Bible Strands
Exodus 24:10
and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records a moment when Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders ascend the mountain and witness a vision of God. The text places this observation immediately before the group partakes in a shared meal, confirming their survival of the encounter.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יִּרְא֕וּ (va/i.yir.'U) translates literally as "and they saw," denoting direct visual perception. The phrase כְּ/מַעֲשֵׁה֙ לִבְנַ֣ת (ke./ma.'a.Seh liv.Nat) describes the surface beneath His feet as a "working of pavement," indicating a crafted stone-like structure.
The thread — This vision of a sapphire expanse under God’s feet parallels Ezekiel 10:1’s throne of sapphire and resonates with Jacob’s survival in Genesis 32:30 after claiming to have seen God. The New Testament contrasts this visible manifestation with John 1:18’s assertion that no one has ever seen God’s unmediated essence.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to accept that a mediated visual encounter with God can occur without fatal consequence, as Exodus 24:11 explicitly states. It demands a clear distinction between a temporary, localized manifestation and the full, unapproachable nature of the divine.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Cross-references
- John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
- Ezekiel 10:1 And I looked and saw above the expanse, above the heads of the cherubim, the likeness of a throne of sapphire.
- Genesis 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
- Exodus 33:20 But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
- Exodus 33:23 Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
- Ezekiel 1:26 Above the expanse over their heads was the likeness of a throne with the appearance of sapphire, and on the throne high above was a figure like that of a man.
- Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.
- 1 Timothy 6:16 He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- Revelation 4:3 The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.
- Matthew 17:2 There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.