Bible Strands
Exodus 24:15
When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Moses ascends Mount Sinai after instructing the elders to remain below with Aaron and Hur to adjudicate disputes. The narrative captures the moment he leaves the camp to approach the divine presence.
The words — The Hebrew verbs יַ֥עַל (ya'al) and יְכַ֥ס (y'khas) translate literally as "he went up" and "it covered," tracking Moses's ascent and the cloud's placement over the summit.
The thread — This cloud motif appears in Exodus 19:9 and 19:16 as the medium for God's appearance, and resurfaces in Matthew 17:5 as a heavenly sign during the transfiguration.
Why it lands — The text states that the cloud covered the mountain after Moses ascended, without describing its descent or timing. Readers must record this observed sequence before inferring anything about divine concealment or preparation.
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 Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.
Cross-references
- Exodus 19:9 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
- Matthew 17:5 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
- Exodus 19:16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
- 2 Chronicles 6:1 Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.