Exodus 34:8

8 Then Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped.

Exodus 34:8 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 34:8

And Moses made haste
Perceiving the voice ceased, and the Lord was passing on, lest he should be gone, and he lose the favourable opportunity he had:

and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped;
threw himself prostrate upon it, and in the most humble manner put up his requests to God, which are expressed in the following verse; he gladly laid hold on this opportunity to use his interest with God for the people of Israel, and to improve the proclamation of grace and mercy, in the forgiveness of sins, now made; which encouraged his faith and hope to draw nigh with a holy boldness, and use freedom with him, and yet with an awe of his majesty, with reverence and godly fear.

Exodus 34:8 In-Context

6 And as the LORD passed by before him, he proclaimed, I AM, I AM strong, merciful, and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in mercy and truth,
7 keeping mercy for thousands, letting go of iniquity and rebellion and sin; and by no means will I absolve the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons and upon the sons’ sons, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
8 Then Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped.
9 And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us, for this is a stiffnecked people, and forgive our iniquity and our sin and possess us.
10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant before all thy people: I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom thou art shall see the work of the LORD; for it shall be a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010