And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off.
Then God said to Moses, 'Come up to me on the mountain—you, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders. But worship me from a distance.'
God is inviting Moses and Israel's leaders to come worship Him on the mountain, but He tells them to keep their distance out of reverence for His holiness.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs right after God gave the Ten Commandments and other laws to Israel at Mount Sinai. God is now calling Moses and the nation's key leaders—including Aaron (Moses' brother and future high priest), Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders representing all the tribes—to witness a formal covenant ceremony. The command to worship 'from afar' reflects the understanding that God's holiness required careful boundaries between the divine and human.
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