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Exodus Chapter
Thirty-four
New King James Version
(NKJV)
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
Exodus 34:1 where
the Lord proclaimed his name
and caused his glory and his goodness to pass
before him
Exodus 34:5 when
Moses took this favourable opportunity that offered to pray for the people
that God would forgive their sin
and go along with them
Exodus 34:8 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
Exodus 34:10 and he
repeated several laws before given
and urged the observance of them
which
Moses was to acquaint the people with
Exodus 34:18 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
Exodus 34:28.
Exodus 34:1 And the Lord said to Moses
“Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones
and I will write on these
tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.
YLT 1And Jehovah saith unto Moses
`Hew for
thyself two tables of stone like the first
and I have written on the tables
the words which were on the first tables which thou hast broken;
And the Lord
said unto Moses
.... Out of the cloudy pillar
at the door of the tabernacle
where he had been conversing with him in the most friendly manner
as related
in the preceding chapter:
hew thee two
tables of stone like unto the first; of the same form
and of
the same dimensions
and it may be of the same sort of stone
which perhaps was
marble
there being great plenty of that kind on Mount Sinai. Now Moses being
ordered to hew these tables
whereas the former were the work of God himself
as well as the writing
shows that the law was to be the ministration of Moses
and be ordained in the hand of him as a mediator
who had been praying and
interceding for the people; and as a token of the reconciliation made
the
tables were to be renewed
yet with some difference
that there might be some
remembrance of their crime
and of their loss by it
not having the law on
tables of stone
which were the work of God
but which were the work of man:
and I will
write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables which
thou brakest; the writing of these was by the Lord himself
as the former
shows that the law itself was of God
though the tables were hewn by Moses
and
that he would have it known and observed as such; and the same being written on
these tables
as on the former
shows the unchangeableness of the law of God
as given to the people of Israel
that he would have nothing added to it
or
taken from it; and the writing of it over again may have respect to the
reinscribing it on the hearts of his people in regeneration
according to the
tenor of the new covenant: the phrase
"which thou brakest"
is not
used as expressing any displeasure at Moses for that act of his
but to
describe the former tables; and the breaking of them might not be the effect of
passion
at least of any criminal passion
but of zeal for the glory of God
and the honour of his law
which was broken by the Israelites
and therefore
unworthy of it; and might be according to the counsel of the divine will
and
the secret direction of his providence.
Exodus 34:2 2 So be ready in the
morning
and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai
and present yourself to Me
there on the top of the mountain.
YLT 2and be prepared at morning
and thou hast
come up in the morning unto mount Sinai
and hast stood before Me there
on the
top of the mount
And be ready in
the morning
.... This was
according to the Jewish chronologyF5Seder
Olam Rabba
c. 6. p. 19.
on the twenty eighth day of the month Ab or July:
and come up in
the morning unto Mount Sinai; the same mount where he had been before:
and present
thyself there to me on the top of the mount; where the pillar of
cloud removed and stood
and near it Moses was to stand and wait to hear what
would be said unto him
and to see what would be made to pass before him.
Exodus 34:3 3 And no man shall come up
with you
and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither
flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”
YLT 3and no man cometh up with thee
and also no
man is seen in all the mount
also the flock and the herd do not feed
over-against that mount.'
And no man
shall come up with thee
.... Before
Aaron and his two sons
and the seventy elders of
Israel
went up with Moses
though they did not go so near the Lord as he did;
but now having sinned in the matter of the golden calf
though a reconciliation
was made
they were not allowed to go with him
nor even Joshua his servant
though he had no concern in the sin; Moses must be alone
that the ministration
of the law might be by him only
and in order to receive a peculiar favour in
answer to his request:
neither let any
man be seen throughout all the mount; in any part of it
as
Joshua was before in some part of it
even all the while that Moses was there;
but now not a single person must be seen anywhere
not only because of the
giving of the law to Moses
but because of the display of the divine glory
which was to be made particularly to him:
neither let the
flocks nor herds feed before that mount; or over against it
or
rather "near" itF6אל מול ההר ההוא
πλησιον του ορους
Sept.
"prope montem illum"
Noldius
p. 80. ; which was ordered
not so
much on the account of the flocks themselves
who were not capable of any moral
guilt; nor that they might not come to any hurt
since they were to be stoned
or thrust through with a dart if they touched it
which order it is highly
probable was in force as before; but on the account of their keepers
that
there might be none of them on the spot
or near
to observe what passed; and
chiefly this was said to command fear and reverence in the minds of the people
while this solemn affair was transacting between God and Moses
and to check
all curiosity in them.
Exodus 34:4 4 So he cut two tablets of
stone like the first ones. Then Moses rose early in the morning and went
up Mount Sinai
as the Lord
had commanded him; and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
YLT 4And he heweth two tables of stone like the
first
and Moses riseth early in the morning
and goeth up unto mount Sinai
as
Jehovah commanded him
and he taketh in his hand two tables of stone.
And he hewed
two tables of stone like unto the first
.... Which may be an
emblem of the ministry of men
which God makes use of in hewing of his people
and bringing them to a sense of their sins
the breach of his law
and
repentance for them
Hosea 6:5
and Moses rose
up early in the morning: which
according to the JewsF7Seder Olam Rabba
c. 6.
p. 19.
was the twenty ninth of Ab or July
which showed his ready and
cheerful obedience to the divine will
and the quick dispatch he had made in
hewing the tables; which whether he did with his own hands only
or made use of
others whom he directed
is not very material; though the phrase "hew
thee"
or "hew unto thee"
seems as if he were to do it himself
and not another:
and went up
unto Mount Sinai
as the Lord had commanded him; which was the third time
of his going there
and every time he continued forty days and forty nights
as
Aben Ezra observes
see Deuteronomy 9:18
and took in his
hand the two tables of stone; which could not be very thick and heavy to
carry in one hand up a mountain
but must be a sort of marble slab or slate: at
this same time an ark was ordered to be made
and was made
to put the tables
into
which was a type of Christ
the fulfilling end of the law for
righteousness
Deuteronomy 10:1.
