Exodus 34:5-15

5 And when the Lord had come down by a cloud, Moses stood with him, and called inwardly the name of the Lord; (And the Lord came down in a cloud, and Moses stood with him, and the Lord proclaimed his own name;)

6 and when the Lord passed before him (yea, when the Lord passed before him), he said, Lordshipper, Lord God, merciful, and pious, patient, and of much mercy doing, and soothfast,

7 which keepest covenant and mercy into thousands, which doest away wickedness, and trespasses, and sins, and no man by himself is innocent with thee, which yieldest the wickedness of fathers to their sons, and to the sons of their sons, into the third and the fourth generation. (who keepest covenant and mercy with thousands of people, who doest away wickedness, and trespasses, and sins, but no one in themselves is innocent with me, and who punishest their sons, and the sons of their sons, to the third and fourth generations, for the wickedness of their fathers.)

8 And hastily Moses was bowed low to [the] earth, and worshipped, (And Moses hastily bowed down low to the ground, and worshipped,)

9 and said, Lord, if I have found grace in thy sight, (then) I beseech thee, that thou go with us, for the people is of hard noll (for the people is hard-headed, or is stubborn); and that thou do away our wickednesses and sins, and wield us.

10 The Lord answered, I shall make (a) covenant, and in (the) sight of all men I shall make signs, that were never seen (before) on [the] earth, neither in any folks (nor in any nation), (so) that this people, in whose midst thou art, see the fearedful work of the Lord, that I shall make (for thee).

11 Keep thou all things, which I command to thee today (Obey thou everything which I command to thee today); I myself shall cast out before thy face (the) Amorites, and Canaanites, and Hittites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites.

12 Beware, lest any time thou join friendships with the dwellers of that land, which friendships (shall) be into falling to thee.

13 But also destroy thou their altars, break the images, and cut thou down their [maumet] woods; (And also destroy thou their altars, and break in pieces their images, and cut thou down their idol woods, or their sacred poles;)

14 do not thou worship an alien God; a jealous lover is the Lord's name, God is a fervent lover; (do not thou worship any foreign, or any other, god; for the Lord's name is Jealous, and he is a jealous God;)

15 make thou not (a) covenant with the men of those countries, lest when they have done fornication, that is, idolatry, with their gods, and have worshipped the simulacra of them, any man call thee (someone call thee), that thou eat (some) of the things offered to an idol.

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.