Exodus 34 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

* v. 1–4 Yahweh orders Moses to return to the mountain * v. 5–9 Yahweh reveals himself to Moses and Moses reacts * v. 10–28 Covenant renewal * v. 29–34 Moses reports to Israel

Translation Issues in This Chapter

* In [verse 1](../34/01.md), Yahweh says he will write on stone tablets, yet later (v. 27–28) he commands Moses to write and the text says Moses writes. * Yahweh reveals something significant about himself or his character to Moses. There are a number of difficult terms and concepts. * The biblical metaphor of true worship as sexual fidelity appears in v. 14–16. * Several verses are repeated either exactly or closely from earlier chapters. * In v. 12–26 Yahweh appears to give a different 10 commandments from those in [Exodus 20](../20/01.md) (but also largely repeated from other earlier parts of Exodus), raising the question of what was actually written on the stone tablets in v. 28. * The concept of Moses’s shining face may be difficult in some cultures.

“He will bring the punishment for the fathers’ sin on their children”

This phrase does not mean that a child is necessarily punished for the sins of their parents. Many scholars believe that this passage indicates that a parent’s sins will have consequences that will affect their children and grandchildren. (See: sin)