Exodus 34

AND the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone The first Tables were made immediately by God, who of his own mere grace and good pleasure, and without mans merit or contrivance entred into Covenant with Abraham and his Seed, these Tables must be made by Moses, partly in token of Gods displcasure for their sin, and partly to signifie, that though the Covenant of grace was first made without mans care and counsel, yet it should not be renewed but by mans repentance. And as the Tables of stone signified the hardness of their hearts, so the having of them by Moses might signifie the circumcision and plowing up of their hearts that they might be fit for the receiving of Gods mercies and the performance of their duties., like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables To show Gods reception of Israel... nto his favour and their former state, and that the Law and Covenant of God was neither abolished nor changed by their sin. which thou brakest.

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

And 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 This is said not for the beasts, which are not capable of a Law, but to restrain the presumption and curiosity of the people by this argument, that even the beasts that come too near shall be destroyed, and much more man, whose knowledge aggravates his sin and punishment..

And 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.

And the LORD descended in the cloud In the cloudy pillar, which ordinarily stood up in the air above the Mount, but came down to the top of it, when God spake with Moses. See Exod. 33. 9. Numb. 11. 17, 25., and stood with him there To wit, in the Mount, v. 2, 4. and the clift of a rock, chap. 33. 22. which was in the Mount, and near the top of it, as appears by comparing these places together., and proclaimed the Name of the LORD.

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God This title shows his glorious being, power and authority, the following titles note his goodness to men., merciful, and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth In fulfilling all his gracious promises made to Abraham and to his seed and to all his people, wherein he is said to be abundant, because he generally is better than his word and gives more than he promised. There is a truth in divine threatnings, but here the scituation of this word in the midst of the Attributes of divine Goodness plainly shows that it is to be restrained to the promises, this being usual and reasonable, that general words have their signification limited by the context. And indeed here seems to be a Hendyadis, goodness and truth, for true, sincere and hearty goodness, as mercy and truth, are oft put for true and real mercy. See Psal. 25. 10. and 57. 3. &c..

Keeping mercy for thousands The Chaldee and some others render it, for a thousand generations., forgiving iniquity, and transgression and sin Sins of all sorts and sizes, secret or open, infirmities or presumptions, against God or men, as the heap of various words here put together signifies., and that will by no means clear the guilty This is commonly esteemed a title of Justice or Vengeance, which is here added by way of correction, least men should mistake or abuse Gods mercy. God is most gracious indeed, but so as he is also just and will not pity nor spare impudent and impenitent transgressours, but will severely punish them. And the Jewish Doctors hereupon observe, that the mercy of God does far exceed his justice, here being as they number them, thirteen Attributes of Mercy, and but one of Justice. But this translation and interpretation is rejected by some late Learned interpreters, who make this an attribute of Gods goodness or Clemency, and render the words thus, in destroying he will not utterly destroy, though visiting, &c. q. d. He is so gracious that though he will severely punish the iniquity of the fathers, and especially their Idolatry, upon themselves, and upon their Children, &c. as he has said Exod. 20. 5. yet in judgment he will remember mercy, and will not utterly destroy his people for their sins. There are many things which favour this interpretation. 1. This suits most with Moses his solicitude and prayer for the people of Israel, which was, that God would not utterly destroy them, as he threatened to do. 2. This sense best agrees with Gods promise. chap. 33. 19. I will make all my goodness to pass before thee, which general promise is particularly explained and performed in these 2. verses. 3. This place does not speak of Gods disposition and carriage towards his enemies, against whom he proceeds with great severity and commands the Israelites to do so in the verses here following, but towards his people, whose cause Moses is all along pleading with God. See chap. 32. 11, 12, 13, 31, 32. and 33. 13, 15. and 34. 9. 4. The Hebrew verb here used frequently signifies to make empty or desolate, to empty men of their goods, or places of men. See Isa. 3. 26. Amos 4. 6. So here he will not utterly empty or destroy. Though he will leave the marks of his vengeance for this sin upon thy people even to their third and fourth generation, or, it may be further, yet he will not utterly root them out, which is the great thing thou fearest and labourest to prevent. And this very phrase here used we have in Ier. 30. 11. and repeated, Ier. 46. 28. where though interpreters generally render it, I will not leave thee altogether unpunished, which may make a good sense, yet it seems much better to be rendred, I will not utterly destroy thee, 1. Because hereby these words exactly answer to the foregoing clause, yet will I not make a full end of thee, and so the samething is elegantly repeated in other words, which is very frequent in Scripture. 2. Because here is an opposition between the severity God useth to other people, and the kindness he useth to his own people, which is manifest in the former member of the verse, and therefore most probable and agreeable in this. 5. This is much confirmed from Numb. 14. 18. where Moses, pleading with God for the pardon of his peoples sin, useth this very phrase and argument, as taken out of Gods mouth, which in this sense is very proper and prevalent, Thou hast said, that even when thou dost visit iniquity, &c. thou wilt not utterly destroy them. And God answers him, verse 20. I have pardoned, according to thy word, i. e. so as not utterly to destroy them. But truly as I live, &c. verse 21, 22, 23. i. e. But I will severely punish them. But if this had been the meaning, Lord thou hast said,—thou wilt by no means clear the guilty, as we render it, it was a most improper argument and put a sword into the Lords hand to slay them even by virtue of this consideration., visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the childrens children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