Exodus 34:5 5 Now the Lord descended in
the cloud and stood with him there
and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
YLT 5And Jehovah cometh down in a cloud
and
stationeth Himself with him there
and calleth in the Name of Jehovah
And the Lord
descended in the cloud
.... The same with the cloudy pillar
which was now gone up from
the door of the tabernacle
and was on high in the air over the mount
and on
which the Lord now descended in it
as he had before
Exodus 19:9
and stood with
him there; not Moses stood with the Lord
as the Vulgate Latin version; but
the Lord
or the cloud in which the Lord was
stood near to Moses:
and proclaimed
the name of the Lord: Jehovah declared with a loud voice out of the cloud
that the
Lord was there; the Targum of Jonathan is
"and Moses called on or in the
name of the Word of the Lord;'and so the Vulgate Latin version refers it to
Moses
and renders the words
"calling on the name of the Lord"; but
the following verse clearly shows that it must be understood of the Lord
and
not of Moses.
Exodus 34:6 6 And the Lord passed before
him and proclaimed
“The Lord
the Lord
God
merciful and gracious
longsuffering
and abounding in goodness and truth
YLT 6and Jehovah passeth over before his face
and
calleth: `Jehovah
Jehovah God
merciful and gracious
slow to anger
and
abundant in kindness and truth
And the Lord
passed by before him
.... Or caused his Shechinah
his divine Majesty
and the glory
of it
to pass before him
as the Targums; his glory and goodness
which he had
promised should pass before him
Exodus 33:19 and it
is but a transient passing view the greatest of men
God's peculiar favourites
have of him in this life:
and proclaimed
the Lord
the Lord God; the Jerusalem Targum wrongly paraphrases the words as a prayer
of Moses thus
"and Moses prayed
and said
O Lord
Lord"; and so the
Vulgate Latin version; but it is quite clear
and beyond all doubt
from Numbers 14:17 that
what follow are the words of God
and not of Moses: the sense is
that the
Lord
as he passed by Moses
to raise and fix his attention
declared it was
Jehovah that passed by; which is repeated the more to excite his attention
and
is the name by which he had made himself known to Moses
even when he sent him
into Egypt; for "I am that I am" is an explanation of this name
see Exodus 3:14 and the
word "El"
translated "God"
signifies mighty and powerful
and is true of all the three divine Persons
to whom respect may be had in the
use of these three words. What is proclaimed or declared concerning God is
that he is
merciful and
gracious
longsuffering
and abundant in goodness and truth; first
"merciful"
and he is so in the most tender and affectionate manner;
he is rich and plenteous in mercy
freely giving it
delights in bestowing it
constantly shows it to his people; it is manifested and displayed in Christ
the mercy seat; and it lays a foundation for faith and hope
and is the spring
of all good things in time
and to eternity: and he is also
"gracious"
good and kind to men
without any merit or desert of
theirs
but bestows good things on them freely
of his own free grace
favour
and good will
as appears by various acts of his; in the eternal choice of them
to everlasting happiness; in providing a Saviour for them
and giving all grace
and spiritual blessings to them in him; by giving Christ to them
and for them
justifying them freely by his righteousness
pardoning their sins according to
the riches of his grace
regenerating
calling
preserving
and saving them by
it: likewise "longsuffering"; both towards wicked men
the vessels of
wrath
by whom his patience and longsuffering are abused and despised; and
towards his elect
on whom he waits to be gracious
not willing that any of
them should perish
but all be brought to repentance; and his longsuffering is
their salvation: and it follows
"abundant in goodness and truth"; in
providential goodness to all men; in special goodness to his chosen people
which he has laid up
and wrought out for them
and shown them in Christ; in
his truth and faithfulness
in fulfilling his promises
both with respect to
the mission of his Son into the world
to be the Saviour of it
and with
respect to all other things promised
whether relating to this life
or that to
come
to grace or glory; he never suffers his truth and faithfulness to fail;
his promises are all yea and amen in Christ.
Exodus 34:7 7 keeping mercy for
thousands
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin
by no means clearing the
guilty
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the
children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
YLT 7keeping kindness for thousands
taking away
iniquity
and transgression
and sin
and not entirely acquitting
charging
iniquity of fathers on children
and on children's children
on a third
[generation]
and on a fourth.'
Keeping mercy
for thousands
.... In his own heart
in his purposes and decrees
in his
counsels and covenant
in his Son
with whom he keeps it for ever
and for all
in him
Psalm 89:28 and
they are many who are ordained to eternal life
for whom Christ gave his life a
ransom
and for whom his blood was shed for the remission of their sins; and
whom he justifies by his knowledge
and at last brings to glory as the great
Captain of their salvation; these are even a number which no man can number.
All the Targums render it to a thousand generations; and Jarchi interprets of
two thousand generations. The first letter in the word
rendered
"keeping"
is longer than is usual
in the Hebrew text; which
according to the JewsF8Vid. Buxtorf. Tiberiad. c. 14. p. 38.
