Exodus 24:7 kjv
And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
Exodus 24:7 nkjv
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient."
Exodus 24:7 niv
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey."
Exodus 24:7 esv
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient."
Exodus 24:7 nlt
Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, "We will do everything the LORD has commanded. We will obey."
Exodus 24 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 19:5 | "Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession..." | Precedes covenant, condition of blessing |
| Dt 5:2-3 | "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, all of us who are alive..." | Reaffirms the covenant was directly with that generation. |
| Dt 28:1 | "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments..." | Reiterates conditions of blessing and curses. |
| Dt 30:8 | "And you will again obey the voice of the Lord and observe all His commandments which I command you today." | Call for future obedience and repentance. |
| Dt 31:10-12 | "At the end of every seven years...you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing..." | Mandates public reading of the law. |
| Josh 8:34-35 | "Afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word...that Moses did not read before all the assembly..." | Covenant renewal ceremony, emphasis on public hearing. |
| 2 Ki 23:2-3 | "...he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord...and made a covenant before the Lord..." | Covenant renewal during Josiah's reform, highlights restoration of commitment. |
| Neh 9:38 | "Because of all this, we make a sure covenant and write it; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it." | Post-exilic covenant reaffirmation, signed commitment. |
| Jer 11:3-4 | "...Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant...which I commanded your fathers...'" | Emphasizes the requirement of obedience from the Mosaic covenant. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel...not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers..." | Prophecy of the New Covenant due to failure of the old. |
| Ezek 36:26-27 | "I will give you a new heart...I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes; you will keep My judgments and do them." | New Covenant promise, God enabling obedience. |
| Ps 78:36-37 | "Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth...for their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant." | Illustrates Israel's historical failure to maintain their promise. |
| Rom 3:20 | "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." | Law's role to reveal sin, not justify. |
| Rom 6:17 | "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered." | New Testament call to obedience from the heart, similar commitment in faith. |
| Rom 7:12 | "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." | Acknowledges the goodness of the Law, despite human inability to keep it perfectly. |
| Gal 3:19 | "What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come..." | Law given due to transgressions until Christ. |
| Heb 8:7-13 | "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second...He has made the first obsolete." | Explains the obsolescence of the Old Covenant due to Israel's failure. |
| Heb 9:18-20 | "Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept...he took the blood...and sprinkled both the book..." | Emphasizes the blood sacrifice accompanying the covenant, as implied by Ex 24. |
| Heb 10:16 | "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them..." | New Covenant internalizing the law, contrasting with outward observance. |
| 1 Pet 1:2 | "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ..." | Links obedience and sprinkling of blood to the new covenant in Christ. |
Exodus 24 verses
Exodus 24 7 Meaning
Exodus 24:7 describes the pivotal moment when the Israelite people verbally and collectively affirmed their commitment to the covenant established at Mount Sinai. After Moses read the terms of the "Book of the Covenant," the people responded with a resounding declaration, pledging active obedience and attentive heeding to everything the Lord had commanded. This solemn vow signified their entry into a covenantal relationship with God, where divine commands met human assent and commitment.
Exodus 24 7 Context
Exodus chapter 24 details the solemn ratification of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. Following God's declaration of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20) and the specific regulations known as the "Book of the Covenant" or "Covenant Code" (Ex 21-23), Moses communicates these terms directly to the people. Verses 1-2 set the stage for Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders to approach God. Verses 3-4 describe Moses writing down all the Lord's words and building an altar. Verses 5-6 depict the sacrificial act that accompanied the covenant, where young men offer burnt offerings and peace offerings, and Moses collects half the blood. Exodus 24:7 immediately follows this, establishing the crucial verbal assent of the people before Moses sprinkles them with the remaining covenant blood (Ex 24:8), symbolizing the binding agreement and their acceptance of its terms. This elaborate ritual marks the official entry of Israel into their unique relationship with the Lord, defining their national and religious identity under His law.
