Exodus 24:4 New English Translation
4 and Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Early in the morning he built[a] an altar at the foot[b] of the mountain and arranged[c] twelve standing stones[d]—according to the twelve tribes of Israel.
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- Exodus 24:4 tn The two preterites quite likely form a verbal hendiadys (the verb “to get up early” is frequently in such constructions). Literally it says, “and he got up early [in the morning] and he built”; this means “early [in the morning] he built.” The first verb becomes the adverb.
- Exodus 24:4 tn “under.”
- Exodus 24:4 tn The verb “arranged” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied to clarify exactly what Moses did with the twelve stones.
- Exodus 24:4 tn The thing numbered is found in the singular when the number is plural—“twelve standing-stone.” See GKC 433 §134.f. The “standing-stone” could be a small piece about a foot high, or a huge column higher than men. They served to commemorate treaties (Gen 32), or visions (Gen 28) or boundaries, or graves. Here it will function with the altar as a place of worship.
New English Translation (NET)
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