And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him.

And Moses alone shall come up to the Lord, but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people come up with him.

and Moses hath drawn nigh by himself unto Jehovah; and they draw not nigh, and the people go not up with him.

And Moses only may come near to the Lord; but the others are not to come near, and the people may not come up with them.

And only Moses will ascend to the Lord, and these shall not approach. Neither shall the people ascend with him."

Solus autem Moses perveniet ad Jehovam: ipsi vero non pervenient, nec populus ascendet cum eo.

And Moses alone shall come near the Lord. Three gradations are here marked. A station is prescribed for the people, from whence they may "worship afar off;" the elders and the priests are appointed to be the companions of Moses, to come closer, and thus to be witnesses to the people of all the things which we shall afterwards see to be shewn them; whilst, as they were separated from the multitude, so finally Moses alone was received up into the higher glory; for he was caught up on high in the covering of the cloud. This distinction is marked in the words, "Moses alone shall come near...; but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up." Some translators render the verbs in the past tense; but improperly, in my opinion; for Moses is not yet relating what was done, but only what God had commanded, as is plain from the next verse, wherein also the modesty and humility of the people is commended, because they received with reverence a command which was not in itself very agreeable or likely to be approved. For, such is the ambition of men, that it might have appeared insulting that they should be set afar off and prohibited from approaching the mountain, like strangers and heathens. It is, therefore, an evidence of their pious reverence, that they should submit to be placed at a distance, and should be contented with a position apparently less honorable. And Moses more clearly expresses their promptitude to obey, when he reports their words, that they would do all that he had declared to them from the mouth of God.

Moses alone shall come near - The people stood at the foot of the mountain. Aaron and his two sons and the seventy elders went up, probably about half way, and Moses alone went to the summit.

And Moses alone shall come near the Lord,.... Into the cloud where he was, and talk with him face to face, as a man talketh with his friend; which was great nearness indeed, and a peculiar favour and high honour was this:
but they shall not come nigh; Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel:
neither shall the people go up with him; not any of them, much less the whole body. It seems, by this account, that Moses had been down from the mount after he had received the laws recorded in the two preceding chapters; though as yet he had not related them to the people, but did before he went up again by the above order, as appears from what follows.

And Moses alone shall come near - Being therein a type of Christ, who as the high priest entered alone into the most holy place. In the following verses we have the solemn covenant made between God and Israel and the exchanging of the ratifications: typifying the covenant of grace between God and believers through Christ.