denotes the largeness of the grace of God
its great extent and long
continuance:
forgiving iniquity
and transgression
and sin; the word used signifies a lifting it up
and taking it away: thus Jehovah has taken it from the sinner
and put it on
his Son
who has borne it
and made satisfaction for it; and in so doing has
taken it quite away
so as to be seen no more; and
through the application of
his blood to the conscience of a sinner
it is taken away from thence
and
removed as far as the east is from the west; from whence it appears
that it is
in Christ
and for his sake
that God forgives sin
even through his blood
righteousness
sacrifice
and satisfaction; and this forgiveness is of all sin
of all sorts of sin
original or actual
greater or lesser
public or private
open or secret
of omission or commission
of heart
lip
and life. The Jews
sometimes distinguish these three words; "iniquity"
they say
signifies sins through pride and presumption; "transgression" intends
rebellions against God; and "sin"
what is committed through error
and mistakeF9Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. Yoma
c. 4. sect. 2. ;
and much to this sense is Jarchi's interpretation of these words; they no doubt
include all manner of sin
which God for Christ's sake forgives:
and will by no
means clear the guilty; without a full and proper satisfaction to
justice; which is provided in Christ
whom God has set forth to be the
propitiation for sin
to declare his righteousness
that he might appear to be
just
while he justifies and pardons those that believe in Jesus; otherwise all
the world are guilty before God
and none would be cleared; but those for whom
satisfaction is made
and a righteousness wrought out
they are cleared
acquitted
and discharged
and they only: or "though he will by no means
let it go unpunished"F11ונקה לא ינקה "et impunita minime
dimittens"
Tigurine version; "et non exercens impunitatem"
Coccei Lexic. in voce נקה. ; that is
sin
expressed
by the several words preceding; and so to this purpose is this phrase
translated in Jeremiah 30:11 and
the meaning is
that though God pardons sin
all manner of sin
and so displays
his grace and mercy
yet he takes care of the honour of his justice
and never
suffers any sin to go unpunished
either on the sinner
or on the surety.
Pardon of sin always proceeds upon the redemption that is through the blood of
Christ
and is a branch of it
see Romans 3:24. Some
understand these words as relating not to the justice
but to the mercy and
goodness of God; and render the words
either "in extirpating he will not
extirpate"
as MaimonidesF12Moreh Nevochim
par. 1. c. 54. ;
and as Jonathan translates the same phrase in Jeremiah 30:11
"in destroying I will not destroy"; and so De Dieu here
"in
emptying he will not empty"
or destroy; and this sense is thought to be
most agreeable to the prayer of Moses
and the promise of God
that his
goodness and glory should pass before him
to which the other sense seems
contrary; but the justice of God is as much his glory
and in it lies his
goodness
as well as his grace and mercy; besides
the following words cannot
be thought to be so expressive of the grace
and mercy
and goodness of God
but of his punitive justice
and so the objection would still remain:
visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children
and upon the childrens' children
unto the third and to the fourth generation; See Gill on Exodus 20:5.
Exodus 34:8 8 So Moses made haste and
bowed his head toward the earth
and worshiped.
YLT 8And Moses hasteth
and boweth to the earth
and doth obeisance
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 34:9 9 Then he said
“If now I
have found grace in Your sight
O Lord
let my Lord
I pray
go among us
even
though we are a stiff-necked people; and pardon our iniquity and our
sin
and take us as Your inheritance.”
YLT 9and saith
`If
I pray Thee
I have found
grace in Thine eyes
O my Lord
let my Lord
I pray Thee
go in our midst (for
it [is] a stiff-necked people)
and thou hast forgiven our iniquity and our
sin
and hast inherited us.'
And he said
if
now I have found grace in thy sight
.... Or "seeing
now"
for he could have no doubt upon his mind but that he had found grace
and favour in the sight of God
since he had caused his goodness and glory to
pass before him
and made such a proclamation of his grace and mercy to him;
but he takes it for granted
and improves it
and argues upon it
as follows:
O Lord
let my
Lord
I pray thee
go amongst us; as the Lord had
signified as if he would not go among them
but leave them to the conduct of a
created angel; and Moses had before prayed that his presence or face might go
with them
Exodus 33:3 and now
having some fresh tokens of the favour and good will of God towards him
renews
his request with great earnestness and importunity
entreating the Lord Jehovah
the Father
that Moses's Lord Jehovah the Son
the Angel of God's presence
in
whom his name was
might go with them
as he had said he should:
for it is a
stiffnecked people; and therefore have need of such an one to be with them
to rule
and govern them
to restrain and keep them within due bounds; or "thoughF13Quamvis
Piscator
Patrick; so R. Marinus in Aben Ezra; and some in Abendana. it is a
stiffnecked people"; for this is the reason given by the Lord why he would
not go among them
Exodus 33:3
wherefore Moses prays that he would go
notwithstanding this; he owns the
character of them was just
yet humbly prays that God would nevertheless
vouchsafe his presence:
and pardon our
iniquity
and our sin; which he had the greater reason to hope he would
since he had
just proclaimed his name
a God pardoning iniquity
transgression
and sin;
and
the more to gain his suit
makes himself a party concerned
calling the
sin committed
"our iniquity
and our sin"; even his among the rest
who had found grace in the sight of God
and therefore entreats others might
also
since they were all sinners
and there was forgiveness with him:
and take us for
thine inheritance; to possess and enjoy
protect and defend
cultivate and improve
keep and preserve for ever.
Exodus 34:10 10 And He said: “Behold
I
make a covenant. Before all your 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 you are
shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an
awesome thing that I will do with you.
YLT 10And He saith
`Lo
I am making a covenant:
before all thy people I do wonders
which have not been done in all the earth
or in any nation
and all the people in whose midst thou [art] have seen the
work of Jehovah
for it [is] fearful that which I am doing with thee.
