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10 They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was a pavement that looked as if it were made from sapphires, shining like the very heavens. 11 He did not stretch out his hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; they saw God and yet they continued to eat and drink.

Moses on the Mountain: The Regulation of Worship[a]

12 Moses Ascends the Mountain of God. The Lord said to Moses, “Climb up to me on the mountain and remain there. I will give you stone tablets with the laws and commandments that I have written for their instruction.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 24:12 The leader of the chosen people receives the favor of a lengthy and intimate meeting with the Lord. The tradition deriving from the priestly caste links to this episode an extensive set of ordinances (vv. 24:12—31:18) having to do with the sanctuary and the objects used in worship. This tradition uses recollections of ancient religious practices of the wilderness period and adapts them, in the conviction that the God of the covenant is present in the midst of his people in a particular way that must be respected because he has willed it. The tradition therefore projects on to the tent in the wilderness the later organization of the Jerusalem temple and the liturgy celebrated there. At the same time, it expresses the hope of an ideal future in which the holy people will devote themselves unreservedly to praising their Lord (see Ezek 40–48).