Exodus 34:5-15

5 ¹The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD.

6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, ²compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;

7 who ³keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He ⁴will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, ⁵visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations."

8 Moses made haste ⁶to bow low toward the earth and worship.

9 He said, "⁷If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though ⁸the people are so obstinate *, and ⁹pardon our iniquity and our sin, and ¹⁰take us as Your own possession."

The Covenant Renewed

10 Then God said, "Behold, ¹¹I am going to make a covenant. Before all your people ¹²I will perform miracles which have not been produced in all the earth nor among any of the nations; and all the people among whom you live will see the working of the LORD, for it is a fearful thing that I am going to perform with you.

11 "Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, ¹³I am going to drive out the Amorite before * you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.

12 "¹⁴Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst.

13 "¹⁵But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their ¹⁶Asherim

14 -for ¹⁷you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God -

15 otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and ¹⁸sacrifice to their gods, and someone ¹⁹might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

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Exodus 34:5-15 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 34

In this chapter Moses has orders to hew two tables of stone, that God might write on them the ten commands, and bring them up with him to the mount, Ex 34:1-4 where the Lord proclaimed his name, and caused his glory and his goodness to pass before him, Ex 34:5-7 when Moses took this favourable opportunity that offered to pray for the people, that God would forgive their sin, and go along with them, Ex 34:8,9 upon which he made a covenant with them, which on his part was to do wonders for them, and drive out the inhabitants of Canaan before them; and on their part, that they should have no confederacy and communion with these nations, and shun their idolatry, and everything that might lead unto it, Ex 34:10-17 and he repeated several laws before given, and urged the observance of them, which Moses was to acquaint the people with, Ex 34:18-27 and after a stay of forty days and forty nights on the mount, he came down with the two tables of the law; and the skin of his face shone so bright, that the people of Israel were afraid to come nigh him, and therefore he put a vail over his face while he conversed with them, Ex 34:28-35.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 19

1. Exodus 19:9; Exodus 33:9
2. Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 4:31; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:15; Psalms 103:8; Psalms 108:4; Psalms 145:8; Joel 2:13; Romans 2:4
3. Exodus 20:5, 6; Deuteronomy 5:10; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalms 103:3; Psalms 130:3, 4; 1 John 1:9
4. Exodus 23:7; Deuteronomy 7:10; Job 10:14; Nahum 1:3
5. Deuteronomy 5:9
6. Exodus 4:31
7. Exodus 33:13
8. Exodus 32:9
9. Exodus 34:7
10. Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 9:26, 29; Deuteronomy 32:9; Psalms 33:12
11. Exodus 34:27, 28; Deuteronomy 5:2
12. Deuteronomy 4:32; Psalms 72:18; Psalms 136:4
13. Exodus 33:2
14. Exodus 23:32, 33
15. Exodus 23:24; Deuteronomy 12:3
16. Deuteronomy 16:21; Judges 6:25, 26; 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 34:3
17. Exodus 20:3, 5; Deuteronomy 4:24
18. Exodus 22:20; Exodus 32:8
19. Numbers 25:1, 2; Deuteronomy 32:37, 38

Footnotes 11

[a]. Or "he called out with the name of the LORD
[b]. Or "faithfulness"
[c]. Lit "and bowed...worshiped"
[d]. Lit "it is a people stiff-necked"
[e]. Or "inheritance"
[f]. Lit "He"
[g]. Lit "created"
[h]. Lit "in whose midst you are"
[i]. Lit "Observe for yourself"
[j]. I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
[k]. Lit "and you eat"