Exodus 34
In Exodus 34, God gives Moses the second set of stone tablets and renews the covenant with Israel. The chapter moves through Moses’ return to Mount Sinai (verses 1–5), God’s proclamation of His character (verses 6–7), Moses’ intercession (verses 8–9), the renewal of covenant commands for Israel’s daily life (verses 10–28), and the scene in which Moses’ face shines after speaking with the Lord (verses 29–35).
1verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Chisel two stone tablets like the first. I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
2verseBe ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.
3verseNo one shall come up with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain. Do not let the flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain.”
4verseHe chiseled two tablets of stone like the first; then Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and took in his hand two stone tablets.
5verseThe LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the LORD’s name.
6verseThe LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,
7versekeeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, and on the children’s children, on the third and on the fourth generation.”
8verseMoses hurried and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.
9verseHe said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, Lord, please let the Lord go among us, even though this is a stiff-necked people; pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
10verseHe said, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked 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 do with you.
11verseObserve that which I command you today. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
12verseBe careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare among you;
13versebut you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherah poles;
14versefor you shall worship no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15verse“Don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice;
16verseand you take of their daughters to your sons, and their daughters play the prostitute after their gods, and make your sons play the prostitute after their gods.
17verse“You shall make no cast idols for yourselves.
18verse“You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib; for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt.
19verse“All that opens the womb is mine; and all your livestock that is male, the firstborn of cow and sheep.
20verseYou shall redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb. If you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. You shall redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before me empty.
21verse“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest: in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
22verse“You shall observe the feast of weeks with the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of harvest at the year’s end.
23verseThree times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
24verseFor I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither shall any man desire your land when you go up to appear before the LORD, your God, three times in the year.
25verse“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The sacrifice of the feast of the Passover shall not be left to the morning.
26verse“You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground to the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
27verseThe LORD said to Moses, “Write these words; for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
28verseHe was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
29verseWhen Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mountain, Moses didn’t know that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him.
30verseWhen Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.
31verseMoses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them.
32verseAfterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them all the commandments that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.
33verseWhen Moses was done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.
34verseBut when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out; and he came out, and spoke to the children of Israel that which he was commanded.
35verseThe children of Israel saw Moses’ face, that the skin of Moses’ face shone; so Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
The Second Set of Tablets and the Restoration of the Covenant
In verse 1, God commands Moses to cut two stone tablets like the first ones. This signifies the renewal of the covenant that had been broken after the incident of the golden calf. Moses again goes up Mount Sinai as God commanded, and the Lord confirms His covenant relationship with Israel.
The Proclamation of God’s Character
Verses 6-7 are a declaration of great importance throughout the entire Old Testament, as God directly reveals His own attributes. He is described as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in faithful love and truth. At the same time, it also emphasizes God’s determination to carry out justice, not simply overlooking sin.
The Specifics of the New Covenant
In verses 10-28, the provisions of the covenant previously given are repeated and mentioned. They include warnings against compromise with foreign gods, observance of festivals such as the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the distinction of the firstborn, and everyday regulations that the Israelite community must keep, including observing the Sabbath. This is the section that emphasizes that Israel must live a distinct life as God’s people.
Moses’ Face Shines
In the final part of chapter 34 (verses 29-35), Moses is depicted as coming down from Mount Sinai with a radiance on his face. This is the result of deep fellowship with God, and the people cannot come near out of fear. After that, Moses removes the veil from his face only when he delivers God’s words to the people.
Points for Reflection
- The covenant renews and restores the relationship between God and His people. The fact that the stone tablets are given again reminds us of God’s grace in giving us another opportunity as well.
- When we look to God, it is important to remember that His mercy, faithful love, and justice are all present together.
- As we think about how fellowship with God brings changes to our lives and our appearance, we can consider that, like Moses’ face, our lives too can shine.
Applying It to Me
- If your faith has ever been shaken like Israel’s after the golden calf incident, reflect on whether you are seeking an opportunity to begin again before God.
- As you meditate on God’s character, examine whether you treat the people around you with compassion, faithfulness, and truth.
- Ask what changes are appearing in your life after encountering God more deeply—whether God’s light is reflected in your face, attitude, and everyday conduct.