And the Lord said to him: Go, get thee down; and thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people pass the limits, nor come up to the Lord, lest he kill them.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֤יו יְהוָה֙ לֶךְ־רֵ֔ד וְעָלִ֥יתָ אַתָּ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן עִמָּ֑ךְ וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים וְהָעָ֗ם אַל־יֽ͏ֶהֶרְס֛וּ לַעֲלֹ֥ת אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה פֶּן־יִפְרָץ־בָּֽם׃
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
As I willingly make my way up the mountain, or rather express both a desire and trepidation to enter the cloud and engage in dialogue with God—since this is His call—if there is an Aaron, let him accompany me and stand next to me, even if he must be content to remain just outside the cloud.
Moses declares that the offerings presented to the Lord God must be consecrated, or else the Lord God will bring destruction upon them. The Lord instructed him to descend and then ascend with Aaron; however, the offerings were not required to be elevated to God, lest they face His wrath. Those who held positions in the Levitical priesthood prior to the establishment of the Law were not formally designated to that rank, since God assured them in Exodus 29:44 that He would indeed confer the Levitical priesthood upon Aaron's descendants from the beginning. Some interpret the term "sacrifices" as referring to the elders and leaders of Judah mentioned in verse 7, citing 2 Samuel 8:18, where the sons of David are described as sacrifices.
However, this view is less likely, as these Judahite elders were not permitted to hold priestly office, and the Jewish law mandated that those serving in the Levitical ministry be from the tribe of Levi. Though the Scripture may refer to the elders as priests, they primarily engaged in civic responsibilities and were lineage from Judah. Consequently, the chronicler notes in 1 Chronicles 18:17 that they served as the king's principal advisors, indicating their role in state matters. They may be called priests in a figurative sense, rather than in a strict theological context. The authentic designation of priests applies only to individuals dedicated to performing sacred duties, approaching the Lord's altar, and guiding the people in the teachings of the Law. Thus, it is clear from Moses’ writings that priests served in varied capacities: some were involved in civil roles, while others focused on worship practices. Regarding those priests who consistently performed divine service, Scripture unequivocally states that they were among the firstborn, previously consecrated to the Lord, referred to in Exodus 24:5 as the youths of the children of Israel, who were dispatched by Moses to present offerings. Therefore, Reuben is also recognized as Jacob's firstborn, as recorded in Genesis 49:3.
By examining this passage alongside verse 21 of chapter 20 and verse 1 of chapter 24, one can deduce that following the Lord's instruction and prior to the proclamation of the law: 1) Moses descends the mountain (vv. 21, 20); 2) he enters the enigmatic darkness of the mountain with Aaron, excluding the elders; 3) subsequently, he and Aaron descend again (v. 3, chap. 24); and then (v. 9, chap. 24) he ascends the mountain alongside the elders, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu. In the ongoing solemn declaration of the law (20), Moses stands with the people at the base of the mountain.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS