The Meaning of Exodus 24:18 Explained

Exodus 24:18

KJV: And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

YLT: and Moses goeth into the midst of the cloud, and goeth up unto the mount, and Moses is on the mount forty days and forty nights.

Darby: And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and ascended the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

ASV: And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Moses  went  into the midst  of the cloud,  and gat him up  into the mount:  and Moses  was in the mount  forty  days  and forty  nights. 

What does Exodus 24:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Exodus 24:12-18 - Moses Shown God's Plan For The Tabernacle
There were four concentric circles, so to speak, represented as gathered around the burning center of the Divine Presence. In the outer circle, the people, Exodus 24:2; Exodus 24:17; next, the seventy elders, Exodus 24:9; Exodus 24:14; then, Joshua, Exodus 24:13; Exodus 32:17, and lastly, Moses, Exodus 24:18. These represent respectively, the unenlightened; those whose religious life is hindered by their excessive devotion to the flesh; the few whose fellowship is liable to be interrupted by the war-clarion; and those who have been made nigh unto God in Jesus Christ our Lord, and have been baptized into the Holy Spirit. To which group have we attained? We are invited to draw nigh, let us act on the invitation. See Hebrews 10:19-20. There is always room at the top, and there we may stand, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord. Notice that God said, Come up unto Me. He longs to have our love and faith; His delights are with the sons of men; at great cost He has opened the door of access, Romans 5:1-2. We need God, but God wants us, and therefore the construction of the Tabernacle is next arranged, that He may dwell with man upon the earth. [source]

Chapter Summary: Exodus 24

1  Moses is called up into the mountain
3  The people promise obedience
4  Moses builds an altar, and twelve pillars
6  He sprinkles the blood of the covenant
9  The glory of God appears
14  Aaron and Hur have the charge of the people
15  Moses goes into the mountain, where he continues forty days and forty nights

What do the individual words in Exodus 24:18 mean?

So went Moses into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain and was Moses on the mountain forty days and forty nights -
וַיָּבֹ֥א מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הֶעָנָ֖ן וַיַּ֣עַל אֶל־ הָהָ֑ר וַיְהִ֤י מֹשֶׁה֙ בָּהָ֔ר אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה פ

וַיָּבֹ֥א  So  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
מֹשֶׁ֛ה  Moses 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁה  
Sense: the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus.
בְּת֥וֹךְ  into  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: תָּוֶךְ  
Sense: midst, middle.
הֶעָנָ֖ן  of  the  cloud 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָנָן  
Sense: cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass.
וַיַּ֣עַל  and  went  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הָהָ֑ר  the  mountain 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
וַיְהִ֤י  and  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
מֹשֶׁה֙  Moses 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁה  
Sense: the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus.
בָּהָ֔ר  on  the  mountain 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
אַרְבָּעִ֣ים  forty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: אַרְבָּעִים  
Sense: forty.
י֔וֹם  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים  and  forty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, common plural
Root: אַרְבָּעִים  
Sense: forty.
לָֽיְלָה  nights 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation