Exodus 34:11-24

11 "Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, ¹I am going to drive out the Amorite before * you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite.

12 "²Watch 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 "³But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their ⁴Asherim

14 -for ⁵you 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 ⁶sacrifice to their gods, and someone ⁷might invite you to eat of his sacrifice,

16 and ⁸you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods.

17 "⁹You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

18 "You shall observe ¹⁰the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For ¹¹seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the ¹²month of Abib, for in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.

19 "¹³The first offspring from every womb belongs to Me, and all your male livestock, the first offspring from cattle and sheep.

20 "¹⁴You shall redeem with a lamb the first offspring from a donkey; and if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem ¹⁵all the firstborn of your sons. ¹⁶None shall appear before Me empty-handed.

21 "You shall work ¹⁷six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest.

22 "You shall celebrate ¹⁸the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.

23 "¹⁹Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

24 "For I will ²⁰drive out nations before * you and enlarge your borders, and no man shall covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.

Exodus 34:11-24 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.

Cross References

• 1. Exodus 33:2
• 2. Exodus 23:32, 33
• 3. Exodus 23:24; Deuteronomy 12:3
• 4. Deuteronomy 16:21; Judges 6:25, 26; 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 34:3
• 5. Exodus 20:3, 5; Deuteronomy 4:24
• 6. Exodus 22:20; Exodus 32:8
• 7. Numbers 25:1, 2; Deuteronomy 32:37, 38
• 8. Deuteronomy 7:3; Joshua 23:12, 13; 1 Kings 11:1-4
• 9. Exodus 20:4, 23; Leviticus 19:4; Deuteronomy 5:8
• 10. Exodus 12:17; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28:16
• 11. Exodus 12:15, 16
• 12. Exodus 12:2; Exodus 13:4
• 13. Exodus 13:2; Exodus 22:29
• 14. Exodus 13:13
• 15. Exodus 13:15; Numbers 3:45
• 16. Exodus 22:29; Exodus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:16
• 17. Exodus 20:9; Exodus 23:12; Exodus 31:15; Exodus 35:2; Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:13
• 18. Exodus 23:16; Numbers 28:26
• 19. Exodus 23:14-17
• 20. Exodus 33:2; Psalms 78:55

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "Observe for yourself"
• [b]. I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
• [c]. Lit "and you eat"
• [d]. Or "which"
• [e]. Or "oxen"
• [f]. Lit "first opening of"
• [g]. Lit "They shall not"
• [h]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
• [i]. Or "dispossess"