King James Bible
"And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;"
Moses ascends Mount Sinai to meet with God, acting as the appointed mediator between the divine and Israel. This upward movement emphasizes the sacred nature of the encounter and Moses' unique role in receiving divine revelation. God initiates the communication from within the mountain, where His presence dwells in cloud and fire. The mountain serves as a boundary between the holy and common, with God's voice bridging the gap through His chosen prophet. God gives Moses precise instructions for delivering His message, using two names for the same people—'house of Jacob' evokes their ancestral covenant identity while 'children of Israel' emphasizes their emerging national status. This dual designation introduces the covenant proposal that will transform slaves into God's treasured possession.