Discovery BoxExodus 31:18
Context31:18 He gave Moses two tablets of testimony when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, tablets of stone written by the finger of God. 1
Exodus 32:15
Context32:15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain with 2 the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides – they were written on the front and on the back.
Exodus 27:8
Context27:8 You are to make the altar hollow, out of boards. Just as it was shown you 3 on the mountain, so they must make it. 4
Exodus 34:4
Context34:4 So Moses 5 cut out two tablets of stone like the first; 6 early in the morning he went up 7 to Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, and he took in his hand the two tablets of stone.
Exodus 38:7
Context38:7 He put the poles into the rings on the sides of the altar, with which to carry it. He made the altar 8 hollow, out of boards.
Exodus 24:12
Context24:12 9 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me to the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets 10 with 11 the law and the commandments that I have written, so that you may teach them.” 12
Exodus 34:1
Context34:1 13 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut out 14 two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write 15 on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you smashed.
Exodus 34:29
Context34:29 16 Now when Moses came down 17 from Mount Sinai with 18 the two tablets of the testimony in his hand 19 – when he came down 20 from the mountain, Moses 21 did not know that the skin of his face shone 22 while he talked with him.
[31:18] 1 sn The expression “the finger of God” has come up before in the book, in the plagues (Exod 8:15) to express that it was a demonstration of the power and authority of God. So here too the commandments given to Moses on stone tablets came from God. It too is a bold anthropomorphism; to attribute such a material action to Yahweh would have been thought provoking to say the least. But by using “God” and by stating it in an obviously figurative way, balance is maintained. Since no one writes with one finger, the expression simply says that the Law came directly from God.
[32:15] 2 tn The disjunctive vav (ו) serves here as a circumstantial clause indicator.
[27:8] 3 tn The verb is used impersonally; it reads “just as he showed you.” This form then can be made a passive in the translation.
[27:8] 4 tn Heb “thus they will make.” Here too it could be given a passive translation since the subject is not expressed. But “they” would normally refer to the people who will be making this and so can be retained in the translation.
[34:4] 4 tn Heb “he”; the referent has been specified here and the name “Moses,” which occurs later in this verse, has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”), both for stylistic reasons.
[34:4] 5 sn Deuteronomy says that Moses was also to make an ark of acacia wood before the tablets, apparently to put the tablets in until the sanctuary was built. But this ark may not have been the ark built later; or, it might be the wood box, but Bezalel still had to do all the golden work with it.
[34:4] 6 tn The line reads “and Moses got up early in the morning and went up.” These verbs likely form a verbal hendiadys, the first one with its prepositional phrase serving in an adverbial sense.
[38:7] 5 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the altar) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:12] 6 sn Now the last part is recorded in which Moses ascends to Yahweh to receive the tablets of stone. As Moses disappears into the clouds, the people are given a vision of the glory of Yahweh.
[24:12] 7 sn These are the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments would be written. This is the first time they are mentioned. The commandments were apparently proclaimed by God first and then proclaimed to the people by Moses. Now that they have been formally agreed on and ratified, they will be written by God on stone for a perpetual covenant.
[24:12] 8 tn Or “namely”; or “that is to say.” The vav (ו) on the noun does not mean that this is in addition to the tablets of stone; the vav is explanatory. Gesenius has “to wit”; see GKC 484-85 §154.a, n. 1(b).
[24:12] 9 tn The last word of the verse is לְהוֹרֹתָם (lÿhorotam), the Hiphil infinitive construct of יָרָה (yarah). It serves as a purpose clause, “to teach them,” meaning “I am giving you this Law and these commands in order that you may teach them.” This duty to teach the Law will be passed especially to parents (Deut 6:6-9, 20-25) and to the tribe of Levi as a whole (Deut 33:9-10; Mal 2:1-9).
[34:1] 7 sn The restoration of the faltering community continues in this chapter. First, Moses is instructed to make new tablets and take them to the mountain (1-4). Then, through the promised theophany God proclaims his moral character (5-8). Moses responds with the reiteration of the intercession (8), and God responds with the renewal of the covenant (10-28). To put these into expository form, as principles, the chapter would run as follows: I. God provides for spiritual renewal (1-4), II. God reminds people of his moral standard (5-9), III. God renews his covenant promises and stipulations (10-28).
[34:1] 8 tn The imperative is followed by the preposition with a suffix expressing the ethical dative; it strengthens the instruction for Moses. Interestingly, the verb “cut out, chisel, hew,” is the same verb from which the word for a “graven image” is derived – פָּסַל (pasal).
[34:1] 9 tn The perfect tense with vav consecutive makes the value of this verb equal to an imperfect tense, probably a simple future here.
[34:29] 8 sn Now, at the culmination of the renewing of the covenant, comes the account of Moses’ shining face. It is important to read this in its context first, holding off on the connection to Paul’s discussion in 2 Corinthians. There is a delicate balance here in Exodus. On the one hand Moses’ shining face served to authenticate the message, but on the other hand Moses prevented the people from seeing more than they could handle. The subject matter in the OT, then, is how to authenticate the message. The section again can be subdivided into three points that develop the whole idea: I. The one who spends time with God reflects his glory (29-30). It will not always be as Moses; rather, the glory of the
[34:29] 9 tn The temporal clause is composed of the temporal indicator (“and it happened”), followed by the temporal preposition, infinitive construct, and subjective genitive (“Moses”).
[34:29] 10 tn The second clause begins with “and/now”; it is a circumstantial clause explaining that the tablets were in his hand. It repeats the temporal clause at the end.
[34:29] 11 tn Heb “in the hand of Moses.”
[34:29] 12 tn The temporal clause parallels the first temporal clause; it uses the same infinitive construct, but now with a suffix referring to Moses.
[34:29] 13 tn Heb “and Moses.”
[34:29] 14 tn The word קָרַן (qaran) is derived from the noun קֶרֶן (qeren) in the sense of a “ray of light” (see Hab 3:4). Something of the divine glory remained with Moses. The Greek translation of Aquila and the Latin Vulgate convey the idea that he had horns, the primary meaning of the word from which this word is derived. Some have tried to defend this, saying that the glory appeared like horns or that Moses covered his face with a mask adorned with horns. But in the text the subject of the verb is the skin of Moses’ face (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 449).
