Exodus 34:21-31

21 Six days thou shalt work, in the seventh day thou shalt cease to ear and to reap. (For six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt cease to plow and to harvest.)

22 Thou shalt make to thee the solemnity of weeks, in the first things of fruits of thy ripe corn of wheat, and the solemnity when all things be gathered into barns, when the time of the year cometh again. (Thou shalt keep the Feast of Weeks, with the first fruits of thy wheat harvest, and also the Feast of Ingathering, when all things be gathered into the barns, when that time of the year cometh again. )

23 Each male kind of thee shall appear in three times of the year in the sight of the Lord Almighty, thy God of Israel. (All thy adult males shall appear before the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, three times each year.)

24 For when I shall take away (the) folks from thy face, and I shall alarge thy terms, none shall set treasons to thy land, while thou goest up (when thou goest up), and appearest in the sight of thy Lord God, thrice in the year.

25 Thou shalt not offer on sourdough the blood of my sacrifice, neither anything of the slain sacrifice of the solemnity of pask shall abide unto the morrowtide. (Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything made with yeast, nor shall anything of the slain sacrifice of the Feast of Passover remain until the morning.)

26 (Each year) Thou shalt offer in the house of thy Lord God the first of the fruits of thy land. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in the milk of his mother (Thou shalt not boil a goat-kid in its mother's milk).

27 And the Lord said to Moses, Write thou (down) these words, by which I smote a bond of peace (by which I make a covenant), both with thee and with Israel.

28 Therefore Moses was there with the Lord by forty days and forty nights, and he ate not bread, and drank not water; and he wrote in [the] tables the ten words of the bond of peace. (And so Moses was there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, and he ate no bread, and drank no water; and he wrote on the tablets the Ten Commandments of the covenant.)

29 And when Moses came down from the hill of Sinai, he held in his hand(s) two tables of witnessing, and he wist not that his face was horned with wonderful shining beams, of the fellowship of God's word. (And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, he held in his hands the two tablets of the Witnessing, and he did not know that his face shone with wonderful shining beams, from his time of fellowship and of speaking with the Lord.)

30 Forsooth Aaron and the sons of Israel saw (that) Moses? face (was) horned, and they dreaded to nigh nigh, (And Aaron and the Israelites saw that Moses? face shone, and they were afraid to come near,)

31 and they were called of him, and they turned again, as well Aaron as the princes of the synagogue; and after that Moses spake, (but he called to them, and they came over to him, Aaron as well as the leaders of the congregation; and after that Moses had spoken with these men,)

Exodus 34:21-31 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.