have Genesis 37:22 - lay Exodus 3:16 - elders Exodus 4:29 - General Numbers 12:8 - similitude 1 Chronicles 29:22 - eat and drink Psalms 139:5 - and laid Isaiah 6:1 - I saw also Daniel 10:17 - talk

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand,.... Which some interpret of his hand of prophecy, and of the measure of the Spirit, such an one as Moses had, and by virtue of which he lived forty days and nights without eating and drinking; but these not having such a measure of the Spirit, were obliged to eat and drink to support nature, as in the next clause: but it is rather to be understood of the hand of God; he did not inflict any disease or death upon them on their sight of him, it being a notion that no man could see God and live; but these men did live, not only Moses, and Aaron and his two sons, but the seventy elders, who were the principal choicest persons among the children of Israel; wherefore the Targum of Jonathan wrongly restrains this to Nadab and Abihu:

also they saw God, and did eat and drink: though they saw God, they continued alive and well, and in good health, of which their eating and drinking were a sign and evidence; or they ate, as Abendana, the sacrifices of the peace offerings, which were usually eaten by the priests and the people; and as a feast was common at covenant making, here was a feast kept by the elders, the representatives of the people, when they covenanted with God. Onkelos favours this sense,

"and they rejoiced in their sacrifices, which were accepted with good will, as if they had ate and drank.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He laid not his hand - i. e. He did not strike them. It was believed that a mortal could not survive the sight of God Exodus 33:20; Genesis 32:30; Judges 6:22; Judges 13:22 : but these rulers of Israel were permitted to eat and drink, while they were enjoying in an extraordinary degree the sense of the divine presence, and received no harm.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 24:11. Upon the nobles of - Israel he laid not his hand — This laying on of the hand has been variously explained.

1. He did not conceal himself from the nobles of Israel by covering them with his hand, as he did Moses, Exodus 33:22.

2. He did not endue any of the nobles, i.e., the seventy elders, with the gift of prophecy; for so laying on of the hand has been understood.

3. He did not slay any of them; none of them received any injury; which is certainly one meaning of the phrase: see Nehemiah 13:21; Psalms 55:20. Also they saw God, i.e., although they had this discovery of his majesty, yet they did eat and drink, i.e., were preserved alive and unhurt.

Perhaps the eating and drinking here may refer to the peace-offerings on which they feasted, and the libations that were then offered on the ratification of the covenant. But they rejoiced the more because they had been so highly favoured, and were still permitted to live; for it was generally apprehended that God never showed his glory in this signal manner but for the purpose of manifesting his justice; and therefore it appeared a strange thing that these should have seen God as it were face to face, and yet live. See Genesis 16:13; Genesis 33:10; and Judges 13:22-23.