The Fallible · Synthetic · Study Bible
The LORD Renews the Covenant
Exodus 34:10–35 — The LORD Renews the Covenant. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.
10And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
way·yō·mer hin·nêh ’ā·nō·ḵî kō·rêṯ bə·rîṯ ne·ḡeḏ kāl- ‘am·mə·ḵā ’e·‘ĕ·śeh nip̄·lā·’ōṯ ’ă·šer lō- niḇ·rə·’ū ū·ḇə·ḵāl hag·gō·w·yim ḇə·ḵāl- hā·’ā·reṣ ḵāl hā·‘ām ’at·tāh ḇə·qir·bōw ’eṯ- ’ă·šer- wə·rā·’āh Yah·weh ma·‘ă·śêh kî- hū nō·w·rā ’ă·šer ’ă·nî ‘ō·śeh ‘im·māḵ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And-He said: Behold, I am cutting a covenant — before all your people I will do wonders that have not been created in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people in whose midst you are shall see the work of Yahweh, for it is a fearful thing that I am doing with you.
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Behold I make a covenant — When the covenant was broken, it was Israel that broke it; now it comes to be renewed, it is God that makes it; if there be quarrels, we must bear all the blame; if there be peace, God must have all the glory.
Jehovah declares His purpose of concluding a covenant with His people, to be confirmed by wonders of a character to convince all of His power and greatness.
Jehovah at once declared ( Exodus 34:10 ) that He would conclude a covenant, i.e., restore the broken covenant, and do marvels before the whole nation, such as had not been done in all the earth or in any nation, and thus by these His works distinguish Israel before all nations as His own property
It is a terrible thing that I will do with thee. Terrible, not to Israel, but to Israel's enemies.
11Observe what I command you this day. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
šə·mār- lə·ḵā ’êṯ ’ă·šer ’ā·nō·ḵî mə·ṣaw·wə·ḵā hay·yō·wm hin·nî ḡō·rêš mip·pā·ne·ḵā ’eṯ- hā·’ĕ·mō·rî wə·hak·kə·na·‘ă·nî wə·ha·ḥit·tî wə·hap·pə·riz·zî wə·ha·ḥiw·wî wə·hay·ḇū·sî
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Keep for yourself what I am commanding you this day. Behold, I am driving out before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
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Observe that which I command thee — We cannot expect the benefit of the promises unless we make conscience of the precepts.
The same six nations are particularised in Exodus 3:8 ; Exodus 3:17 , in Exodus 23:23 , and also in Exodus 33:2 . In Deuteronomy 7:1 , and Joshua 3:10 ; Joshua 24:11 , the Girgashites are added, and the number of the nations made seven.
drive out ] The promise , as Exodus 23:28-30 , Exodus 33:2 : cf. the same word in a command , Exodus 23:31 b.
To recall the duties of the covenant once more to the minds of the people, the Lord repeats from among the rights of Israel, upon the basis of which the covenant had been established (ch. 21-23), two of the leading points which determined the attitude of the nation towards Him
12Be careful not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land you are entering, lest they become a snare in your midst.
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hiš·šā·mer lə·ḵā pen- tiḵ·rōṯ bə·rîṯ lə·yō·wō·šêḇ hā·’ā·reṣ ’ă·šer ’at·tāh bā ‘ā·le·hā pen- yih·yeh lə·mō·w·qêš bə·qir·be·ḵā
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Guard yourself lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitant of the land into which you are entering, lest it become a snare in your midst.
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Take heed to thyself — It is a sin thou art prone to, and that will easily beset thee; carefully abstain from all advances toward it
If you follow their wickedness, and pollute yourself with their idolatry.
a snare ] i.e. an allurement to ruin: cf. Exodus 23:33 b with the note.
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.
13Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
kî ’eṯ- tit·tō·ṣūn wə·’eṯ- miz·bə·ḥō·ṯām tə·šab·bê·rūn wə·’eṯ- maṣ·ṣê·ḇō·ṯām tiḵ·rō·ṯūn ’ă·šê·rāw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Rather, their altars you shall tear down, and their sacred pillars you shall shatter, and their Asherah-poles you shall cut down.
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In the “Book of the Covenant” the command had been simply to “quite break down their images” ( Exodus 23:24 ). Now, after the Israelites had displayed their idolatrous leanings, it is added that they are likewise to destroy the “altars” and the “groves.”
inasmuch as the worship of asherah is found associated with that of Astarte, or Ashtoreth Judges 2:13 ; Judges 10:6 ; 1 Samuel 7:4 , it seems probable that while Astarte was the personal name of the goddess, the asherah was a symbol of her
The altars and religious emblems of the Canaanites to be utterly destroyed. Cf. Exodus 23:24 , with the references; and the almost verbal repetitions in Deuteronomy 7:5 ; Deuteronomy 12:3 .
seeing if these continued, the sight of them might lead to the worship of them, and so bring under the divine displeasure
14For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
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kî lō ṯiš·ta·ḥă·weh ’a·ḥêr lə·’êl kî Yah·weh šə·mōw qan·nā qan·nā hū ’êl
Literal — word-for-word from the original
For you shall not bow down to another god — for Yahweh, Jealous is His name, a jealous God is He.