And he said
behold
I will make a covenant
.... Or renew the covenant before made the
people had broke; which on his part was
that he would
as Moses had entreated
forgive the sin of the people
go along with them
and introduce them into the
land of Canaan
and drive out the inhabitants of it before them; and
on their
part
that they should avoid idolatry
and everything that led unto it
particularly making covenants
and entering into alliances with the idolatrous
nations cast out:
before all thy
people I will do marvels
such as have not been done in all the earth
nor in
any nation; both in their passage through the wilderness
and entrance into
Canaan's land
and the conquest of that; such as the earth opening its mouth
and swallowing alive Korah
Dathan
and Abiram
and was a new thing God
created; the smiting of the rock at Kadesh
from whence flowed waters
abundantly; the healing of such as were bit by fiery serpents through looking
at a serpent of brass; Balaam's ass speaking
and reproving the madness of the
prophet; the division of the waters of Jordan; the fall of the walls of Jericho
at the sound of rams' horns; the sun and moon standing still
until the Lord
had avenged himself of his enemies:
and all the
people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord; for it should
be visible
as the above things were
and plainly appear to be the Lord's
doing
and not man's
being above the power of any created being to perform:
for it is a
terrible thing that I will do with thee; Aben Ezra restrains this
to Moses's person
and interprets this of the wonderful shining of the skin of
his face
when he came down from the mount
which made the children of Israel
afraid to come nigh him; and of his vigorous constitution at the time of his
death
when his eye was not dim
nor his natural force abated
contrary to the
nature of ancient persons: but it is better to understand it of the ministry of
Moses
and of the awful things that God would do by him; or rather of the
people of Israel
among whom
and for whose sake
God would do such things as
should cause a panic among the nations all around them; particularly what he
did for them to Og king of Bashan
and Sihon king of the Amorites
on account
of which terror fell
as on the king of Moab
so on the inhabitants of Canaan;
see Numbers 21:33 Joshua 2:9.
Exodus 34:11 11 Observe what I command you
this day. Behold
I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the
Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
YLT 11`Observe for thyself that which I am
commanding thee to-day: lo
I am casting out from before thee the Amorite
and
the Canaanite
and the Hittite
and the Perizzite
and the Hivite
and the
Jebusite;
Observe thou
that which I command thee this day
.... Which words are
either said to Moses personally
as Aben Ezra thinks
as a direction to him to
observe what had been said to him
and declare them to the children of Israel;
or rather to the children of Israel
and respect the commands which are afterwards
delivered out to be observed by them in the following verses; and what is
expressed in the next clause is such as was not done by the ministry of Moses
nor in his time:
behold
I drive
out before thee; not before Moses
but the people of Israel:
the Amorite
and the Canaanite
and the Hittite
and the Perizzite
and the Hivite
and the
Jebusite; six nations are only mentioned
though there were seven
the
Girgashites being omitted
because either they left the land before
as some
think
or because they at once submitted; they are added in the Septuagint
version.
Exodus 34:12 12 Take heed to yourself
lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going
lest it be a snare in your midst.
YLT 12take heed to thyself
lest thou make a
covenant with the inhabitant of the land into which thou art going
lest it
become a snare in thy midst;
Take heed to
thyself
.... This is said not to Moses
but to the people of Israel
as a
caution to them when they should enter the land of Canaan
and possess it:
lest thou make
a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest: enter into a
league and alliance
to live friendly and amicably
and support and assist each
other against the common enemy; whereas they were to smite the seven nations
and destroy them
and show them no mercy
Deuteronomy 7:1.
lest it be for
a snare in the midst of thee; be the means of drawing them into the same
sinful practices with themselves
especially into idolatrous ones
and so of
bringing ruin and destruction on them.
Exodus 34:13 13 But you shall destroy
their altars
break their sacred pillars
and cut down their wooden
images
YLT 13for their altars ye break down
and their
standing pillars ye shiver
and its shrines ye cut down;
But ye shall
destroy their altars
.... On which they had sacrificed to their idols; since
if they
were allowed to continue
they might be temptations to offer sacrifice thereon
contrary to the command of God:
break their
images: of gold or silver
wood or stone
which they made for
themselves
and worshipped as deities; seeing if these continued
the sight of
them might lead to the worship of them
and so bring under the divine
displeasure
as a breach of the command of God given them:
and cut down
their groves; which were clusters of trees
where they had their temples and
their idols
and did service to them
and where
besides idolatry
many
impurities were committed. Such places were originally used by good men for
devotion
being shady and solitary
but when abused to superstitious and
idolatrous uses
were forbidden. It is saidF14R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel
Moed
fol. 72. 1.
the word for "grove" is general
and includes
every tree they serve
or plant
for an idol.
Exodus 34:14 14 (for you shall worship no
other god
for the Lord
whose name is Jealous
is a jealous God)
YLT 14for ye do not bow yourselves to another god
-- for Jehovah
whose name [is] Zealous
is a zealous God.
For thou shall
worship no other god
.... Than the Lord their God
the one only living and true God
which was the first command given to the people of Israel
and binding upon all
men:
for the Lord
whose name is Jealous
is a jealous God; his name and nature
answer to one another; he admits of no rival or competitor in worship; he will
not give his glory to another god
or one so called
nor his praise to graven
images; and in this he is distinguished from all nominal and fictitious gods
who have many joined with them
and are rivals of them
which gives them no
concern
because insensible; but it is otherwise with the Lord
who knows the
dishonour done him
and resents it
and is as jealous of any worship being
given to another
as the husband is of the honour of his marriage bed; for
idolatry is spiritual adultery
as is suggested in the following verse.
Exodus 34:15 15 lest you make a covenant
with the inhabitants of the land
and they play the harlot with their gods and
make sacrifice to their gods
and one of them invites you and you eat of
his sacrifice
YLT 15`Lest thou make a covenant with the
inhabitant of the land
and they have gone a-whoring after their gods
and have
sacrificed to their gods
and [one] hath called to thee
and thou hast eaten of
his sacrifice
Lest thou make
a covenant with the inhabitants of the land
.... A marriage covenant
taking their daughters in marriage to their sons
and "vice versa"
as the following words show; here the caution is to be understood and the words
supplied from Exodus 34:12 and
inserted and connected thus
"take heed to thyself
lest thou make"
&c.
and they go a
whoring after their gods; that is
the inhabitants of the land
and particularly those
with whom the Israelites made a covenant
and entered into a marriage relation
with
and perhaps on this condition
that they would abstain from idolatry; and
yet
contrary to the obligation they laid themselves under
lust after their
idols
and commit spiritual fornication or adultery with them
which is
explained by the next clause:
and do
sacrifice unto their gods; such as the first institutors of their
idolatry enjoined
and their ancestors had observed
and were according to the
rites and customs of the country:
and one
call thee
and thou eat of his sacrifice; invite to eat of what
remained
that was offered to the idol: hence it appears
that having feasts at
sacrifices
and eating things offered to idols in a festival way
are very
ancient practices; see 1 Corinthians 10:27.