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

And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray thee, go amongst us, (for it is a stiff-necked people And therefore need thy glorious and powerful presence to rule them. Or rather, though it be a stiff-necked people, as thou saist, yet forsake them not. The Hebrew particle, chi, oft signifies though, as Exod. 5. 11. Isa. 54. 6.,) and pardon our iniquity, and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance (i. e.) Deal with us as men do with their inheritances, dwell among us, protect us, improve us..

And he said, Behold, I make a covenant (i. e.) I do hereby renew my Covenant with thy people which they had violated and voided by their sin. But the shortness of the phrase, there being no mention here of any with whom this covenant is made or renewed, and the following words, make it more probable, that this covenant is nothing but a solemn promise or engagement that God will do the thing which here follows. And the word covenant is oft used fo... a mere promise, as Gen. 9. 9. &c. Levit. 24. 8. Numb. 18. 19. and 25. 12.: 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 amongst which thou art, shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee Either 1. By thy Ministery, as that phrase is sometimes used, as 1 Cor. 15. 10. Or 2. In the midst of thee, i. e. of thy people, as ver. 11. before thee, i. e. before thy people. This I prefer, because the next verse explains this of such things as were not done by Moses his ministery, nor in his time, but afterwards..

Observe 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.

Take heed to thy self, 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.

But ye shall destroy their altars, and break their images, and cut down their groves Which at first were used by, good men for their devotion, as Gen. 21. 33. but afterwards being horribly abused to superstition and Idolatry were by Gods command to be destroyed..

For thou shalt worship no other God: for the LORD, whose name is jealous Who has made himself known by and glories in that name, the jealous God, who cannot endure any competitor or corrival; whereas the false and puny Gods of the Heathens were contented with multitudes of partners. So this is properly said to be the name of God, whereby he is known and distinguished from all other Gods. is a jealous God.

Lest thou make a covenant For cohabitation, or to suffer them quietly to live among you whom you should drive out. with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring (i. e.) Commit Idolatry, which is oft called and compared to spiritual whoredom. See Ier. 2. and 3. and Ezek. 16. after their gods, and do facrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice To wit, of the parts or remainders of his sacrifices, whereby thou wilt partake with him in an idolatrous worship, because such feasts were a part of the Worship offered to the Idol, and were accompanied with solemn benedictions and thanksgivings to the Idol. See Numb. 25. 2. Psal. 106. 28. Ezek. 18. 6. and 22. 9. 1 Cor. 10. 20. Rev. 2. 20..

And 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.

