24:3 Moses came8 and told the people all the Lord’s words9 and all the decisions. All the people answered together,10 “We are willing to do11 all the words that the Lord has said,”
sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22–23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.
9
sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.
10
tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered—“in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC375§118.q).
11
tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.