Exodus 34WEB
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Exodus34

World English Bible · Public Domain

1Yahweh said to Moses, “Chisel two stone tablets like the first. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.

3No one shall come up with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain. Do not let the flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain.”

4He chiseled two tablets of stone like the first; then Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and took in his hand two stone tablets.

5Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed Yahweh’s name.

6Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,

7keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.”

8Moses hurried and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.

9He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, Lord, please let the Lord go among us, even though this is a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

10He said, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of Yahweh; for it is an awesome thing that I do with you.

11Observe that which I command you today. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare among you;

13but you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherah poles;

14for you shall worship no other god; for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

15“Don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;

16and you take of their daughters to your sons, and their daughters play the prostitute after their gods, and make your sons play the prostitute after their gods.

17“You shall make no cast idols for yourselves.

18“You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.

19“All that opens the womb is mine; and all your livestock that is male, the firstborn of cow and sheep.

20You shall redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb. If you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before me empty.

21“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

22“You shall observe the feast of weeks with the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of harvest at the year’s end.

23Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel.

24For I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh, your God, three times in the year.

25“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The sacrifice of the feast of the Passover shall not be left to the morning.

26“You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of Yahweh your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

27Yahweh said to Moses, “Write these words; for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

28He was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

29When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mountain, Moses didn’t know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.

30When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.

31Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.

32Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them all the commandments that Yahweh had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.

33When Moses was done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.

34But when Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded.

35The children of Israel saw Moses’ face, that the skin of Moses’ face shone; so Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Exodus 34.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The tables of the law renewed. (1–4). The name of the Lord proclaimed, The entreaty of Moses. (5–9). God's covenant. (10–17). The festivals. (18–27). The vail of Moses. (28–35).

vv1-4

When God made man in his own image, the moral law was written in his heart, by the finger of God, without outward means. But since the covenant then made with man was broken, the Lord has used the ministry of men, both in writing the law in the Scriptures, and in writing it in the heart. When God was reconciled to the Israelites, he ordered the tables to be renewed, and wrote his law in them. Even under the gospel of peace by Christ, the moral law continues to bind believers. Though Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, yet not from the commands of it. The first and the best evidence of the pardon of sin, and peace with God, is the writing the law in the heart.

vv5-9

The Lord descended by some open token of his presence and manifestation of his glory in a cloud, and thence proclaimed his NAME; that is, the perfections and character which are denoted by the name JEHOVAH. The Lord God is merciful; ready to forgive the sinner, and to relieve the needy. Gracious; kind, and ready to bestow undeserved benefits. Long-suffering; slow to anger, giving time for repentance, only punishing when it is needful. He is abundant in goodness and truth; even sinners receive the riches of his bounty abundantly, though they abuse them. All he reveals is infallible truth, all he promises is in faithfulness. Keeping mercy for thousands; he continually shows mercy to sinners, and has treasures, which cannot be exhausted, to the end of time. Forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin; his mercy and goodness reach to the full and free forgiveness of sin. And will by no means clear the guilty; the holiness and justice of God are part of his goodness and love towards all his creatures. In Christ's sufferings, the Divine holiness and justice are fully shown, and the evil of sin is made known. God's forgiving mercy is always attended by his converting, sanctifying grace. None are pardoned but those who repent and forsake the allowed practice of every sin; nor shall any escape, who abuse, neglect, or despise this great salvation. Moses bowed down, and worshipped reverently. Every perfection in the name of God, the believer may plead with Him for the forgiveness of his sins, the making holy of his heart, and the enlargement of the Redeemer's kingdom.

vv10-17

The Israelites are commanded to destroy every monument of idolatry, however curious or costly; to refuse all alliance, friendship, or marriage with idolaters, and all idolatrous feasts; and they were reminded not with idolaters, and all idolatrous feats; and they were reminded not to repeat the crime of making molten images. Jealously is called the rage of a man, Pr 6:34; but in God it is holy and just displeasure. Those cannot worship God aright, who do not worship him only.

Cross References

Exodus 34

Moses is commanded to hew two new tables of stone like the first, parallel to Deuteronomy 10:1.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB

Paul refers to the glory of Moses' shining face as the glory of the passing dispensation.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Paul explains that Moses put a veil over his face so Israel could not look to the end.

Supported by Matthew Henry

Paul contrasts the glory of the ministration of death written on stones with the Gospel's glory.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v5Numbers 14:17thematic

Moses appeals directly to this proclamation of the Name of the Lord for pardoning Israel.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v7Numbers 14:18thematic

Direct parallel reciting God's attributes of mercy, forgiveness, and visiting iniquity.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v14Exodus 20:3-5thematic

Repeats the Second Commandment prohibition of idolatry and the description of God's holy jealousy.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v28Deuteronomy 9:18thematic

Moses recalls his second forty-day fast of intercession for Israel's sin.

Supported by JFB

v28Deuteronomy 10:4thematic

Confirms that God wrote the Ten Commandments on the second set of stone tables.

Supported by JFB

When Moses went in before the Lord, he took the veil off, typifying turning to the Lord.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v5Exodus 33:19thematic

Fulfillment of God's promise to make His goodness pass before Moses and proclaim His Name.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v12Deuteronomy 7:2thematic

Prohibition of making covenants with Canaan's inhabitants to prevent them from becoming a snare.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v13Exodus 23:24thematic

Command to completely overthrow idolatrous altars and shatter their sacred pillars/groves.

Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB

v16Deuteronomy 7:3thematic

Express prohibition against intermarrying with the Canaanites, lest they turn Israel to false gods.

Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole

v19Exodus 13:2thematic

Direct reference to God's law sanctifying all the firstborn males and firstlings to Himself.

Supported by John Calvin

v20Exodus 13:13thematic

Specific instruction on redeeming the firstling of an ass with a lamb, or breaking its neck.

Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin

v25Deuteronomy 16:3thematic

Commands unleavened bread with the Passover sacrifice as the memorial bread of affliction.

Supported by John Calvin

v26Exodus 23:19thematic

Identical covenant mandate regarding firstfruits and the prohibition against seething a kid in its mother's milk.

Repeats the prohibition against boiling a young goat in its mother's milk.

v3Exodus 19:12thematic

Repetition of strict boundaries set around Sinai to preserve holiness and prevent unauthorized approach.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v6Psalms 86:15thematic

Echoes the identical confession of God as full of compassion, gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v9Exodus 33:14-16thematic

Moses pleads for God's presence to go among them, following up the previous chapter's dialogue.

Supported by JFB

Confirms the command that none shall appear before the Lord empty at the three feasts.

Supported by Matthew Henry

v23Exodus 23:17thematic

Parallel command requiring all males to appear before the Lord three times a year.

Reiterates the three annual national pilgrim feasts for all Hebrew males.

v25Exodus 23:18thematic

Parallel prohibition against offering sacrifice with leaven or leaving Passover fat until morning.

v29Matthew 17:2typology

Jesus' face shines like the sun at His Transfiguration, fulfilling and surpassing Moses' reflected glory.

v28Exodus 24:18thematic

Compares this forty-day period on the mount with Moses' first forty-day stay.