Exodus 34:13-23

13 but ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves;

14 for thou shalt worship no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

15 Therefore thou shalt not make a covenant with the inhabitants of that land because they shall fornicate after their gods and do sacrifice unto their gods, and they shall call thee, and thou shalt eat of their sacrifices

16 or take of their daughters unto thy sons, and when their daughters go fornicating after their gods they shall make thy sons also fornicate after their gods.

17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.

18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib; for in the month Abib thou didst come out from Egypt.

19 All that opens the womb is mine; and every firstborn among thy livestock, whether of cow or of sheep, that is male.

20 But the firstborn of an ass thou shalt ransom with a lamb, and if thou ransom him not, then shalt thou cut off his head. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt ransom, and none shall appear before me empty.

21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt cease; in ploughing time and in harvest thou shalt cease.

22 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of the reaping of the wheat, and the feast of ingathering at the year’s end.

23 Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the GOD who is Lord of all, the God of Israel.

Exodus 34:13-23 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.