1._Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu_. Before Moses erected the tabernacle and consecrated it by a solemn ceremony, it was necessary for him to fetch the Tables of the Covenant, which were a pledge of God’s favor; otherwise, if the ark had nothing in it, the sanctuary would hav... [ Continue Reading ]
2._And Moses alone shall come near the Lord_. Three gradations are here marked. A station is prescribed for the people, from whence they may “worship afar off;” the elders and the priests are appointed to be the companions of Moses, to come closer, and thus to be witnesses to the people of all the t... [ Continue Reading ]
4._And Moses _(308) _wrote all the words of the Lord_. This parenthesis is opportunely inserted; for we shall see a little further on that the book was read before the people; but, in order to awaken greater attention, before the reading he built an altar and offered victims in the sight of all the... [ Continue Reading ]
5._And he sent young men of the children of Israel_. He either means that they were the sacrificial attendants (_victimarios_,) by whose hands the victims were killed, or that some were chosen who might be active and strong to drag the oxen to the altar. The tribe of Levi was not yet consecrated; wh... [ Continue Reading ]
11._And upon the nobles of the children of Israel_. These words, as it seems to me, are violently distorted by those (318) who expound them, that the elders were not made participators of the prophetic gift, or that the virtue of God did not extend to them; for these clauses are to be taken connecte... [ Continue Reading ]
12._And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me_. Moses himself is now taken up higher; because it was sufficient that the elders should be admitted to that intermediate vision, from whence they might certainly know that he would not proceed further, except by God’s command, in order that he might b... [ Continue Reading ]
14._Tarry ye here for us, until we come again_. I do not take the words so precisely as to suppose that he commanded them to stand still in the same place; but since he was just about to be separated from intercourse with men, I suppose, that our earthly dwelling-place is indicated by the adverb, (3... [ Continue Reading ]