Exodus 24:11

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

"Upon the nobles ..." This indicates the character of the "seventy," who were evidently chosen by Moses for qualities of character, leadership, and ability.

"He laid not his hand ..." That is, God did not cause the men to die who had experienced so remarkable a glimpse of God's glory. There was a widespread conviction among the ancients that anyone who beheld God's face would die at once. We believe Clements, and others, were wrong who placed this theophany "at the top of Mount Sinai."[18] It has already been explained in this chapter (Exodus 24:1-2) that "Only Moses went to the summit." We may believe that this theophany occurred but a little way further up the mountain from the whole camp of Israel.