Exodus 34:1-9

1 And afterward God said, Hew to thee two tables of stone at the likeness of the former, and I shall write on those tables those words, which the tables, that thou brakest, had. (And afterward God said, Cut thou two stone tablets like the first ones, and I shall write on these tablets the same words which the first tablets had, that thou hast broken.)
2 Be thou ready in the morrowtide, that thou go up anon into the hill of Sinai; and thou shalt stand with me on the top of the hill; (Be thou ready in the morning, and come up at once onto Mount Sinai; and thou shalt stand with me on the top of the mountain;)
3 no man go up with thee, neither any man be seen by all the hill; and oxen and sheep be not fed against the hill. (no one shall come up with thee, nor shall anyone be seen on all the mountain; and no oxen or sheep shall be fed near the mountain.)
4 Therefore Moses hewed two tables of stone, (in) which manner the tables were before, and he rose by night, and went up into the hill of Sinai, as the Lord commanded to him; and he bare with him the tables. (And so Moses cut two stone tablets, like the first tablets, and he rose up early, and went up Mount Sinai, as the Lord commanded to him; and he carried the tablets with him.)
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.

Exodus 34:1-9 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.