Exodus 34:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

NIV: And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

NASB: Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth;

CSB: The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord —the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,

NLT: The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, 'Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

KJV: And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

NKJV: And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

Exodus 34:5–9 records God passing in front of Moses to fulfill an earlier promise (Exodus 33:18–23). The Lord comes down to Sinai in a cloud and proclaims Himself as "Yahweh" as His glory passes in front of Moses. The declaration also emphasizes God's mercy, justice, and consistency. Moses responds with humility, but close contact with Divinity creates a side effect seen by other Israelites when he returns (Exodus 34:29).

Moses obeys God's command to bring new stone tablets (Exodus 32:19) onto Mount Sinai. There, God fulfills His earlier promise to reveal more of His glory to Moses (Exodus 33:18–23). The Lord renews the covenant with Israel and gives additional details on subjects such as idolatry, the Sabbath, and certain festivals. When Moses returns, the people are intimidated by his now-shining face.

Israel quickly broke God's laws (Exodus 20:3–6) by committing idolatry (Exodus 32:1–6). This caused a rift between them and God. One consequence was a removal of God's direct presence (Exodus 33:1–3). In this chapter, the covenant is renewed. The remaining chapters (Exodus 35—40) mirror the instructions for building the tabernacle (Exodus 25—31).

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.