Christian Standard Bible
Exodus 24:4
4And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain.
Exodus 24:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
- New International Version (NIV)Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. 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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
Context of Exodus 24:4
2Moses alone is to approach the Lord, but the others are not to approach, and the people are not to go up with him.” 3Moses came and told the people all the commands of the Lord and all the ordinances. Then all the people responded with a single voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded.” And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early the next morning and set up an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel at the base of the mountain. 5Then he sent out young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. 6Moses took half the blood and set it in basins; the other half of the blood he splattered on the altar.
Read all of Exodus 24Exodus 24:4 word by word
וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֣ם בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבֵּ֖חַ תַּ֣חַת הָהָ֑ר וּשְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ מַצֵּבָ֔ה לִשְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- wroteכָּתַבkâthab · to writeH3789
- all the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and rose up earlyשָׁכַםshâkam · to riseH7925
- in the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
- and buildedבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
- an altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- under the hillהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- and twelve pillarsמַצֵּבָהmatstsêbâh · pillarH4676
- according to the twelveעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
- according to the twelveשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- tribesשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
Cross-references for Exodus 24:4
- Deuteronomy 31:9Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the Lord’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.
- Joshua 24:26Joshua recorded these things in the book of the law of God; he also took a large stone and set it up there under the oak at the sanctuary of the Lord.
- Exodus 20:24“Make an earthen altar for me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your flocks and herds. I will come to you and bless you in every place where I cause my name to be remembered.
- Genesis 28:18Early in the morning Jacob took the stone that was near his head and set it up as a marker. He poured oil on top of it
- Genesis 31:45So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker.
- Joshua 24:27And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone — it will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the Lord said to us, and it will be a witness against you, so that you will not deny your God.”
- Galatians 2:9When James, Cephas, and John — those recognized as pillars — acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
- Exodus 28:21The twelve stones are to correspond to the names of Israel’s sons. Each stone must be engraved like a seal, with one of the names of the twelve tribes.
- Leviticus 24:5“Take fine flour and bake it into twelve loaves; each loaf is to be made with four quarts.
- Numbers 17:2“Speak to the Israelites and take one staff from them for each ancestral tribe, twelve staffs from all the leaders of their tribes. Write each man’s name on his staff.
- Joshua 4:2“Choose twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe,
- 1 Kings 11:30Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he had on, tore it into twelve pieces,
- Ezra 6:17For the dedication of God’s house they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, and four hundred lambs, as well as twelve male goats as a sin offering for all Israel — one for each Israelite tribe.
- Luke 22:30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Revelation 21:14The city wall had twelve foundations, and the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb were on the foundations.
Commentaries on Exodus 24:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Moses wrote all the words of the Lord - After the people had promised obedience, ( Exodus 24:3;), and so entered into the bonds of the covenant, "it was necessary," says Calmet, "to draw up an act by which the memory of these transactions might be preserved, and confirm the covenant by authentic and solemn ceremonies." And this Moses does. As legislator, he reduces to writing all the articles and conditions of the agreement, with the people's act of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Twelve pillars - As the altar was a symbol of the presence of Yahweh, so these twelve pillars represented the presence of the Twelve tribes with whom He was making the covenant.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Pillars were set up as memorial stones. They showed that something important had happened at that place and time. In Hittite treaties, people called on their pagan gods to witness the agreement. The gods were believed to see and confirm the treaty. However, the Hebrews were not allowed to recognize other gods. Instead of calling on false gods as witnesses, they used stone pillars to mark the agreement.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-183-4. Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord--The rehearsal of the foregoing laws and the ten commandments, together with the promises of special blessings in the event of their obedience, having drawn forth from the people a unanimous declaration of their consent, it was forthwith recorded as the conditions of the national covenant. The next day preparations were made for having it (the covenant) solemnly ratified, by building an altar…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 24:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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