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who hath 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.
that the one Only God, if there be but one Only God, should claim and exact under severe penalties an undivided allegiance is natural, reasonable, and in harmony with the most exalted conceptions of the Divine essence.
whose name is Jealous ] on ‘name’ (= ‘character’), see on Exodus 33:19 . a jealous God ] as Exodus 20:5 , where see the note.
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
15Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices.
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pen- tiḵ·rōṯ bə·rîṯ lə·yō·wō·šêḇ hā·’ā·reṣ wə·zā·nū ’a·ḥă·rê ’ĕ·lō·hê·hem wə·zā·ḇə·ḥū lê·lō·hê·hem wə·qā·rā lə·ḵā wə·’ā·ḵal·tā miz·ziḇ·ḥōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Lest you cut a covenant with the inhabitant of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and one invite you, and you eat of his sacrifice.
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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 Numbers 25:2 Psalm 106:28 Ezekiel 18:6 Ezekiel 22:9 1 Corinthians 10:20 Revelation 2:20 .
The use of the expression "go a whoring" in a spiritual sense, in relation to idolatry, is to be accounted for on the ground, that the religious fellowship of Israel with Jehovah was a covenant resembling the marriage tie; and we meet with it for the first time, here, immediately after the formation of this covenant between Israel and Jehovah.
If a covenant were made with the idolatrous nations of Canaan, and they were allowed to dwell in the land together with the Israelites ( Exodus 23:33 ), the danger would be, in the first place, that Israel would be induced to partake in the idol-feasts
go a whoring after ] a term of disparagement for, ‘desert Jehovah for.’
16And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.
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wə·lā·qaḥ·tā mib·bə·nō·ṯāw lə·ḇā·ne·ḵā ḇə·nō·ṯāw wə·zā·nū ’a·ḥă·rê ’ĕ·lō·hê·hen bā·ne·ḵā wə·hiz·nū ’eṯ- ’a·ḥă·rê ’ĕ·lō·hê·hen
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters go a whoring after their gods, and they make your sons go a whoring after their gods.
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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.
Intermarriage with Canaanites is forbidden, for the same reason, in Deuteronomy 7:3 f.; cf. Joshua 23:12
The unfaithfulness of the nation to its covenant with Yahweh is here for the first time spoken of as a breach of the marriage bond. The metaphor is, in any case, a natural one
Those cannot worship God aright, who do not worship him only.Henry's notes are block-comments spanning several verses; this sentence closes his comment on 34:10-17 (a different block from the 34:18-27 and 34:28-35 comments excerpted at vv. 18 and 35), so no sentence is reused.
17You shall make no molten gods for yourselves.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
ṯa·‘ă·śeh- lō mas·sê·ḵāh ’ĕ·lō·hê lāḵ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Molten gods you shall not make for yourself.
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Thou shalt make thee no molten gods . An express allusion to the recent sin of the golden calf.
first of all negatively, in the prohibition against making molten images, with an allusion to the worship of the golden calf, as evinced by the use of the expression מסּכה אלהי, which only occurs again in Leviticus 19:4 , instead of the phrase "gods of silver and gold" ( Exodus 20:23 )
It is just possible that the Israelites when they worshipped the golden calf may have conceived that they were not breaking the second commandment, which forbade the adoration of any “graven image.” An express law was therefore made against “molten images.”
As gold, silver, brass, or anything that is molten: in this is condemned all types idols, no matter what they are made of.
18You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you. For in the month of Abib you came out of Egypt.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’eṯ- tiš·mōr ḥaḡ ham·maṣ·ṣō·wṯ šiḇ·‘aṯ yā·mîm lə·mō·w·‘êḏ ḥō·ḏeš hā·’ā·ḇîḇ tō·ḵal maṣ·ṣō·wṯ ’ă·šer ṣiw·wî·ṯi·ḵā kî bə·ḥō·ḏeš hā·’ā·ḇîḇ yā·ṣā·ṯā mim·miṣ·rā·yim
Literal — word-for-word from the original
The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep — seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the appointed time, the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt.
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Three feasts are here mentioned: 1. The Passover, in remembrance of the deliverance out of Egypt. 2. The feast of weeks, or the feast of Pentecost; added to it is the law of the first-fruits. 3. The feast of in-gathering, or the feast of Tabernacles.
See on Exodus 23:15 a. 19, 20a (to redeem ). See on Exodus 13:12-13 .
by a command to observe the feast of Mazzoth and the consecration of the first-born connected with the Passover (see at Exodus 13:2 , Exodus 13:11 , and Exodus 13:12 )
19The first offspring of every womb belongs to Me, including all the firstborn males among your livestock, whether cattle or sheep.
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pe·ṭer kāl- re·ḥem lî wə·ḵāl pe·ṭer tiz·zā·ḵār miq·nə·ḵā šō·wr wā·śeh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Every opener of the womb is Mine, and all your livestock that bears a firstling male, of ox or sheep.
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Comp. Exodus 13:12 , where the sanctification of the firstborn and the law of redemption had already been declared. For the exact mode of redemption sanctioned, see Numbers 18:15-16 .
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
since the first born of cattle are included among ‘all that first openeth the womb,’ ‘mine’ cannot logically be the predicate of and all &c.
20You must redeem the firstborn of a donkey with a lamb; but if you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. You must redeem all the firstborn of your sons. No one shall appear before Me empty-handed.
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tip̄·deh ū·p̄e·ṭer ḥă·mō·wr ḇə·śeh wə·’im- lō ṯip̄·deh wa·‘ă·rap̄·tōw tip̄·deh kōl bə·ḵō·wr bā·ne·ḵā wə·lō- yê·rā·’ū p̄ā·nay rê·qām
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And they shall not appear before My face empty-handed.
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The firstling of an ass. —See Notes 1-3 on Exodus 13:13 .
Either without a gift to me, so it is a precept; or without benefit to himself, so it is a promise. See Exodus 23:15 .
and none shall appear before me empty; at the grand festivals, the passover, pentecost, and tabernacles
21Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in the seasons of plowing and harvesting, you must rest.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
šê·šeṯ yā·mîm ta·‘ă·ḇōḏ haš·šə·ḇî·‘î ū·ḇay·yō·wm tiš·bōṯ be·ḥā·rîš ū·ḇaq·qā·ṣîr tiš·bōṯ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall cease; in plowing and in harvest you shall cease.
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In earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. —“Earing-time” is ploughing time, “to ear” being an old English verb, etymologically connected with the Greek ἄρω and the Latin aro.
All worldly business must give way to that holy rest: harvest-work will prosper the better for the religious observation of the sabbath day in harvest-time. Hereby we must show that we prefer our communion with God, before either the business or the joy of harvest.
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.
There is here added to the commandment a particular caution respecting those times of year when the land calls for most labor. The old verb "to ear" (i. e. to plow) is genuine English.
22And you are to celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
lə·ḵā ta·‘ă·śeh wə·ḥaḡ šā·ḇu·‘ōṯ bik·kū·rê ḥiṭ·ṭîm qə·ṣîr wə·ḥaḡ hā·’ā·sîp̄ tə·qū·p̄aṯ haš·šā·nāh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the Feast of Weeks you shall make for yourself, the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turning of the year.
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The feast of weeks , i.e. which is numbered by weeks being just seven weeks after the passover, whence it is called pentecost , i.e. the fiftieth day, to wit, after the passover.
But in reality the feast of weeks is that of the first-fruits of wheat harvest. See Leviticus 23:17 ; Numbers 28:26 .
Feast of weeks is a name derived (see Deuteronomy 16:9 ) from the ‘seven weeks’—the average duration of harvest-time—by which this feast followed the commencement of harvest.
23Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
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šā·lōš pə·‘ā·mîm baš·šā·nāh kāl- zə·ḵū·rə·ḵā ’eṯ- yê·rā·’eh pə·nê hā·’ā·ḏōn Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·hê yiś·rā·’êl
Literal — word-for-word from the original
Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the face of the Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel.
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Thrice in the year shall all your men-children appear before the Lord. —On this requirement, and the political value of the three great festivals, see Note on Exodus 23:14-17 .
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
appear before ] read probably see the face of. See on Exodus 23:17 .
24For I will drive out the nations before you and enlarge your borders, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times a year to appear before the LORD your God.
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kî- ’ō·w·rîš gō·w·yim mip·pā·ne·ḵā wə·hir·ḥaḇ·tî ’eṯ- gə·ḇū·le·ḵā wə·lō- ’îš ’eṯ- yaḥ·mōḏ ’ar·ṣə·ḵā ba·‘ă·lō·ṯə·ḵā šā·lōš pə·‘ā·mîm baš·šā·nāh lê·rā·’ō·wṯ ’eṯ- pə·nê Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā
Literal — word-for-word from the original
For I will dispossess nations before your face and enlarge your border, and no man shall covet your land when you go up to appear before the face of Yahweh your God three times in the year.
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The promise of “a land” for his posterity made by God to Abraham was twofold. At first it was the “land of Canaan” alone which they were to receive ( Genesis 12:5-7 ); but subsequently the promise was extended
Neither shall any man desire etc. - Intended to encourage such as might fear the consequences of obeying the divine law in attending to their religious duties. Compare Proverbs 16:7 .
I will not only tie their hands, that they shall make no invasion upon you, but I will take off their thoughts and affections from such an enterprise, which it was very easy for God to effect many ways.
goest up ] viz. to Jerusalem, for pilgrimages to which ‘go up’ was the technical expression ( 1 Kings 12:27-28 ; Isaiah 2:3 ; Psalm 122:4 ).
25Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to Me along with anything leavened, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Feast remain until morning.
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lō- ṯiš·ḥaṭ dam- ziḇ·ḥî ‘al- ḥā·mêṣ wə·lō- ze·ḇaḥ hap·pā·saḥ ḥaḡ yā·lîn lab·bō·qer
Literal — word-for-word from the original
You shall not slaughter the blood of My sacrifice over leaven, and the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover shall not lodge until the morning.
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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
what in Exodus 23:18 is prescribed apparently for all festal sacrifices is here referred specifically to the passover,—‘fat,’ which is not elsewhere mentioned in connexion with the passover, being changed into ‘sacrifice,’ which would refer naturally to the flesh of the lamb eaten at the passover.
Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven. —Comp. Exodus 23:18 , and the Notes ad loc.
26Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
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tā·ḇî rê·šîṯ bik·kū·rê ’aḏ·mā·ṯə·ḵā bêṯ Yah·weh ’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā lō- ṯə·ḇaš·šêl gə·ḏî ’im·mōw ba·ḥă·lêḇ
Literal — word-for-word from the original
The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
Where the English smooths the original
It is remarkable that both legislations terminate with the same, somewhat strange, proviso. There must have been an intention of impressing strongly upon the people the principle of tenderness involved in it.
First of the first-fruits ; thou shalt not delay to do this, but shalt bring the very first of them.
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not {i} seethe a kid in his mother's milk.
27The LORD also said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
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Yah·weh way·yō·mer ’el- mō·šeh kə·ṯāḇ- lə·ḵā ’eṯ- hā·’êl·leh had·də·ḇā·rîm kî ‘al- pî hā·’êl·leh had·də·ḇā·rîm kā·rat·tî bə·rîṯ ’it·tə·ḵā wə·’eṯ- yiś·rā·’êl
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And Yahweh said to Moses: Write for yourself these words, for according to the mouth of these words I have cut a covenant with you and with Israel.
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Heb., Write for thee these words, i.e., put them in writing for thine own use and the use of thy people. This express command accounts for the assignment of so much space to what is mainly repetition.
Moses was to write the ritual precepts mentioned here above, God wrote the moral law.
By the renewed adoption of the nation, the covenant in ch. 24 was eo ipso restored; so that no fresh conclusion of this covenant was necessary, and the writing down of the fundamental conditions of the covenant was merely intended as a proof of its restoration.
These words,—i.e. the commands of vv. 11–26,—are to be written down by Moses; for they constitute the conditions upon which Jehovah establishes His covenant ( vv. 10, 27) with Israel.
28So Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
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way·hî- šām ‘im- Yah·weh ’ar·bā·‘îm yō·wm wə·’ar·bā·‘îm lay·lāh lō ’ā·ḵal le·ḥem šā·ṯāh way·yiḵ·tōḇ lō ū·ma·yim ‘al- hal·lu·ḥōṯ ’êṯ had·də·ḇā·rîm hab·bə·rîṯ ‘ă·śe·reṯ diḇ·rê
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; bread he did not eat and water he did not drink. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Words.
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He, God, wrote.
Fasts of this extraordinary duration are only recorded of Moses, of Elijah ( 1Kings 19:8 ), and of our Lord ( Matthew 4:2 ). They are absolutely miraculous
But in ver. 1 we are told that "God said, I will write upon these tables;" and the same is repeated in Deuteronomy 10:2 . Moreover in Deuteronomy 10:4 , it is distinctly declared "He" ( i.e. God) "wrote on the tables according to the first writing."
Moses remained upon the mountain forty days, just as on the former occasion (cf. Exodus 24:18 ). "And He (Jehovah) wrote upon the tables the ten covenant words" (see at Exodus 34:1 ).
29And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the LORD.
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way·hî mō·šeh bə·re·ḏeṯ mê·har sî·nay ū·šə·nê lu·ḥōṯ hā·‘ê·ḏuṯ mō·šeh bə·yaḏ- bə·riḏ·tōw min- hā·hār ū·mō·šeh lō- yā·ḏa‘ kî ‘ō·wr pā·nāw qā·ran bə·ḏab·bə·rōw ’it·tōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai — and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand as he came down from the mountain — that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone from His speaking with him.
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Moses, fresh from the mountain of vision, where he had gazed on as much of the glory of God as was accessible to man, caught some gleam of the light which he adoringly beheld; and a strange radiance sat on his face, unseen by himself, but visible to all others. So, supreme beauty of character comes from beholding God and talking with Him; and the bearer of it is unconscious of it.Maclaren preaches the verse alongside Judges 16:20 ("Samson wist not that the LORD was departed from him") — radiance unknown to the saint, weakness unknown to the fallen.
That an actual physical phenomenon is intended appears from the entire narrative, as well as from St. Paul’s comment upon it in 2Corinthians 3:7-18 .
The Heb. verb is a peculiar one, recurring only vv. 30, 35: it is a denominative from ḳéren , ‘horn,’ in the sense of ray (see Habakkuk 3:4 ), and means thus, was rayed . Jerome, following Aq., rendered literally in the Vulg. quod cornuta esset ; hence the frequent representation of Moses in art with horns rising out of his head.
But he saw more of the glory of God, which having with open face beheld, he was, in some measure, changed into the same image.
30Aaron and all the Israelites looked at Moses, and behold, his face was radiant. And they were afraid to approach him.
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Hebrew — tap a word ↓
’a·hă·rōn wə·ḵāl bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl ’eṯ- way·yar mō·šeh wə·hin·nêh ‘ō·wr pā·nāw qā·ran way·yî·rə·’ū mig·ge·šeṯ ’ê·lāw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to draw near to him.
Where the English smooths the original
they were afraid to come nigh him—Their fear arose from a sense of guilt—the beaming radiance of his countenance made him appear to their awe-struck consciences a flaming minister of heaven.
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.
It not only dazzled their eyes, but struck such an awe upon them as obliged them to retire. Probably they doubted whether it was a token of God’s favour, or of his displeasure.
The supernatural appearance terrified them. Compare the feelings of Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 1:18 ) and St. John ( Revelation 1:17 ).
31But Moses called out to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them.
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mō·šeh way·yiq·rā ’ă·lê·hem ’a·hă·rōn wə·ḵāl han·nə·śi·’îm bā·‘ê·ḏāh way·yā·šu·ḇū ’ê·lāw mō·šeh way·ḏab·bêr ’ă·lê·hem
Literal — word-for-word from the original
But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders in the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them.
Where the English smooths the original
Moses bade them approach - no doubt assured them that there was no cause for fear (cf. Luke 24:38, 39 ) - and by his manner and familiar voice dispelled their fears and re-assured them.
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
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, Exodus 40:34 .
32And after this all the Israelites came near, and Moses commanded them to do everything that the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai.
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
wə·’a·ḥă·rê- ḵên kāl- bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl nig·gə·šū way·ṣaw·wêm ’êṯ kāl- ’ă·šer Yah·weh ’it·tōw dib·ber bə·har sî·nāy
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that Yahweh had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.
Where the English smooths the original
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.
"All," i.e. , "that the Lord had commanded him to enjoin upon them" - especially the precepts in vers. 10-26 - not all that he had heard from God in the space of forty days and forty nights.
all that , &c.] The directions given in chs. 25–31.
33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mō·šeh way·ḵal mid·dab·bêr ’it·tām way·yit·tên mas·weh ‘al- pā·nāw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And Moses finished speaking with them, and he put a veil over his face.
Where the English smooths the original
This translation exactly inverts the meaning, which is that “ when Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face.” The vail became part of his ordinary costume, and was worn excepting upon occasions of two kinds
It was beauty veiled, gold in the mine, a pearl in the shell; but thanks be to God, by the gospel, the veil is taken away from off the Old Testament; yet still it remains upon the hearts of those who shut their eyes against the light.
Paul refers to this passage as showing forth the glory of the law, though it was but a "ministration of condemnation," and was to be done away, in order to enhance the glory of the gospel, "the ministration of the spirit," which is concealed by no veil from the eyes of believers
The Heb. word ( masweh ) occurs only here and vv. 34, 35.
34But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out. And when he came out, he would tell the Israelites what he had been commanded,
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
mō·šeh ū·ḇə·ḇō lip̄·nê Yah·weh lə·ḏab·bêr ’it·tōw yā·sîr ’eṯ- ham·mas·weh ‘aḏ- ṣê·ṯōw wə·yā·ṣā wə·ḏib·ber ’el- bə·nê yiś·rā·’êl ’êṯ ’ă·šer yə·ṣuw·weh
Literal — word-for-word from the original
But when Moses went in before the face of Yahweh to speak with Him, he would remove the veil until he came out; and he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he was commanded.
Where the English smooths the original
Every veil must be thrown aside when we go to present ourselves unto the Lord. This signified also, as it is explained, 2 Corinthians 3:16 , that when a soul turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away, that with open face it may behold his glory.
that close converse with God illumines the soul with a Divine radiance, and that those who ‘with unveiled face’ behold spiritually as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are gradually through its influence transformed more and more completely into His likeness ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ).
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
35and the Israelites would see that the face of Moses was radiant. So Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Hebrew — tap a word ↓
ḇə·nê- yiś·rā·’êl ’eṯ- wə·rā·’ū kî pə·nê mō·šeh qā·ran ‘ō·wr mō·šeh ham·mas·weh wə·hê·šîḇ ‘al- pā·nāw pə·nê mō·šeh ’eṯ- ‘aḏ- bō·’ōw lə·ḏab·bêr ’it·tōw
Literal — word-for-word from the original
And the sons of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone; and Moses returned the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
Where the English smooths the original
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
Near and spiritual communion with God improves the graces of a renewed and holy character. Serious godliness puts a lustre upon a man's countenance, such as commands esteem and affection.
That veil was with the greatest propriety removed when speaking with the Lord, for every one appears unveiled to the eye of Omniscience; but it was replaced on returning to the people—and this was emblematic of the dark and shadowy character of that dispensation (2Co 3:13, 14).
The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.
AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.
The chapter opens not on Israel's apology but on God's initiative. "Behold, I am cutting a covenant" — kōrêṯ bᵉrîṯ, the bloody idiom of cutting between divided pieces (v. 10). Benson catches the whole moral weight of it: when the covenant "was broken, it was Israel that broke it; now it comes to be renewed, it is God that makes it." The wonders God promises are niḇrᵉ’ū — "created" (the Genesis 1 verb), not merely done — and they are nôrâ, "fearful." Keil reads the fear rightly: this work would "distinguish Israel before all nations as His own property," terrible "through the overthrow of the powers that resisted the kingdom of God." Gift and command then arrive as one cloth: "Observe what I command you" (v. 11). Benson's line is the hinge of the unit's ethics: "We cannot expect the benefit of the promises unless we make conscience of the precepts."
The first stipulation is total separation from Canaanite worship, stated with escalating violence. Ellicott marks the escalation from the earlier law: in the Book of the Covenant the order was simply to "break down their images" (Exodus 23:24); "now, after the Israelites had displayed their idolatrous leanings," the altars and Asherim are added — three stacked verbs of demolition, nâthats, shâbar, kârath (v. 13). The ground is the divine name itself: "the LORD, whose name is Jealous" — qannâ’, an adjective in only five verses of Scripture, which the Verifier flags as a rare lexeme confirming the verbal link back to the second commandment (Exodus 20:5). Poole: God "glories in that name, The jealous God, who cannot endure any competitor." Keil supplies the controlling metaphor, here used spiritually "for the first time": idolatry is "going a whoring" (vv. 15-16) because "the religious fellowship of Israel with Jehovah was a covenant resembling the marriage tie." The jealous Husband forbids molten gods (v. 17) — the Pulpit Commentary names it "an express allusion to the recent sin of the golden calf," the molten thing whose wound this whole chapter is healing.
The positive worship follows: a near-verbatim republication of the festal laws of Exodus 23 and 13. Cambridge demonstrates by parallel columns that "vv. 18-26 agree, for the most part verbally, with Exodus 13:13-14; Exodus 23:12; Exodus 23:15-19" — and the Verifier confirms verbal links across the rare lexemes ’âbîb, peṭer, ʻâraph, gᵉdîy. The year is built of divine appointments (môʻêd): Unleavened Bread tethered to the Exodus month of Abib (v. 18); the firstborn that "open the womb" claimed as God's and ransomed by substitute (vv. 19-20); the Sabbath that must "cease" (shâbath) even "in plowing and in harvest" (v. 21) — Benson: "All worldly business must give way to that holy rest." Then Weeks and Ingathering (v. 22), the thrice-yearly pilgrimage to be seen before God's face (v. 23), guarded by the astonishing promise that "no man shall covet your land" — the tenth-commandment verb turned against Israel's enemies — while the men are away worshiping (v. 24). Benson marvels: "What a standing miracle was this!" The section ends, as Exodus 23 did, on the strange tenderness of not boiling a kid in its mother's milk (v. 26).
The renewed covenant is committed to writing. "Write for yourself these words" (v. 27) — Ellicott: "put them in writing for thine own use and the use of thy people." There are two writings, and the commentators are careful to keep them distinct. Poole: "Moses was to write the ritual precepts mentioned here above, God wrote the moral law." The Ten Words (v. 28) are inscribed on the tables by God Himself; the ambiguous "He wrote" is referred to Yahweh by Benson ("He, God, wrote"), Barnes, Poole and the Pulpit Commentary, on the authority of v. 1 and Deuteronomy 10:2-4. Behind it stands the mediator's second forty-day fast, which Ellicott ranks among the only such fasts in Scripture — "of Moses, of Elijah, and of our Lord" — and which Deuteronomy 9:18 explains as prolonged intercession for a sinful people. The covenant is restored by mercy and sealed by a written, fixed text.
Moses descends, bearing the Testimony in his hands and, unknown to himself, the glory on his face: the skin qâran, "sent out rays" (v. 29) — the rare verb (only here and vv. 30, 35) that Jerome mistranslated "horned," giving art its horned Moses, and that the LXX rendered "glorified," giving Paul his text. Maclaren preaches the unconsciousness: "a strange radiance sat on his face, unseen by himself, but visible to all others. So, supreme beauty of character comes from beholding God and talking with Him; and the bearer of it is unconscious of it." The people are afraid — the same root as the "fearful" work of v. 10. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read the fear as guilt: "the beaming radiance of his countenance made him appear to their awe-struck consciences a flaming minister of heaven"; Gill, as the terror of the law, "the ministration of condemnation and death." Then the veil — masweh, a word found nowhere in Scripture but these three verses. Ellicott and Barnes correct the KJV: Moses veiled himself after speaking, not during. The settled rhythm (vv. 34-35, all frequentative verbs) is the unit's final theology: unveiled before God, unveiled to deliver God's word, veiled in ordinary life. Benson reads it as gospel waiting to happen — "beauty veiled, gold in the mine, a pearl in the shell; but thanks be to God, by the gospel, the veil is taken away."
Read under Sola Scriptura, this passage makes the written Word the load-bearing center of the renewed covenant — and it does so by its own structure, not by importing a later doctrine. Offered as a reading to be tested, not a verdict to be trusted:
The covenant is re-grounded in a fixed, written text. Twice the chapter insists on writing: Moses writes "these words" (v. 27), and God writes "the Ten Words" on the tables (v. 28). The same noun, dᵉḇârîm ("words"), names both. Mercy restores the covenant; the written word makes the restoration permanent and testable. Keil saw the logic: the writing was "a proof of its restoration." A people is being bound to a document.
Grace precedes and outweighs law, but does not dissolve it. The chapter that re-publishes the most rigorous demands (vv. 12-26) opens with God, not Israel, cutting the covenant (v. 10). The order is unmistakable: the offended party initiates; the guilty party receives. Yet the precepts are not relaxed — Benson's verdict stands, that there is no benefit of the promises without conscience of the precepts.
The glory of the law is real but veiled, and it terrifies the guilty. The shining face is genuine glory (the people cannot bear it), yet it is covered, and it provokes fear, not joy. Gill names it "the ministration of condemnation." The narrative's own movement — glory that must be hidden — invites the reading the New Testament will make explicit: this glory is surpassed and unveiled in a greater covenant.
The covenant Israel shattered, God re-cut; and He wrote it down, because mercy that is not written can be doubted, but mercy that is written can be tested.
That pull-line is this tool's reading, not a verse. Weigh it against the text; keep only what the Word itself sustains.
The covenant Israel shattered, God re-cut; and He wrote it down — mercy that is written can be tested. (an interpretive line, not Scripture)
AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.
Verses 18-26 are a near-verbatim re-issue of the festal laws first given in Exodus 23 (and 13). Cambridge prints the two in parallel columns and concludes "these are evidently two recensions of one and the same collection of laws." The Verifier confirms verbal links at multiple points: 34:18 ↔ Exodus 23:15 on the rare lexeme ’âbîb ("Abib," in only 6 verses), matstsâh, chag; 34:22 ↔ Exodus 23:16 on chag and qâtsîyr; 34:26 ↔ Exodus 23:19 on the rare paired gᵉdîy ("kid," 16 vv) and bâshal ("boil," 24 vv). The renewal does not invent new law; it re-authorizes the old.
Exodus 34:18 · Exodus 34:22 · Exodus 34:26 · Exodus 23:15 · Exodus 23:16 · Exodus 23:19
basis: Verifier 34:18↔Ex 23:15: shared H24 ’âbîb (rare, 6 vv), H4682 matstsâh, H2282 chag; 34:26↔Ex 23:19: shared H1423 gᵉdîy (16 vv) + H1310 bâshal (24 vv); the low-frequency lexemes confirm verbal repetition, not mere theme
The command of v. 13 to destroy altars, standing-stones (maṣṣêḇōṯ) and Asherim is repeated almost word for word in Deuteronomy 7:5 and 12:3. The Verifier reports the same cluster of shared lexemes across all three: maṣṣêḇâh (31 vv), ’ăshêrâh (40 vv), and nâthats ("tear down," 41 vv). Cambridge calls Deuteronomy 7:5 and 12:3 "the almost verbal repetitions" of this verse. The renewed covenant's first concrete demand becomes the standing law of the conquest.
Exodus 34:13 · Deuteronomy 7:5 · Deuteronomy 12:3
basis: Verifier 34:13↔Deut 7:5 / 12:3: shared H4676 matstsêbâh (31 vv), H842 ’ăshêrâh (40 vv), H5422 nâthats (41 vv), H7665 shâbar (142 vv) — multiple non-stop lexemes confirm verbal repetition
The motive clause of v. 14 — "the LORD, whose name is Jealous (qannâ’), is a jealous God" — reaches straight back to the second commandment, Exodus 20:5: "I the LORD your God am a jealous God." The Verifier flags qannâ’ as a rare lexeme occurring in only five verses, alongside shâchâh ("bow down") and ’êl ("god"). The rarity is the point: this is not a generic theme of divine jealousy but the deliberate re-grounding of the Decalogue's second word in the divine name at the covenant's renewal.
Exodus 34:14 · Exodus 20:5
basis: Verifier: shared H7067 qannâ’ (rare, in only 5 vv) + H7812 shâchâh, H410 ’êl; the very low frequency of qannâ’ confirms a deliberate verbal echo of Exodus 20:5
The warning of v. 15 — that an invitation to "eat of his sacrifice" draws Israel into the worship offered to the idol — is the seed of Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 10:20-21: "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons... ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons." To share the sacrificial meal is to share the worship; the table is fellowship. Poole's voice on v. 15 already draws the line, citing 1 Corinthians 10:20 (with Numbers 25:2, Psalm 106:28, Revelation 2:20) as the warning's reach. Because this is a Greek↔Hebrew link it cannot rest on shared Strong's numbers, and the Verifier returns no shared lexeme; the basis is the shared logic — covenant meal as covenant allegiance — which Paul makes explicit, not a verbal quotation. So it is tiered structural, not verbal.
Exodus 34:15 · 1 Corinthians 10:20 · 1 Corinthians 10:21
basis: Cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): Verifier finds NO shared lexeme, so this cannot be 'verbal.' The basis is the shared structural principle — eating an idol's sacrifice is fellowship with the idol — which Paul argues explicitly in 1 Cor 10:20-21 and which Poole's verbatim note on v. 15 cites; argued/thematic, not a quotation of the Hebrew
The claim on the firstborn (vv. 19-20) repeats the consecration first decreed on the night Egypt's firstborn fell (Exodus 13:2, 12-13). The Verifier confirms the verbal tie on the rare lexemes peṭer ("that which opens the womb," in only 10 verses) and rechem ("womb," 25 vv) to Exodus 13:2; and on peṭer with ʻâraph ("break the neck," only 6 vv) and pâdâh ("redeem") to Exodus 13:13. The donkey ransomed by a lamb, and every firstborn son redeemed, carry forward the Passover's logic of substitution.
Exodus 34:19 · Exodus 34:20 · Exodus 13:2 · Exodus 13:13
basis: Verifier 34:19↔Ex 13:2: shared H6363 peṭer (rare, 10 vv) + H7358 rechem (25 vv); 34:20↔Ex 13:13: shared H6202 ʻâraph (rare, 6 vv), H6363 peṭer, H6299 pâdâh — rare lexemes confirm verbal repetition
The radiant face (vv. 29-30, 35) and the veil (vv. 33-35) are taken up by Paul as the structural type of the two covenants. Because this is a Greek↔Hebrew link, it cannot rest on shared Strong's numbers, and the Verifier returns no shared original-language lexeme — the connection must be argued, not asserted. The argument is strong but indirect: Paul's keywords δόξα / δεδόξασται ("glory / was glorified," 2 Cor 3:7, 10) are drawn from the LXX's rendering of qâran ("shone") in vv. 29, 35, as Cambridge notes. Paul reads the veil allegorically — hiding the glory's fading (3:13) — and contrasts the "ministration of condemnation" with the surpassing, unveiled glory of the Spirit. The link is real and ancient; its basis is the LXX vocabulary and Paul's own exposition, not a verbal quotation of the Hebrew, so it is tiered structural, not verbal.
