Exodus 19:7

_AND MOSES CAME AND CALLED FOR THE ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE, AND LAID BEFORE THEIR FACES ALL THESE WORDS WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED HIM._ Moses came and called for the elders. The message was conveyed to the mighty multitude through their elders, who doubtless instructed them in the conditions required. Their unanimous acceptance was conveyed through the same channel to Moses, and by him reported to the Lord. Ah, how much self-confidence did their language betray!-how little did they know what spirit they were of! But without reference to the moral weaknesses of humanity, which, alas, were but too conspicuously displayed in their sad failures to act up to their promise, the response, "all that the Lord hath spoken we will do," was a declaration of the national acceptance of the constitution. Here is what has been aptly called by Lowman ('Civ. Gov. of the Heb.,' 100: 1), 'the original contract...

1-8 Moses was called up the mountain, and was employed as the messenger of this covenant. The Maker and first Mover of the covenant, is God himself. This blessed charter was granted out of God's own free grace. The covenant here mentioned was the national covenant, by which the Israelites were a people under the government of Jehovah. It was a type of the new covenant made with true believers in Christ Jesus; but, like other types, it was only a shadow of good things to come. As a nation they broke this covenant; therefore the Lord declared that he would make a new covenant with Israel, writing his law, not upon tables of stone, but in their hearts, Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:7. The covenant spoken of in these places as ready to vanish away, is the national covenant with Israel, which they forfeited by their si...

Verse Exodus 19:7. _THE ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE_] The head of each tribe, and the chief of each family, by whose ministry this gracious purpose of God was speedily communicated to the whole camp....

EXPOSITION THE FIRST COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND ISRAEL. AS Moses, having reached the foot of Sinai, was proceeding to ascend the mountain, where he looked to have special revelations from God, God called to him out of the mountain, and required a positive engagement on the part of the people, before he would condescend to enter into further direct relations with them. If, through gratitude for what had been done for them in the deliverance from Egypt, and since, they would solemnly engage to obey God and keep the covenant that he should make with them (Exodus 19:5), then a fresh revelation should be made, and fresh engagements entered into; but not otherwise. Moses communicated the message to the people through the alders, and rece

AND MOSES CAME AND CALLED FOR THE ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE,.... After he had heard the above words from the mouth of God, he came down from the mount into the camp of Israel, and sent for the elders or principal men of the tribes and families of Israel to come to him: AND, being gathered together, LAID BEFORE THEIR FACES ALL THESE WORDS WHICH THE LORD COMMANDED HIM; expressed them in the plainest manner, set them in the clearest light to their minds and consciences; so that they thoroughly understood them, were fully convinced of the propriety of these things God required of them, and their obligation to observe them, and saw plainly the greatness and importance of what he promised unto them....

EXODUS 19. AWFUL REVELATION OF GOD IN FIRE AND CLOUD. Exodus 19:1 a P, Exodus 19:2 b - Exodus 19:3 a E, Exodus 19:3 b - Exodus 19:6 Rd, Exodus 19:7 a E, Exodus 19:11 b - Exodus 19:13 J, Exodus 19:14 E,...

CAME. Moses' first descent. See note on Exodus 19:3....

AND MOSES—CALLED THE ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE— The Lord having proposed to Moses to institute a theocracy, to separate the Israelites from the rest of the world, and to become, in a peculiar sense, _their God_ and _King;_ Moses summons _the elders of the people,_ as the representatives of the whole body; and informs them of his commission from the Lord: _and all the people,_ it is said, Exodus 19:8 assented to the proposition; so that we must either conceive, that the elders of the people reported to them what Moses had proposed, and that they, in person, all signified their assent; or, that _all the people_ imports the same with _all the elders,_ who, as being their representatives, may, with propriety, be called _all the people._ It is, however, I conceive, most probable, (though the sacred historian relates it not) that the elders consulted the people, and that

THE TEXT OF EXODUS TRANSLATION 19 IN THE THIRD MONTH AFTER THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL WERE GONE FORTH OUT OF THE LAND OF E-GYPT, THE SAME DAY CAME THEY INTO THE WILDERNESS OF SI-NAI. (2) AND WHEN THEY WERE DEPARTED FROM REPH-I-DIM, AND WERE COME TO THE WILDERNESS OF SI-NAI, THEY ENCAMPED IN THE WILDERNESS; AND THERE IS-RA-EL ENCAMPED BEFORE THE MOUNT. (3) AND MO-SES WENT UP UNTO GOD, AND JE-HO-VAH CALLED UNTO HIM OUT OF THE MOUNTAIN, SAYING, THUS SHALT THOU SAY TO THE HOUSE OF JACOB, AND TELL THE CHILDREN OF IS-RA-EL: (4) YE HAVE SEEN WHAT I DID UNTO THE E-GYP-TIANS, AND HOW I BARE YOU ON EAGLES-' WINGS, AND BROUGHT YOU UNTO MYSELF. (5) NOW THEREFORE, IF YE WILL OBEY MY VOICE INDEED, AND KEEP MY COVENANT, THEN YE SHALL BE MINE OWN POSSESSION FROM AMONG ALL PEOPLES: FOR ALL THE EARTH IS MINE: (6) AND YE SHALL BE UNTO ME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS, AND A HOLY NATION. THESE ARE THE WORDS WHICH THO...

PREPARATION FOR THE GIVING OF THE LAW 1. The same day] the 15th day of the month: cp. Exodus 12:18; Exodus 12:29; Exodus 16:1. Marching slowly, with long halts at the various stations on the route, the host took two months to traverse the 150 m between Egypt and Sinai. Here they remained eleven months (see Numbers 10:11), during which time the nation entered into a formal covenant with Jehovah on the basis of the moral law received from God by Moses, and promulgated by him. WILDERNESS OF SINAI] This must not be confounded with the 'wilderness of Sin' (see on...