Exodus 24 Footnotes

24:9-11 If God is invisible (Jn 5:37; 1Tm 1:17; 6:16), how could Moses and the elders see him? The Bible states that no one has ever seen God directly (Ex 33:20; Jn 1:18). Yet the Bible records a number of theophanies, or appearances of the Lord or the exalted Christ (e.g., Gn 12:7; 15:1; Is 6:1; Ezk 8:1-4; Ac 9:3-6; Rv 1:12-15). It is not easy to determine from the biblical descriptions whether such events are inward “visions” or outwardly visible events. The fire that Moses saw in a bush (Ex 3:2-4) and the sacred cloud that was filled with the presence of God (13:21) are instances of visible manifestations that were, nevertheless, indirect and obscured by “unapproachable light” (1Tm 6:16). The theophany described here, which was experienced by the elders of Israel as well as by Moses and the priests, must be of the same order. Alternatively, this incident may refer to an appearance of God’s divine representative, the angel of the Lord. For further information on the connection between the angel of the Lord and God, see the note on Ex 3:2.