Exodus 34:16 16 and you take of his
daughters for your sons
and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and
make your sons play the harlot with their gods.
YLT 16and thou hast taken of their daughters to thy
sons
and their daughters have gone a-whoring after their gods
and have caused
thy sons to go a-whoring after their gods;
And thou take of
their daughters unto thy sons
.... That is
marry them to them
which
explains what is meant by making a covenant with them
entering into such a
near relation
and joining families
and thus intermixing with one another:
and their
daughters go a whoring after their gods; the worship of whom they
have been trained up in from their infancy
and therefore hanker after them
and commit whoredom in a spiritual sense with them:
and make thy
sons go a whoring after their gods; by the means of tempting
and drawing them into idolatrous practices
as the wives of Solomon were a
snare to him.
Exodus 34:17 17 “You shall make no molded
gods for yourselves.
YLT 17a molten god thou dost not make to thyself.
Thou shalt make
thee no molten gods. Made of a melted liquid
whether gold
or silver
or brass
poured into a mould; and though graven images are not mentioned
they are
included
a part being put for the whole
as appears not only from the
injunction to break images in general
whether graven or molten
Exodus 34:13 but
from the second command
which expressly forbids the making and worshipping of
them; but "molten" ones are particularly mentioned
because it is
probable they were chiefly such the Canaanites worshipped
and especially
because the calf the Israelites had lately made and worshipped was a molten one.
Exodus 34:18 18 “The Feast of Unleavened
Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread
as I commanded
you
in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you
came out from Egypt.
YLT 18`The feast of unleavened things thou dost
keep; seven days thou dost eat unleavened things
as I have commanded thee
at
an appointed time
the month of Abib: for in the month of Abib thou didst come
out from Egypt.
The feast of
unleavened bread shalt thou keep
.... Which was instituted
at the time of their coming out of Egypt
and on that account
and then
observed
Exodus 12:15 and
afterwards repeated
and the month expressed in which they were to keep it
and
the reason of it
as it here follows; see Gill on Exodus 13:15.
Exodus 34:19 19 “All that open the womb are
Mine
and every male firstborn among your livestock
whether ox or
sheep.
YLT 19`All opening a womb [are] Mine
and every
firstling of thy cattle born a male
ox or sheep;
All that
openeth the matrix is mine
.... Or "the womb"
and therefore
to be sanctified
and set apart for his use: this also was declared
and the
law concerning it given
at the time of their coming out of Egypt
and here
repeated; see Gill on Exodus 13:2
Exodus 13:12.
Exodus 34:20 20 But the firstborn of a
donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him
then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem.
“And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
YLT 20and the firstling of an ass thou dost ransom
with a lamb; and if thou dost not ransom
then thou hast beheaded it; every
first-born of thy sons thou dost ransom
and they do not appear before Me
empty.
Every firstling
of an ass thou shalt redeem
.... This goes along with the former; see
Gill on Exodus 13:13
and none shall
appear before me empty; at the grand festivals
the passover
pentecost
and
tabernacles; see Gill on Exodus 13:15.
Exodus 34:21 21 “Six
days you shall work
but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and
in harvest you shall rest.
YLT 21`Six days thou dost work
and on the seventh
day thou dost rest; in ploughing-time and in harvest thou dost rest.
Six days shalt
thou work
but on the seventh day thou shalt rest
.... This is
the law of the seventh day sabbath
which is after repeated
to fix it in the
minds and memories of the people
see Exodus 20:10 and
here it is added
which has not been mentioned before:
in earing and
in harvest thou shall rest; that is
in the time of ploughing
and in
the time of reaping and gathering in the harvest
which are both very busy
seasons; the rest of the sabbath was not to be violated; such sort of works
though they might require haste and expedition
yet the sabbath was not to be
broken on account of them: this is the common sense of the law
as it is
understood; but MaimonidesF15In Misn. Sheviith
c. 14. sect. 1.
gives another sense from their doctors
who say
it is forbidden to plough in
the sixth year what cannot be reaped but in the seventh; and so likewise that
it is forbidden to reap on the seventh year
that of which profit may be had on
the eighth year
and this is founded on what the Scripture says
Exodus 34:21
"in earing"
&c. and they say
that here ploughing and harvest
are not to be understood of the seventh day
because this is included in the
general rule
"thou shalt not do any work"--they say
of that which
is ploughed
whose reaping or harvest is forbidden
is the ploughing at the
evening of the seventh year
and at the going out of the seventh; and know
this
that the evening of the seventh is the sixth year
and the going out of
the seventh is the eighth year
and so Jarchi on the text observes
that some
of their Rabbins say
this is to be understood of the ploughing of the seventh
year
the seventh year entering
and the harvest of the seventh year
at the
going out of it; so that as there is a seventh day of rest
there is a year in
which ploughing and harvest are forbidden; but there are others
he says
who
say the text speaks only of the sabbath.
Exodus 34:22 22 “And you shall observe the
Feast of Weeks
of the firstfruits of wheat harvest
and the Feast of
Ingathering at the year’s end.
YLT 22`And a feast of weeks thou dost observe for
thyself; first-fruits of wheat-harvest; and the feast of in-gathering
at the
revolution of the year.
