Exodus 24:10

“And they saw the God of Israel, etc.] The Targum of Jonathan restrains this to Nadab and Abihu whereas it is doubtless true of Moses and Aaron, and the seventy elders, who all saw him, and who were witnesses to the people that it was a divine Person that spoke to Moses, and delivered the laws unto him, to be observed by them; which seems to be the reason of their being called up, and favoured with this sight which must not be understood as of anything criminal in them, as if they curiously looked and pried to see something they should not, for which they deserved some sort of punishment, as the Targum intimates; but of a privilege, and a very high one they were favoured with: and this sight…”

“And they saw the God of Israel--That there was no visible form or representation of the divine nature, we have expressly intimated (Deu 4:15). But a symbol or emblem of His glory was distinctly, and at a distance, displayed before those chosen witnesses. Many think, however, that in this private scene was discovered, amid the luminous blaze, the faint adumbrated form of the humanity of Christ (Eze 1:26; compare Gal 3:24). sapphire--one of the most valuable and lustrous of the precious gems--of a sky-blue or light azure color and frequently chosen to describe the throne of God (see Eze 1:26; Eze 10:1).”

“And they saw the God of Israel - As they ate the sacrificial feast, the presence of Yahweh was manifested to them with special distinctness. In the act of solemn worship, they perceived that He was present with them, as their Lord and their Deliverer. It is idle to speculate on the mode of this revelation. That no visible form was presented to their bodily eyes, we are expressly informed, Deuteronomy 4:12; see Exodus 33:20; compare Isaiah 6:1. The latter part of this verse may be read: “under His feet, it was like a work of bright sapphire stone, and like the heaven itself in clearness.” On the sapphire, see Exodus 28:18; compare Ezekiel 1:26. The pure blue of the heaven above them lent its…”

“They saw the God of Israel - That is, they had some glimpse of his glory, in light and fire, though they saw no manner of similitude. They saw the place where the God of Israel stood, so the seventy, something that came near a similitude, but was not; whatever they saw it was certainly something of which no image or picture could be made, and yet enough to satisfy them that God was with them of a truth. Nothing is described but that which was under his feet, for our conceptions of God are all below him. They saw not so much as God's feet, but at the bottom of the brightness they saw (such as they never saw before or after, and as the foot - stool or pedestal of it) a most rich and splendid…”

“24:10 There they saw . . . God: This statement must be interpreted in the light of 33:20. They saw some representation of God, the description of which is limited to the surface under his feet. When Isaiah saw God, the only description given was of the hem of his robe (Isa 6:1).”

“saw: Exo 24:10, Exo 3:6, Exo 33:20, Exo 33:23; Gen 32:30; Jdg 13:21, Jdg 13:22; Kg1 22:19; Isa 6:1-5; Eze 1:28; Joh 1:18, Joh 14:9; Ti1 6:16; Jo1 4:12 of a sapphire stone: The Hebrew sappir, is without doubt the sapphire; which is a most beautiful precious stone of a fine blue colour, second only to the diamond in lustre, hardness, and value. The ancient oriental sapphire is supposed to have been the same as the lapis lazuli. It glitters with golden spots; and is of an azure or sky-blue colour, but rarely intermixed with purple. The ruby and topaz are considered of the same genus. Eze 1:26, Eze 1:27, Eze 10:1; Rev 4:3, Rev 21:19-23 in his clearness: Sol 6:10; Mat 17:2; Rev 1:16, Rev 21:11,…”