Exodus 24:13

13 [And] Moses and Joshua, his minister, rose, and Moses went up into the hill of God, (And Moses and Joshua, his servant, arose, and Moses went up the mountain to God,)

Exodus 24:13 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 24:13

And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua
In order to go up higher on the mount. Joshua, and he only, was to go up higher with him, though not to the top of the mount, at least not into the cloud upon it, as Moses did. Joshua was his minister or servant, and waited upon him wherever he went, and was to be his successor; and therefore for his encouragement, and to qualify him the better for it, he was indulged with a sight and knowledge of things others were not; for by his not knowing anything of the idolatry of the golden calf, ( Exodus 32:17 Exodus 32:18 ) it appears that he was on some part of the mount all the forty days and forty nights; and if it should be asked whether he fasted all that time, or, if he did not, how he was provided with food and drink? it may be replied, that there is no necessity to suppose that he fasted all that time; and it is easy to imagine how he was supplied, for the manna fell round about the mountain, of which he might gather and eat day by day, as Aben Ezra observes; and there was a brook which descended out of the mount, from whence he might have water, ( Deuteronomy 9:21 )

and Moses went up into the mount of God;
Mount Sinai, where he had formerly appeared to him in a bush, and now had descended on it to give the law, and was still upon it, where his glory was seen; and therefore might, with great propriety, be called the mount of God; to the top of which Moses was preparing to go, but before he went gave the following instructions.

Exodus 24:13 In-Context

11 And he sent not his hand on the lords of the sons of Israel, that had gone far away (But he did not put his hand upon the leaders of the Israelites, who were there before him); and they saw God, and (then they) ate and drank.

12 Forsooth the Lord said to Moses, Come thou up to me into the hill, and be thou there, and I shall give to thee tables of stone, and the law, and commandments, which I have written, that thou teach them. (And the Lord said to Moses, Come thou up the mountain to me, and be thou here, and I shall give thee the stone tablets on which I have written the Law, yea, the commandments, so that thou can teach them to the people.)

13 [And] Moses and Joshua, his minister, rose, and Moses went up into the hill of God, (And Moses and Joshua, his servant, arose, and Moses went up the mountain to God,)

14 and said to the elder men, Abide ye here, till we turn again to you; ye have Aaron and Hur with you, if anything of question be made, ye shall tell [it] to them. (and he said to the elders as he left, Wait here, until we return to you; ye have Aaron and Hur with you, if any question ariseth, ask ye it of them.)

15 And when Moses had gone up, a cloud covered the hill (a cloud covered the mountain),