The Meaning of Exodus 24:11 Explained

Exodus 24:11

KJV: And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

YLT: and unto those of the sons of Israel who are near He hath not put forth His hand, and they see God, and eat and drink.

Darby: And on the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: they saw God, and ate and drank.

ASV: And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: and they beheld God, and did eat and drink.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And upon the nobles  of the children  of Israel  he laid  not his hand:  also they saw  God,  and did eat  and drink. 

What does Exodus 24:11 Mean?

Study Notes

eat and drink
Symbol of communion. Cf. Luke 22:15-18 . A blood-sprinkled people, see Hebrews 9:19-22 who had not yet broken the law could thus commune with God. Never again was this repeated. Cf. Exodus 24:9-11 with Leviticus 16:2 and Hebrews 9:6-8 But cf., under grace,; Ephesians 2:13 ; Hebrews 10:19 ; Hebrews 10:20 .

Context Summary

Exodus 24:1-11 - The Covenant Made And Sealed By Blood
Moses remained in communion with God while receiving the laws of the preceding chapters. When they were concluded he descended to ratify with all solemnity the Covenant between Jehovah and Israel. If the altar represented God's side of the transaction, the twelve pillars stood for Israel. The young men filled the priestly office according to Exodus 13:2, and until the Levites were appointed. It must have been a solemn spectacle as the sprinkled blood sealed the covenant. But let us turn from that first covenant, sealed with the blood of beasts, to the New Covenant, by which all the Church of the Redeemed are bound to God, and which was sealed by the shedding of the precious blood of Christ. "This is my blood of the Covenant," said Jesus, when handing round the wine. See Hebrews 9:18-20, and Exodus 13:20. The Lord's Supper is a perpetual reminder of our obligations. [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 24:11 mean?

But on the nobles of the sons of Israel not He did lay His hand so they saw - God and they ate and drank -
וְאֶל־ אֲצִילֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֖ח יָד֑וֹ וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ֙ אֶת־ הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ ס

וְאֶל־  But  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֲצִילֵי֙  the  nobles 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אָצִיל 
Sense: side, corner, chief.
בְּנֵ֣י  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שָׁלַ֖ח  He  did  lay 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יָד֑וֹ  His  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ֙  so  they  saw 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָזָה  
Sense: to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ  and  they  ate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ  and  drank 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation