Moses had gone up the mountain to be with YHWH and hear from Him. From chapter 20 (the giving of the 10 commandments) through this chapter God had been speaking to Moses on the mountain the laws/covenant and Moses has gone down to tell the people what YHWH said to them and what they were to do in obedience to YHWH.
In chapter 24, God tells Moses to bring Aaron, Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders, but specifies that Moses is the only one who will come near to YHWH. the other 73 are to worship YHWH on the mountain from afar. So perhaps they were midway up the mountain and the rest of the Israelites were before the mountain, but not on it.
Before the 74 went up the mountain (Vs. 1-2) Moses went down and told the people all the words and judgments YHWH had given to them via Moses. And all the people responded together as if one voice vowing to do all that YHWH has said for them to do.
Then Moses wrote down all that YHWH had told him on the mountain. I am sure YHWH helped Moses remember everything accurately.
The next morning, early, Moses built an altar at the base of the mountain and also arranged twelve stone pillars (I assume near the altar). The altar represented YHWH and the pillars represented all of Israelite (the 12 tribes). Then Moses sent young men to get livestock to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to YHWH. The text mentions oxen as being sacrificed. It doesn't say where the sacrifices were done, but apparently not on the altar, perhaps there was a nearby place to slaughter the animals and burn them.
Next, Moses took half the blood and sprinkled it on the altar to YHWH and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the people.
This is how this covenant was sealed, by blood. The blood sprinkled on the altar was towards YHWH to propitiate the sins of the people and the blood sprinkled on the people was for them to be made partakers of the covenant being recipients of the effects of the blood. Same as with Jesus.
In chapter 24, God tells Moses to bring Aaron, Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders, but specifies that Moses is the only one who will come near to YHWH. the other 73 are to worship YHWH on the mountain from afar. So perhaps they were midway up the mountain and the rest of the Israelites were before the mountain, but not on it.
Before the 74 went up the mountain (Vs. 1-2) Moses went down and told the people all the words and judgments YHWH had given to them via Moses. And all the people responded together as if one voice vowing to do all that YHWH has said for them to do.
Then Moses wrote down all that YHWH had told him on the mountain. I am sure YHWH helped Moses remember everything accurately.
The next morning, early, Moses built an altar at the base of the mountain and also arranged twelve stone pillars (I assume near the altar). The altar represented YHWH and the pillars represented all of Israelite (the 12 tribes). Then Moses sent young men to get livestock to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to YHWH. The text mentions oxen as being sacrificed. It doesn't say where the sacrifices were done, but apparently not on the altar, perhaps there was a nearby place to slaughter the animals and burn them.
Next, Moses took half the blood and sprinkled it on the altar to YHWH and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the people.
This is how this covenant was sealed, by blood. The blood sprinkled on the altar was towards YHWH to propitiate the sins of the people and the blood sprinkled on the people was for them to be made partakers of the covenant being recipients of the effects of the blood. Same as with Jesus.
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