And thou shalt
observe the feast of weeks
.... The feast of Pentecost
called the
feast of weeks
because seven sabbaths or weeks
or fifty days
were to be
reckoned from the day in the passover feast
on which the sheaf of the wave
offering was brought
Leviticus 23:15 and
which was also called the feast
of the first
fruits of wheat harvest
to distinguish it from the barley harvest
at the time of the
passover
when a sheaf of barley was the wave offering to the Lord; but at this
two loaves or cakes of fine wheaten flour were brought as the first fruits of
the wheat harvest
see Leviticus 23:17.
and the feast
of ingathering at the year's end; which was the feast of
tabernacles
called the feast of ingathering
because at this time all the
fruits of the earth
the corn
wine
and oil
and all others were gathered in;
and this was at the close of the old year
and at the beginning of the new
according to the ancient account
which made Tisri or September the first month
in the year; See Gill on Exodus 23:16.
Exodus 34:23 23 “Three times in the year
all your men shall appear before the Lord
the Lord God of Israel.
YLT 23`Three times in a year do all thy males
appear before the Lord Jehovah
God of Israel;
Thrice in the
year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God
.... At the
three above mentioned feasts; see Gill on Exodus 23:17 here
it is added:
the God of
Israel; who had chosen them to be his special people
had redeemed them
out of Egypt
and done great things for them since; had made a covenant with
them
and had now renewed that covenant with them
and was their covenant God
and they his people
and so were under great obligations to present themselves
unto him at the times appointed by him.
Exodus 34:24 24 For I will cast out the
nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your
land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in
the year.
YLT 24for I dispossess nations from before thee
and have enlarged thy border
and no man doth desire thy land in thy going up
to appear before Jehovah thy God three times in a year.
For I will cast
out the nations before thee
.... Who are particularly mentioned
Exodus 34:11 and
therefore they need not be in any fear of them
when they should go up to the
appointed place
and appear before the Lord; for to this they were not obliged
until they were come into the land of Canaan
and the inhabitants driven out
before them:
and enlarge thy
borders; so that as they should have no enemies within them
to hinder
and molest them
or discourage and deter them from attendance on the Lord at
such set times
so they would be set at a great distance from them
that they
should have nothing to fear from them; and should it be objected that at such
times
when only women and children were left at home
and their borders were
defenceless
it would be a proper opportunity for their enemies to invade them
it is further promised:
neither
shall
any man desire thy land; though it is a desirable land; and their neighbours
and
especially the old inhabitants of it
envied the happiness of the Israelites
and could not but wish it was in their possession; yet God
who has the hearts
of all men in his hands
and can direct their thoughts
and turn the
inclinations of their minds
and influence their affections
and engage them
with other objects
promises that they should not think of an invasion of them
or have their minds
and the desires and affections of their hearts
in the
least turned that way at these seasons
whatever they might have at other
times; even
when thou shall
go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in a year; at the feasts
before mentioned
which was a most wonderful display of the power and
providence of God.
Exodus 34:25 25 “You shall not offer the
blood of My sacrifice with leaven
nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the
Passover be left until morning.
YLT 25`Thou dost not slaughter with a fermented
thing the blood of My sacrifice; and the sacrifice of the feast of the passover
doth not remain till morning:
Thou shall not
offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven
.... That is
not kill
the passover
while there was any leaven in their houses; so the Targum of
Jonathan; see Gill on Exodus 23:18.
neither shall
the sacrifice of the feast of passover be left unto the morning; neither any
of the flesh
nor of the fat of the passover lamb: if any were left
it was to
be burnt
see Exodus 12:10.
Exodus 34:26 26 “The first of the
firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You
shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
YLT 26the first of the first-fruits of the land
thou dost bring into the house of Jehovah thy God; thou dost not boil a kid in
its mother's milk.'
The first of
the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring
.... This
and another
law in this verse
concerning not seething a kid in his mother's milk
are
repeated from Exodus 23:19. See
Gill on Exodus 23:19.
Exodus 34:27 27 Then the Lord said to Moses
“Write these words
for according to the tenor of these words I have made a
covenant with you and with Israel.”
YLT 27And Jehovah saith unto Moses
`Write for
thyself these words
for
according to the tenor of these words I have made
with thee a covenant
and with Israel.'
And the Lord
said unto Moses
.... Being still with him on the mount:
write thou
these words; expressed in the preceding verses
from Exodus 34:11
as he
before had written in a book all those laws
contained in Exodus 21:1 called
the book of the covenant
Exodus 24:4 and
which perhaps might be destroyed
as well as the two tables were broken; and
therefore upon the renewal of the covenant here
there is a repetition made of
the principal laws before given
which are ordered also to be written in a
book
which may very well be called by the same name
since it follows:
for after the
tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel
with Moses
as their representative and mediator
and with them represented by him: what is
above related carries in it the form of a covenant between them
God having
declared on his part what he would do for them
and what laws and rules he
required to be observed on their part; which Moses assented to in their name
and was ordered to write them down
that he might repeat them to them.
Exodus 34:28 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and
forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets
the words of the covenant
the Ten Commandments.[a]
YLT 28And he is there with Jehovah forty days and
forty nights; bread he hath not eaten
and water he hath not drunk; and he
writeth on the tables the matters of the covenant -- the ten matters.
And he was
there with the Lord forty days and forty nights
.... These were other forty
days and nights
besides those he had been with the Lord
when he came down and
broke the two tables in his hand
on sight of the idolatry of the people; yea
not only the Jewish writers think that he was on the mount three times forty
days and forty nights
but also several learned Christian writers
as Dr.
