And afterward marks a brief period of time, suggesting that all the people of Israel waited to see if it was safe to approach Moses. “After that” (Good News Translation) they came near. The verb means to approach or come near. Good News Translation says that they “gathered around him,” but this may assume too much. New Jerusalem Bible has “the Israelites came closer.” At least they were close enough for him to speak to them.

And he gave them in commandment is literally “and he commanded them,” but this must be interpreted with the rest of the sentence. All that the LORD had spoken with him is marked with the accusative particle, indicating that this phrase is the direct object of the verb “commanded.” Literally it says “all that Yahweh told him.” It should be clear in translation, then, that he simply “passed on to them all the orders that Yahweh had given to him” (New Jerusalem Bible). The pluperfect (had spoken) is obvious from the context. In Mount Sinai really means “on Mount Sinai” (Good News Translation).

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 .