Following the account in verses 1-8 of the covenant ceremony, there is an incident described in verses 9-11 which is best understood as a theophany to Moses and the elders of the Israelites, during a fellowship meal or communion meal, in which they were aware of wonderful beauty in God's presence. In chapters 19 and 20 God's great power had been experienced and the people had 'trembled with fear and stood a long way off'. In verses 12-18 of chapter 24 Moses went up the mountain to be alone in the presence of God. These two passages indicate the God-given authority of Moses, through whom God's will for his people was mediated.