Exodus 24 7 Word analysis
- Then he took: Refers to Moses, the divinely appointed mediator of the Old Covenant. His action emphasizes his pivotal role in transmitting God's commands to the people.
- the Book of the Covenant: In Hebrew, סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית (Sepher HaBerit). This specific designation refers to the body of laws recorded in Exodus 20:23–23:33, often called the Covenant Code. It encapsulates fundamental ethical and social regulations, judicial principles, and worship instructions derived directly from God's revelation at Sinai. Its existence highlights the importance of a written, publically accessible, and legally binding record of the covenant terms.
- and read it: This act ensured full disclosure and informed consent. The people were not committing blindly but based on a clear understanding of what was expected. It underscores God's desire for a relationship based on knowledge and voluntary acceptance, in contrast to any form of arbitrary rule. This public reading may also carry a subtle polemic against mystery religions where only initiates learned the tenets.
- in the hearing of the people: Emphasizes that every individual was personally exposed to the terms of the covenant. This communal understanding fostered collective responsibility and a shared national identity under God's law.
- And they said: This denotes a unanimous, collective response from the entire assembly of Israel. It represents the corporate will of the nation.
- 'All that the Lord has spoken: Hebrew: כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְהוָה (kol asher dibber Yahweh). This signifies the divine origin and comprehensive scope of the commands. Their agreement covered all the words of God, indicating a commitment to the totality of the divine law, not merely selected parts.
- we will do: Hebrew: נַעֲשֶׂה (na'aseh). This is a strong, declarative promise of action and performance. It is a pledge to actively obey and implement the commands.
- and we will be obedient!' Hebrew: וְנִשְׁמָע (ve'nishma). This phrase often translated as "we will obey" or "we will listen and obey." The root שָׁמַע (shama') means "to hear, listen, obey." The inclusion of this second, intensifying verb goes beyond merely performing tasks (na'aseh). It suggests a deeper commitment to listening attentively, understanding thoroughly, and continuously submitting to the divine will. It implies internalizing the commands, not just outwardly fulfilling them.
Word-groups analysis:
- "he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people": This phrase highlights Moses' mediating role and the critical importance of a written, publicly proclaimed divine law. The "Book of the Covenant" serves as the foundational document defining Israel's existence under God. The public reading ensures communal accountability and understanding.
- "'All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!'": This constitutes the core covenant affirmation. The double declaration emphasizes the completeness of their commitment: they will both act upon God's words and continually heed His voice. This ideal, if sustained, would have guaranteed blessings and God's continued presence among them, setting the standard for the covenant relationship.
Exodus 24 7 Bonus section
The Hebrew phrase "na'aseh v'nishma" ("we will do and we will obey") has become deeply significant in Jewish tradition. It reflects an immediate acceptance of divine commandment, prior to (or simultaneously with) full understanding. This commitment illustrates an immediate faith and trust in the One giving the commands. Though this moment represented Israel's ideal devotion, it simultaneously underscored the limits of human ability to perfectly keep God's righteous law through sheer will, foreshadowing the need for God's enabling grace and the New Covenant, where the law would be written on hearts rather than stone tablets. The "Book of the Covenant" serves as the textual foundation upon which the covenant relationship rests, and its public reading ensured that no one could claim ignorance of their covenantal obligations.
Exodus 24 7 Commentary
Exodus 24:7 marks the decisive verbal ratification of the Mosaic Covenant. After hearing the direct stipulations of God's law, the people of Israel respond with a profound, unified affirmation of commitment. Their dual declaration, "We will do, and we will be obedient!" (na'aseh v'nishma), conveys not just a promise of outward compliance but also an inner readiness to heed and submit to God's every command. This response, while sincere at the moment, established an unattainable human ideal that revealed the future need for a new covenant. It highlights the divine pattern where God first declares His terms, then seeks a free, informed consent from humanity, paving the way for a sealed agreement. While Israel's future history often showed their failure to consistently live up to this oath, this initial commitment stands as a testament to their aspiration to be God's faithful people.