And Moses entered the cloud is literally “And Moses entered in the middle of the cloud.” And went up on the mountain seems to repeat what has been said in verses 13 and 15, but Durham has “climbing up higher on the mountain.” This suggests, in keeping with the context, that Moses was climbing only so far at a time, advancing from one level to a higher level.

And Moses was on the mountain may seem like unnecessary repetition, so Good News Translation has “There he stayed” (similarly Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New International Version). Forty days and forty nights may be reduced to “forty days and nights” (Good News Translation). This period covers the setting for the next seven chapters of Exodus. Moses does not come down from the mountain until 32.15.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .