Start reading at Exodus 34:10 (Exodus 34:10 to Exodus 34:35).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Israel's idolatry interrupts the sanctuary instructions. Moses intercedes, and renewed covenant words prepare the people to carry out the work.
34:10And 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.
34:11Observe 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.
34:12Take 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:
34:13But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
34:14For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
34:15Lest 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;
34:16And 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.
34:17Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
34:18The 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.
34:19All that openeth the matrix is mine; and every firstling among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male.
34:20But 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.
34:21Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
34:22And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
34:23Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel.
34:24For 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.
34:25Thou 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.
34:26The 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.
34:27And 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.
34:28And 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.
34:29And 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.
34:30And 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.
34:31And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them.
34:32And 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.
34:33And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.
34:34But 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.
34:35And 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.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Moses is the traditional author. Exodus explicitly records him writing covenant words and other material; that supports his central role without identifying every stage in the book's final compilation. Biblical references: Exodus 17:14; Exodus 24:4; Exodus 34:27. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Exodus 33:1–34:35): The LORD speaks with Moses concerning His presence and the renewed covenant; Moses then conveys the commands to Israel. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? The Israelites delivered from Egypt, and succeeding generations of Israel who were to remember the deliverance and keep the covenant. Biblical references: Exodus 12:24; Exodus 12:26; Exodus 24:7. stated in the text
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? The LORD Renews the Covenant. Read Exodus 34:10 through Exodus 34:35 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? This unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Israel's idolatry interrupts the sanctuary instructions. Moses intercedes, and renewed covenant words prepare the people to carry out the work. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? Events follow Israel's growth in Egypt and continue through the exodus, arrival at Sinai, and erection of the tabernacle. Exodus 40:17 dates the erection within that journey. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? The book moves from Egypt, through the sea and wilderness, to Sinai. Do not confuse the place of a narrated event with the place where the final book was written. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in The LORD Renews the Covenant (Exodus 34:10 to Exodus 34:35).
Start reading at Exodus 34:10. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Paul explicitly calls Christ our Passover. Hebrews compares sanctuary worship with Christ's work. These later connections should be cited rather than treating every tabernacle detail as a self-explanatory symbol. See 1 Corinthians 5:7, Hebrews 9:11, Hebrews 9:12. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Respond to deliverance with worship and obedience. When applying a covenant command, identify whom it addresses and its purpose before deciding how it relates to life under the new covenant. interpretation
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Exodus 34
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Exodus follows the children of Israel from oppression in Egypt to covenant and tabernacle worship. The text records commands to Moses and Israel; instructions for that covenant must not be silently turned into identical commands to every later reader. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Israel's idolatry interrupts the sanctuary instructions. Moses intercedes, and renewed covenant words prepare the people to carry out the work.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Israel's idolatry interrupts the sanctuary instructions. Moses intercedes, and renewed covenant words prepare the people to carry out the work.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Exodus
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Exodus follows the children of Israel from oppression in Egypt to covenant and tabernacle worship. The text records commands to Moses and Israel; instructions for that covenant must not be silently turned into identical commands to every later reader.
Connection to the wholeThe plagues, Passover, departure, and crossing of the sea display the deliverance celebrated in the song that closes this movement.
Connection to the wholeGod addresses the delivered people, gives covenant commands, and the covenant is confirmed before instructions for the sanctuary begin.
Connection to the wholeIsrael's idolatry interrupts the sanctuary instructions. Moses intercedes, and renewed covenant words prepare the people to carry out the work.
Connection to the wholeThe people supply and construct the sanctuary according to the commands, and the book ends with the glory of the LORD filling it.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.