Exodus 19:7
ESV
So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.
NIV
So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak.
NASB
So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.
CSB
After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him.
NLT
So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him.
KJV
And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.
NKJV
So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him.
What does Exodus 19:7 mean?
"Elders" are the respected leaders of the people. Moses spoke to this same group when he first came to lead Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 4:29–31). Rather than one man trying to shout for the entire nation to hear at once, these leaders can pass along Moses' instructions to their respective groups. In this case, the message is that God is going to establish a special relationship with Israel. The people must obey God's commands, and in return they will become a holy nation experiencing a special relationship with God (Exodus 19:3–6).In the immediate context, Moses' words refer to this basic statement about the covenant. In a wider sense, they refer to all teachings Moses will bring from the Lord (Exodus 24:8; Deuteronomy 12:28). Israel is meant to obey these commands as their part of this "Mosaic covenant."
