Exodus 34

King James Version

Full text for Exodus Chapter 34

1¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon [these] tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest.

2And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount.

3And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

4And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.

5¶ And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

6And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].

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

9And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it [is] a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

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 which thou [art] shall see the work of the LORD: for it [is] a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

11Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

12Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:

13But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

14For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God:

15Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and [one] call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;

16And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.

17Thou 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 camest out from Egypt.

19All that openeth the matrix [is] mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, [whether] ox or sheep, [that is male].

20But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem [him] not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty.

21Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

22And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.

23Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.

24For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

25Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.

26The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

27And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

28¶ And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

29And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.

30And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

31And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.

32And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

33And [till] Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.

34But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel [that] which he was commanded.

35And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

God commands Moses to hew new stone tables, promising to re-inscribe the covenant words upon them. The LORD descends, proclaiming His merciful yet just character, and renews the covenant with Israel, reiterating laws concerning idolatry, feasts, and firstborn. Moses descends from Sinai after forty days, his face shining from God's presence, necessitating a veil when speaking to the people.

Medium Summary

Following the breaking of the first tables, the LORD instructs Moses to prepare new ones, promising to rewrite the covenant words. Moses ascends Mount Sinai alone, where God descends in a cloud and proclaims His divine attributes, emphasizing His mercy, grace, longsuffering, and truth, alongside His justice in visiting iniquity. Moses intercedes for Israel, and God renews the covenant, promising to perform wonders and drive out the inhabitants of Canaan. Key stipulations include strict prohibitions against idolatry, intermarriage with foreign nations, and the worship of other gods, highlighting the LORD's jealousy. The chapter also reiterates various Mosaic laws, such as the observance of the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Ingathering, and the redemption of firstborn. After forty days on the mount, Moses descends with the inscribed tables, his face radiating light from his communion with God, causing the Israelites to be afraid, leading him to wear a veil when addressing them.

Long Summary

Exodus 34 opens with the LORD commanding Moses to hew two new tables of stone, identical to the first, as God intends to re-inscribe upon them the words of the covenant which Moses had broken. Moses diligently prepares the tables and ascends Mount Sinai alone at dawn, as commanded, with no other person or animal permitted near the sacred mountain. The LORD then descends in a cloud, standing with Moses, and profoundly proclaims His divine name and attributes, revealing Himself as merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, yet also one who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of fathers upon subsequent generations. Moses, in response, bows in worship and intercedes for the “stiffnecked” people of Israel, pleading for God's continued presence among them, for the pardon of their sin, and for them to be taken as God's inheritance. God then formally renews the covenant, promising to perform unprecedented marvels before all the people and to drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, and other nations from the land. A crucial warning is issued against making covenants with the inhabitants of the land, as this would become a snare; instead, Israel is commanded to destroy their altars, images, and groves. The LORD reiterates the command to worship no other god, declaring Himself a “jealous God,” and warns against the dangers of idolatry through intermarriage and participation in pagan sacrifices. Further covenant stipulations are given, including the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the dedication or redemption of all firstborn males (both human and animal), and the strict observance of the Sabbath, even during critical agricultural seasons. The Feasts of Weeks (firstfruits) and Ingathering are also commanded, with all Israelite males required to appear before the LORD thrice yearly, assured that their land would not be coveted during their absence. Specific dietary and sacrificial laws are also mentioned, such as not offering leavened blood with sacrifice and not boiling a kid in his mother's milk. Finally, the LORD instructs Moses to write these words, as they constitute the covenant. Moses remains on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights, neither eating nor drinking, during which time he writes the Ten Commandments upon the tables. Upon descending, Moses is unaware that his face radiates light from his communion with God, causing Aaron and the Israelites to fear him. Moses calls them near, delivers the divine commandments, and subsequently places a veil over his face when speaking to the people, removing it only when he re-enters the LORD's presence.

Core Concepts

  • Covenant RenewalGod re-establishes His covenant with Israel, providing new stone tables and re-inscribing the commandments after the first set was broken due to Israel's sin. This signifies God's faithfulness and willingness to restore the relationship.
  • Divine AttributesThe LORD proclaims His own character to Moses, emphasizing His mercy, grace, longsuffering, and abundant goodness and truth, alongside His justice in not clearing the guilty. This revelation provides a foundational understanding of God's nature.
  • Prohibition of IdolatryA central theme is the strict command against worshipping other gods, making covenants with pagan nations, or adopting their practices, underscoring the LORD's exclusive claim on Israel's worship as a "jealous God."
  • Observance of FeastsSeveral key annual feasts are reiterated, including the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Ingathering, emphasizing their importance as acts of remembrance and worship.
  • Sabbath CommandmentThe command to observe the Sabbath is re-emphasized, highlighting its importance even during demanding agricultural periods like "earing time and in harvest," demonstrating its priority in the covenant.
  • Moses' Shining FaceMoses' face shines with a divine glory after his extended communion with God on Mount Sinai, a visible manifestation of his intimate encounter with the LORD, which necessitates him wearing a veil when addressing the people.
  • God's JealousyThe chapter explicitly states that the LORD's name is "Jealous," signifying His exclusive right to Israel's worship and His intolerance for any form of spiritual infidelity or idolatry.