Exodus 34:29 · Exodus 34:33 · Exodus 34:35 · 2 Corinthians 3:7 · 2 Corinthians 3:13 · 2 Corinthians 3:18
basis: Cross-Testament (Greek↔Hebrew): Verifier finds NO shared lexeme, so this cannot be 'verbal.' The basis is the LXX rendering of qâran (H7160) as δεδόξασται, which Paul (2 Cor 3:7-18) builds his contrast of glories upon — an argued structural/allegorical link Paul makes explicit, not a quotation of the Hebrew
AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.
Paul makes the veil of vv. 33-35 the figure of a hardened, fading reading of the Old Covenant: "to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart. But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed" (2 Corinthians 3:15-16). Benson, commenting on v. 34, says exactly this: "when a soul turns to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away, that with open face it may behold his glory." Henry reads Moses' veil as "an emblem of the natural vail on the hearts of men respecting spiritual things," a veil he says can be removed only "by the Spirit of the Lord showing to them Christ." The unveiling promised in Exodus's own rhythm — off before God, off to speak God's word — finds its fulfillment when the Spirit unveils the face toward Christ. This reading is the Apostle's own and has been held across the church since; even so, weigh it against the text.
Exodus 34:34 · Exodus 34:35 · 2 Corinthians 3:14 · 2 Corinthians 3:16 · 2 Corinthians 3:18
Moses' face shone only with a reflected, borrowed glory — "the glory of the Lord as it passed before him" left "a shining glory on his countenance" (Gill) — and it was a glory that had to be veiled and (Paul argues) was passing away. Ellicott already gathers the canonical trajectory of the shining face: from Moses, to Elijah on the mount of transfiguration, to Stephen before the Sanhedrin, and supremely to "the human nature of our blessed Lord, who concealed it ordinarily, but allowed it to appear temporarily at the transfiguration." Where Moses reflected a glory not his own and hid it, the Son is "the brightness of God's glory" (Hebrews 1:3); at the Transfiguration "his face shone like the sun" (Matthew 17:2) with an unborrowed light. The mediator who shone with a fading, veiled glory points beyond himself to the Mediator whose glory is his own and unveiled. The Transfiguration link is drawn by the commentators themselves (Barnes, Ellicott, the Pulpit Commentary all cite Matthew 17:2); the typology is widely held, yet it is an inference, to be tested.
Exodus 34:29 · Exodus 34:35 · Matthew 17:2 · 2 Corinthians 3:18 · Hebrews 1:3
The law of vv. 19-20 — every firstborn is God's, and is ransomed (pâdâh) by the death of a substitute, the donkey by a lamb, every son by redemption — enacts in miniature the gospel of substitution. The firstborn belongs to God by right of the Passover, when a lamb's blood spared Israel's firstborn while Egypt's died. Luke 2:23 cites this very law ("every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") when the firstborn Jesus is brought to the temple. The pattern runs to its end in "the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15), "the firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18), who is not ransomed by a lamb but is Himself "the Lamb of God" (John 1:29) whose blood redeems. This figural reading moves from the type to its fulfillment; it is an inference from the pattern, not a statement of the Hebrew text, and should be weighed as such.
Exodus 34:19 · Exodus 34:20 · Luke 2:23 · Colossians 1:15 · John 1:29
The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.
Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:
Honesty notes specific to this unit. (1) The displacement conjecture. The Cambridge Bible (with Dillmann and others) argues that v. 10 "is hardly an answer to v. 9, whereas Exodus 33:14 would answer it directly," and proposes that Exodus 33:14-16 "should follow here." This is a source-critical conjecture, not a settled fact; the synthesis reads the text in its received Masoretic order. (2) Source-critical labels. Cambridge assigns the chapter largely to source "E" or "J" with later "hortatory additions by the compiler," and treats vv. 18-26 as a second recension of Exodus 23 (the "ritual Decalogue"). These documentary judgments are bracketed here; the FSSB synthesis works from the canonical text and the parses already sourced from Berean/Strong's, and does not adjudicate authorship. (3) "He wrote" in v. 28. The Hebrew subject of way·yiḵtōḇ is genuinely ambiguous; the synthesis follows Benson, Barnes, Poole and the Pulpit Commentary (and v. 1, Deuteronomy 10:2-4) in referring it to Yahweh, but a minority has read it as Moses, and the Hebrew alone does not settle it. (4) Both cross-Testament threads (to 2 Corinthians 3 and to 1 Corinthians 10) are tiered structural, never verbal, because a Greek↔Hebrew link cannot rest on shared Strong's numbers; for each, the Verifier returned no shared lexeme. The 2 Corinthians 3 link's real basis is the LXX's δεδόξασται for qâran and Paul's own explicit exposition; the 1 Corinthians 10 link's basis is the shared structural principle (the sacrificial meal as covenant allegiance) that Paul argues explicitly and that Poole's verbatim note on v. 15 already cites — strong, ancient, but argued, not quoted. (5) One repeated voice. Matthew Henry's and Keil & Delitzsch's notes are block-comments spanning several verses (34:10-17, 34:18-27, 34:28-35); where the same block underlies adjacent verses, distinct verbatim excerpts have been selected so no single sentence is reused across verses.
✦ = human, public-domain source, quoted and named. ⚙ = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)