Exo 34:10-35 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Exod 34:10-26: 34:10-26 Some of the terms of the covenant are restated, particularly those that prohibit the worship of other gods and that describe the proper worship of the Lord. Summary for Exod 34:10-11: 34:10-11 God committed himself again to the miraculous care of his people in bringing them into the land of Canaan. That care was contingent on obedience. In Hebrew, the word translated listen (34:11 ) also means obey. There is no distinction as there is in English, in which a disobedient person can hear a command but not obey.

Summary for Exod 34:10-26: 34:10-26 ^a Some of the terms of the covenant are restated, particularly those that prohibit the worship of other gods and that describe the proper worship of the Lord.
Summary for Exod 34:10-11: 34:10-11 ^b God committed himself again to the miraculous care of his people in bringing them into the land of Canaan. That care was contingent on obedience. In Hebrew, the word translated listen (34:11 ^c) also means obey. There is no distinction as there is in English, in which a disobedient person can hear a command but not obey.
Summary for Exod 34:12-17: 34:12-17 ^d Worship of idols was prohibited, particularly the idols of the peoples into whose lands the Israelites were going. Central to this restriction was the prohibition of treaties, or covenants, with these idol-worshiping peoples. Not only would the making of a treaty involve recognizing those peoples’ gods (because ancient treaties would call upon the gods as witnesses; see study note on 20:1–23:33), but the very existence of the treaties would predispose the Israelites to accept the ways of their treaty partners (34:12 ^e, 15-16 ^f).
34:13 ^g Asherah was a Canaanite fertility goddess who would continue to be a temptation throughout Israel’s history (see, e.g., Judg 6:25 ^h; 1 Kgs 14:15 ⁱ; 2 Kgs 23:15 ^j).

• The poles seem to have been fertility symbols.
34:16 ^k Intermarriage with pagans was a problem throughout the Old Testament (see Gen 24:3 ^l; Ezra 9:1-2 ^m; cp. 2 Cor 6:14-18 ⁿ).
34:22 ^o Festival of the Final Harvest: See study notes on 23:16; Lev 23:15-21, 34-43.
34:23 ^p Three times: See 23:14-17 ^q.
34:24 ^r No one will ... conquer your land: If Israel would trust God and obey him, he would protect them.
Summary for Exod 34:27-28: 34:27-28 ^s Moses wrote down this reiteration of the general terms of the covenant (34:27 ^t). The Ten Commandments, the summary of the terms, were written on the new tablets (34:28 ^u).
Summary for Exod 34:29-35: 34:29-35 ^v Moses, who had asked to see the glory of God, wasn’t aware that his own face reflected that glory.
34:33 ^w covered his face with a veil: While Moses was reporting what God had said to him, he left his face unveiled. Then he covered it, perhaps because of the fright (34:30 ^x) its radiance caused during ordinary discourse (see 2 Cor 3:7-18 ^y for Paul’s reflection on this incident).