LightfootF16Works
vol. 1. p. 715
716. and others; and it seems
plain that he went up to the mountain three times
Exodus 24:15 and it
is not improbable that he was each time so long there; about the first and
third times there can be no doubt
see Exodus 24:18 and
the text before us; and at the second time
when he went up to make
reconciliation for the people
Exodus 32:30 he
says
that he fell down before the Lord
as at the first forty days and forty
nights
Deuteronomy 9:18
and from the seventh day of the month Sivan
the day after the giving of the
law
to the tenth of Tisri
on which day he now descended
are just so many
days:
he did neither
eat bread nor drink water: and it is very likely slept not
he being
supported without either of these by the power of God; and having such nearness
of communion with God
and his mind taken up with what he heard and saw
he had
no thoughts of
nor desires and cravings after such things
as well as he stood
in no need of them; all which must be ascribed to the miraculous interposition
of God in the support of him; see Gill on Exodus 24:18.
and he wrote on
the tables the words of the covenant
the ten commandments; not Moses
for these were tables of stone
which he could not write or engrave upon
without proper instruments
which it does not appear he had with him on the
mount; but it was God that wrote them
who
in Exodus 34:1 says he
would write them
and from Deuteronomy 10:2 we
are assured he did.
Exodus 34:29 29 Now it was so
when Moses
came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in
Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain)
that Moses did not know that
the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him.
YLT 29And it cometh to pass
when Moses is coming
down from mount Sinai (and the two tables of the testimony [are] in the hand of
Moses in his coming down from the mount)
that Moses hath not known that the
skin of his face hath shone in His speaking with him
And it came to
pass
when Moses came down Mount Sinai
.... Which was on the day
of atonement
according to Jarchi
that is
the tenth of Tisri
or September;
and so the Jewish chronologersF17Seder Olam Rabba
c. 6. p. 19. fix
his descent on this day:
with the two
tables of testimony in Moses's hand; the two tables he
carried up
on which God had wrote the law
called "the testimony"
being a testification and declaration of his will to the children of Israel:
when he came
down from the mount
that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone
while
he talked with him: the Targum of Jonathan is
"Moses knew not that the
splendour of the form of his face was become illustrious
which he had from the
brightness of the glory of the Shechinah of the Lord
at the time he talked
with him.'And this the apostle calls "the glory of his countenance"
2 Corinthians 3:7
the glory of the Lord as it passed before him
when in the cleft of the rock
and that degree of it he was admitted to the sight of
while conversing with
God
during his stay on the mount forty days and forty nights
left a shining
glory on his countenance; which while he was with God he could not be at all sensible
of
the glory of God so infinitely surpassing that; and when he came down the
mount
as he could not see his own face without a glass
so though the rays of
light and glory that darted from his face were so bright and strong
that they
might have been observed by him
yet his mind was so intent on what he had seen
and heard
that he took no notice of them. The Vulgate Latin version renders it
very wrongly
"that his face was horned"
which has given occasion to
painters to represent him in a ridiculous manner
as having horns coming out of
his forehead; though the word has the signification of an horn
and the meaning
of that version
as of others
may only be
that the skin of his face
"darted out rays"F18קרן
"radios ejacularetur"
Tigurine version; "in modum cornu
radiaret"
Munster
Fagius
"vel rediasset"
Vatablus;
"splendere instar cornu"
Drusius; so Karnon * in the Arabic language
signifies the rays of the sun. * Golius
col. 1896. Castel. col. 3455. like
horns
such as the rays of the sun appear to be like to the eye
see Habakkuk 3:4 hence
Jupiter Ammon
the same with the sun
is described as having hornsF19Vid.
Diodor. Sicul. l. 3. p. 201. Macrob. Saturnal. l. 1. c. 21. ; and so Bacchus
who is supposed to be the same with Moses
is represented as having a horned
faceF20Diodor. Sicul. l. 4. p. 212. so Orpheus calls Bacchus
δικερωτα
Hymn. p. 126. and Horace ascribes to him
"cornu
decorum"
Carmin. l. 2. Ode 19. . Now this glory was left on the
countenance of Moses
to show that he had had communion with God
and that the
law he brought with him was from him; and to signify the glory of it
and to
command awe and reverence
and make men afraid to break it.
Exodus 34:30 30 So when Aaron and all the
children of Israel saw Moses
behold
the skin of his face shone
and they were
afraid to come near him.
YLT 30and Aaron seeth -- all the sons of Israel
also -- Moses
and lo
the skin of his face hath shone
and they are afraid of
coming nigh unto him.
And when Aaron
and all the children of Israel saw Moses
.... Who very probably
met him at the bottom of the mount; these Israelites with Aaron were the
princes
as Aben Ezra seems rightly to interpret it
and as appears from the
following verse; for Moses could not well be seen by the whole body of the
people at once
upon his descent from the mount:
behold
the
skin of his face shone; darted out rays of light and glory all around it
much perhaps
in the same manner as the glory about our Lord
and others
is painted by the
Romanists:
and they were
afraid to come nigh him; there was something so majestic and striking in it; and perhaps
they could not tell whether it foreboded good or evil to them; and this may
signify
that as by the light of the law sin is discovered
it fills with a
sense of wrath and fear of damnation; and being the ministration of condemnation
and death
it is terrifying and killing
though it has a glory in it.
Exodus 34:31 31 Then
Moses called to them
and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned
to him; and Moses talked with them.
YLT 31And Moses calleth unto them
and Aaron and
all the princes in the company return unto him
and Moses speaketh unto them;
And Moses
called unto them
.... Who
as it appears by what follows
on sight of him were so
terrified
that they did not proceed on to meet him
but went back
and
therefore he called unto them to return and come forward:
and Aaron and
all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him; knowing him
by his voice
and encouraged by his call of them
who before might take him to
be something more than human
some glorious form
one of the heavenly angels
appearing in this manner:
and Moses
talked with them; after he had put a vail on his face
of which there is an
account in the following verses. He talked with them friendly
and told them
all that had happened to him in the mount; what a glorious sight he had been
indulged with; what a proclamation of the grace and goodness of God had been
made to him; and what laws and ordinances God had enjoined him and them the
observance of.
