Exodus 34:1-27

Yahweh’s Description of Himself

1 And Yahweh said to Moses, "Cut for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.

2 And be ready for the morning, and go up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself to me there on the top of the mountain.

3 And no one will go up with you, and neither let anyone be seen on all the mountain, nor let the sheep and goats and the cattle graze {opposite} that mountain."

4 And Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and he started early in the morning, and he went up to Mount Sinai, as Yahweh had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two stone tablets.

5 And Yahweh descended in the cloud, and he stood with him there, and he proclaimed the name of Yahweh.

6 And Yahweh passed over before him, and he proclaimed, "Yahweh, Yahweh, God, [who is] compassionate and gracious, {slow to anger}, and abounding with loyal love and faithfulness,

7 keeping loyal love to the thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and he does not leave utterly unpunished, punishing [the] guilt of fathers on sons and on sons of sons on third and fourth [generations]."

8 And Moses hurried and knelt down to the earth and worshiped.

9 And he said, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, Lord, let my Lord, please, go among us--indeed it is a stiff-necked people--and forgive our iniquity and our sin and {take us as your possession}."

Covenant Stipulations

10 And he said, "Look, I [am about to] make a covenant. In front of all your people I will do wonders that have not been created on all the earth and among all the nations, and all the people among whom you [are] will see Yahweh's work, because what I [am about to] do with you [will be] awesome.

11 "Keep for yourself what I myself have commanded you today. Look, I [am about to] drive from before you the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.

12 Be careful for yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you are going, lest it be a snare among you.

13 Rather, you will tear down their altars, and you will break their stone pillars, and you will cut off their Asherah poles.

14 For you will not bow in worship to another god, for 'Yahweh [Is] Jealous' is his name, he [is] a jealous God,

15 lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they prostitute [themselves] after their gods, and they sacrifice to their gods, and they invite you, and you eat their sacrifice,

16 and you take from their daughters for your sons, and their daughters prostitute [themselves] after their gods, and they cause your sons to prostitute [themselves] after their gods.

17 You will not make gods of cast metal for yourself.

18 "You will keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you will eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the appointed time of the month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.

19 Every first offspring of a womb [is] for me--all of your male livestock, [the] first offspring of cattle and small livestock.

20 But the first offspring of a donkey you will redeem with small livestock, and if you will not redeem [it], you will break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you will redeem, and you will not appear before me empty-handed.

21 Six days you will work, and on the seventh day you will rest; in the [time of] plowing and in the [time of] harvest you will rest.

22 And {you yourself} will observe the Feast of Weeks--the firstfruits of the wheat harvest--and the Feast of Harvest Gathering at the turn of the year.

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

24 because I will evict nations before you, and I will enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in the year.

25 "You will not slaughter the blood of my sacrifice on [food with] yeast, and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover will not stay overnight to the morning.

26 The beginning of the firstfruits of your land you will bring [to] the house of Yahweh your God. You will not boil a young goat in its mother's milk."

27 And Yahweh said to Moses, "Write for yourself these words, because {according to} these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel."

Exodus 34:1-27 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "to the front of"
• [b]. Literally "long of nose"
• [c]. Or "rich in" or "great of"
• [d]. Or "take possession of us," "make us your inheritance"
• [e]. Hebrew "Canaanite"
• [f]. Hebrew "Hittite"
• [g]. Hebrew "Perizzite"
• [h]. Hebrew "Hivite"
• [i]. Hebrew "Jebusite"
• [j]. Literally "for yourself" or "as for you, you will observe"
• [k]. Or "kid"
• [l]. Literally "on the mouth of"