Thou shalt make thee no molten gods Nor graven, nor any other, as it plainly appears both from the nature of the things, and from many parallel Scriptures: But he mentions molten, because their late Idol was of that kind..

The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep: seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

All that openeth the matrix, is mine: and every firstling amongst thy cattle, whether oxe or sheep, that is male Heb. And (for, That is, as the particle, and, is oft used the words following here and verse 20. being a particular explication of the general sentence in the beginning of this verse) all thy cattle which (a particle oft understood) shall be born male, (as it is also explained Exod. 13. 12.) the opening or whatsoever (to wit, of the male-kind) openeth the matrix (which word is fitly understood cut of the former member, which is very usual) of Ox or (and put for or, as it is oft done) Sheep..

But the firstling of an ass thou shait 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 Either without a gift to me, so it is a precept; or without benefit to himself; so it is a promise. See Exod. 23. 15..

Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing-time, and in harvest thou shalt rest Which times are expressed, because the great profit and seeming necessity of working at that time was likely to be a powerful temptation to make men break the Sabbath..

And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks (i. e.) Which is numbred by weeks, being just seven weeks after the Passe-over, whence it is called Pentecost, i. e. the fiftieth day, to wit, after the passe-over. See Levit. 23. 15. and 25. 8.: of the first-fruits of wheat-harvest So this is a designation of the time and business of the feast of weeks., and the feast of in-gathering To wit, of the fruits of the Earth. at the years end So it was in regard of the jubilee and civil contracts..

Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel.

For I will cast out the nations So thou shalt have no intestine enemy to do thee or thine mischief. This God promised to do, but upon condition of Israels discharge of their duty in following God in this work of driving them out, which they neglecting, it was not fully done. before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land I will not only tye their hands, that they shall make no invasion upon you, but I will take off their thoughts and affections from such an enterprize, which it was very easie for God to effect many ways., when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God, thrice in the year.

Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven, neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of passeover be left unto the morning.

The first of the first-fruits of thy land Thou shalt not delay to do this but shalt bring the very first of them. Or, the first-fruits, even the first-fruits of thy land. Which limitation seems here conveniently added, because they were not bound to bring thither all their first-fruits, to wit, those of their own bodies, their children. thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mothers milk.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words Object. God says I will write, verse. 1. Answ, 1. Moses was to write the ritual precepts mentioned here above, God wrote the Moral Law. 2. Moses wrote what he wrote in a book. See Exod. 24. 7. but what was written upon the Tables of stone was written by God himself, not by Moses who had no graving instruments with him in the Mount, and could not without them writeupon the stone.: for after the tenour of these words I have made a covenant with thee, and with Israel.

And he was there with the LORD fourty days and forty nights As he had been before, being now to renew the broken covenant. This forty days fast of his is mentioned four times, Exod. 24. 18. and here, and Deut. 9. 18. and 10. 10. but it is evident it was performed but twice, as the occasion of it happened only twice.: he did neither eat bread nor drink water: and he wrote Not Moses, but the Lord, as appears from verse 1. and from Deut. 10 the relative pronoun being here referred to the remoter antecedent, of which there are many instances, as Gen. 10. 12. 1 Sam. 21. 14. and 27. 8. Psal. 99. 6. upon the tables the words of the covenants the Ten Commandments.

And 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 Quest. Why now, and not when he came down from God before?. Ans. 1. Because now he obtained, what he did not before, to wit, a glimpse of the Divine glory, which though but very transient, left its print upon his... ace. 2. Now it was more necessary than before, to procure the greater honour to Moses and to the law, 2 Cor. 3...., 8, 11. because of the late horrid violation and contempt of them which the Israelites had fallen into., while he talked with him.

And 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.

And Moses called unto them: and Aaron, and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him To the Tabernacle which was still at a distance from the camp, though afterwards, God being reconciled, it was set up in the camp, Exod. 40. 34., and Moses talked with them.

And 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.

And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face In condescension to their weakness..

But 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.

And 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, untill he went in to speak with him.