Exodus 34:32 32 Afterward all the children
of Israel came near
and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken
with him on Mount Sinai.
YLT 32and afterwards have all the sons of Israel
come nigh
and he chargeth them with all that Jehovah hath spoken with him in
mount Sinai.
And afterward
all the children of Israel came nigh
.... That is
after Aaron
and the rulers had had a conversation with Moses
then the whole body of the
people by turns were admitted to come before him
and hear the laws of God from
him:
and he gave
them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai; besides the
two tables of stone
and the testimony written on them
he gave them all the
other commands he was ordered to write in a book
and which are recorded in
this chapter; he kept back nothing from them
but enjoined them to keep all the
Lord had commanded.
Exodus 34:33 33 And when Moses had
finished speaking with them
he put a veil on his face.
YLT 33And Moses finisheth speaking with them
and
putteth on his face a vail;
And till
Moses had done speaking with them
.... Not when he had
done
as the Septuagint version
for then there would have been no occasion for
it; but when he first began to speak to Aaron and the "rulers"
and
continued to speak to the congregation until he had finished what he had to
say; even he did what follows
as soon as he perceived there was a glory on his
face
which they could not bear to look at:
he put a vail
on his face; something that covered it in a good measure
a mask
or linen
cloth
or some such thing. The obscurity of the law may be signified by this
vail
both of the moral and ceremonial law; the moral law
which though it
makes known the mind and will of God
with respect to what is to be done
or
not done
yet not with respect to the affair of life and salvation: it makes
known the one God as the object of worship
but gives no account of a trinity
of persons in the Godhead; no hint of God in Christ
nor revelation of the Son
of God; no view of a Saviour
no notion of pardon; nor does it point out the
righteousness of Christ unto us; nor do we from it hear anything of the Spirit
of God
and his grace
nor of eternal life and glory: the ceremonial law
and
its ordinances
did give some light into evangelical things
and did point out
Christ
and the blessings of his grace
yet but darkly and obscurely; they were
shadows of good things to come
and gave some dark and distant views of them
but were not so much as the image of the things
and did not bring them near
and
set them in a clear light: likewise this vail may be an emblem of the darkness
of the minds of men
with respect to the law
and the knowledge of divine
things; especially of the Jews
who
as the apostle says
"could not
steadfastly look at the end of that which is abolished": of the ceremonial
law
which is disannulled
the end of which was Christ; he is the end for which
it was made
the scope or mark at which it aimed
the term in which it issued
and in whom it had its complete fulfilment; but this they had not a perfect
view of
and could not steadfastly behold: the moral law also is in some sense
abolished by Christ
as the ministration of Moses
as a covenant of works
and
as to the curse and condemnation of it to those that believe; and Christ he is
the end of this
the fulfilling end of it
by conformity of nature
and
obedience of life unto it
and by suffering the penalty of it; but such was the
blindness of the Jews
that they were ignorant of the nature of this law
of
the spirituality and perfection of it
of its use to convince men of sin
to
condemn for it
but not to justify from it; were ignorant of the righteousness
of God which the law required
and of Christ
and of the way of life and
righteousness by him; and so of the Spirit of God
and his work
and of the
mysteries of the Gospel
and of the books of the Old Testament; see 2 Corinthians 3:14.
Exodus 34:34 34 But whenever Moses went in
before the Lord
to speak with Him
he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would
come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded.
YLT 34and in the going in of Moses before Jehovah
to speak with Him
he turneth aside the vail until his coming out; and he hath
come out and hath spoken unto the sons of Israel that which he is commanded;
But when Moses
went in before the Lord to speak with him
.... Went into the
tabernacle to converse with him
to pray unto him
and inquire about any matter
of difficulty respecting the people of Israel he was concerned for
which he
often did:
he took the
vail off until he came out: and so when men are truly converted
and
turn to the Lord
the vail of darkness and unbelief is removed
and the true
light shines
in which they see things in another light than they did before;
and when they come into his presence
they come with hearts opened and
unveiled
all things being naked and open to him with whom they have to do; and
particularly saints under the Gospel dispensation
with an open face
as in a
glass
behold the glory of the Lord; and when they get to heaven
they will
then see face to face
and know as they are known
2 Corinthians 3:16
and he came
out
and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded; this respects
not the present time of his coming down from the mount
or out of the
tabernacle with the law and commands now given
for these he had already
declared; but after times
and all such times when he went in to the Lord to
inquire of him his mind and will concerning certain things
in which the people
wanted information
when
upon his return
he acquainted them with whatsoever
the Lord ordered to be done.
Exodus 34:35 35 And whenever the children
of Israel saw the face of Moses
that the skin of Moses’ face shone
then Moses
would put the veil on his face again
until he went in to speak with Him.
YLT 35and the sons of Israel have seen the face of
Moses that the skin of the face of Moses hath shone
and Moses hath put back
the vail on his face until his going in to speak with Him.
And the
children of Israel saw the face of Moses
that the skin of Moses's face shone
.... That is
not only when he came down from the mount
but whenever he came out of the
tabernacle
where he had been inquiring of God
and conversing with him:
and Moses put
the vail upon his face again
until he went in to speak with him; this he did from
time to time
when he came out from the Lord he put on his vail
and when he
went in again
he put it off. How long this brightness on his countenance
remained
cannot be said with any certainty; Saadiah Gaon says
it did not
remove from him to the day of his death: hence it is said
"his eye was
not dim
nor his natural force abated"
Deuteronomy 34:7
and Aben Ezra seems to approve of it; and it is the opinion of many great and
learned men
that it continued as long as he lived.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New
King James Version (NKJV)
a.
Exodus 34:28
Literally Ten Words