1 And he said to Moses, "Come up to YHVH, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off.
Aaron in the original Aramaic means enlightened, enlightened. Nadab means willing, spontaneous and voluntary. Abihu means of whom God is the father. It means that Moses, who represents our
higher consciousness, took with him a spontaneous, enlightened consciousness; a state of consciousness which is Divine.
2 Moses alone shall come near to YHVH; but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him."
3 Moses came and told the people all the words of YHVH and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice, and said, "All the words which YHVH has spoken we will do."
4 And Moses wrote all the words of YHVH. 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.
5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to YHVH.
6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar.
7 Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that YHVH has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient."
8 And Moses took the blood and threw it upon the people, and said, "Behold the blood of the covenant which YHVH has made with you in accordance with all these words."
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up,
10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.
The number seven represents a completed spiritual period. The number seventy emphasizes this meaning. The seventy elders then indicate the wisdom which comes from the completed spiritual period. The pavement under the feet of YHVH refers to what he stands on, his base. In this case it is both beautiful and valuable. The sapphire represents wisdom and truth.
11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld the gods, and ate and drank.
12 YHVH said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tables of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction."
13 So Moses rose with his servant, Joshua, and Moses went up onto the mountain of the gods.
Moses went to the mount with Joshua. Joshua in Aramaic means YHVH is Savior. It is with this consciousness that we can ascend to the level where we may communicate with YHVH.
14 And he said to the elders, "Tarry here for us, until we come to you again; and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a cause, let him go to them."
15 Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.
16 The glory of YHVH settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
17 Now the appearance of the glory of YHVH was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.
18 And Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
As we indicated earlier, the number seven is the number of spiritual completion. The seventh day here would indicate that the communication from YHVH came at the end of such a period of spiritual preparation. Again, we see the presence of YHVH accompanied by fire. To be on top of the mount indicates a spiritual pinnacle. The number forty is used many times in the Bible and it indicates a completed time of preparation. Examples are the forty days of the flood, the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert, and the forty days Yeshua spent in the wilderness after his baptism. Here, Moses spent a completed time of preparation on the mountain of the gods.