EXOd
During Moses' intercession Yahweh engages in repartee and favorably accedes to his tenacious negotiations.
Once God observes his people worshiping at the golden calf on Mt. Sinai, thus violating the first two of the Ten Commandments, he gives Moses a clear command: “Let me alone so my wrath may burn against them” (Exod 32:10). Moses refuses!
He argues with God on three points:
a) Why would you destroy your investment (Exod 32:11)?
b) Why would you jeopardize your reputation (Exod 32:12)?
c) Remember that you promised Abraham’s descendants possession of the land (Exod 32:13).
The narrator then matter-of-factly discloses the response: “Yahweh relented over the calamity that he said he would do to his people.”
The unfolding narrative is clear: if Moses does not challenge God, the people are “finished” (Exod 32:10, 12). Readers are often troubled by this characterization of God as one who “changes his mind” (an inappropriate translation, by the way, as it might suggest a divine “Oops!”). It appears to violate God’s sovereignty. While the notion of divine sovereignty is indeed biblical, we must also acknowledge its biblical counterpoint, namely divine condescension. Simply put, God voluntarily acts responsively to Moses’ initiative. Later in their dialogue, God says as much when he simultaneously affirms his character of mercy while also declaring his own independence to make such decisions: “I will be gracious with whom I will be gracious and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Exod 33:19).
Readers often fault the Israelites for identifying Moses, not Yahweh, as the one “who brought us up from the land of Egypt” (Exod 32:1). Yet curiously Yahweh initially agrees with them (Exod 32:7)! Could it be that throughout this dialogue God “teases” Moses? They banter back and forth as to whose people these are and who brought them up from the land of Egypt. To Moses Yahweh calls them “your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt” and “this people” (Exod 32:7, 9). Moses counters, identifying them as, “your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt” and as “your people” (Exod 32:11–12). Later, Yahweh insists on calling them “the people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt” (Exod 33:1). Moses replies, “you say to me … this people … but consider that this nation is your people” (Exod 33:12–13).
Not only is there repartee in this dialogue, there is tenacious negotiation on Moses’ part. Yahweh’s initial concessions to Moses’ first two intercessions (Exod 32:11–13, 30–32) are to spare the people and to bring them to the land (Exod 32:34–33:5)—exactly as Moses had petitioned, ensuring that Abraham’s multiplied offspring would inherit the land (Exod 32:13). But Yahweh refuses to go up with them himself and so commissions “an angel” instead.
As wonderful as these promises are, Moses is not satisfied. One vital element is missing. It is here that the narrator interrupts the dialogue for a parenthesis on “the tent of meeting” where “Yahweh would speak to Moses face to face, as a person would speak to his friend” (Exod 33:11). After Moses petitions Yahweh to reinstate the people, Yahweh replies, “My face shall go, and I will give you (singular) rest” (Exod 33:14, literal; contrary to English translations, there is no “with you”). Moses is listening very closely: Yahweh has yet to promise to go with the people and give them rest. Moses then presses the point that the people’s sole distinctive “from every other people” is Yahweh’s very “face” going with them.
At last, Yahweh says, “This matter about which you have spoken I will do because you have found favor in my eyes and I know you by name” (Exod 33:17). We may have read this passage dozens of times without hearing its full import. Yahweh heeds Moses’ intercession, not because of his compelling legal arguments based on covenant, nor because of his piety or religious respectability, but simply because he likes him and knows him personally!
Info Box: Moses’ Chutzpah
Yahweh enjoys Moses’ initiative and resolute advocacy, for which there is no better word than chutzpah. Moses is neither acquiescent or fatalistic, conceding “well, it must be God’s will.” As at the burning bush (Exod 3:1–4:12), Moses’ persistent questions and petitions prompt some of the most significant revelations from God in the Bible (see further 33:18–34:10). We might think, “hey, I’m no Moses.” True that may be, but Paul believes that the people of the New Covenant have greater access to God’s presence than Moses (see 2 Cor 3:4–18), and thus all the more reason to intercede with chutzpah.
Recognizing the intimacy of their relationship, Moses makes an extraordinary request: “Please, show me your glory” (Exod 33:18). Yahweh promises a second divine appearance (theophany), but this time Moses will have a private audience with God.
At Moses' request Yahweh reveals his name in a theophany as both compassionate and uncompromising.
The narrator (likely J) portrays Yahweh’s presence as localized spatially, thus heightening the intimacy of their meeting: “There is a place by me, and you shall stand upon the rock,” so later Yahweh “stood with him there” and then “passed by” (Exod 33:19–22; 34:5–6). Yet, although still using anthropomorphic terms to describe God’s presence, the distinction between God and humans is clearly maintained: “you are not able to see my face, for man cannot see me and live…. I will cover you with my hand until I passed by. And I will remove my hand and you shall see my back.”
While this theophany certainly has visual elements, the focus lies in verbal proclamation, in particular the proclamation of Yahweh’s name (Exod 33:19; 34:5–6). While Yahweh had earlier disclosed his name and its significance to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:13–15, E) and in Egypt (Exod 6:2–8, P), he does so again here (J). The first two proclamations were done in the context of socio-economic oppression in Egypt, where the significance of the name Yahweh was attached to liberation. But this time it occurs in the context of rebellion against Yahweh’s commands, where the name is attached to grace. As names, and especially divine names, were revealers of the name bearer’s identity and defining characteristics, modern readers should take special note of these momentous moments when God discloses his Name. Yahweh is fundamentally a liberator—in the face of oppression—and compassionate—in the face of transgression.
Although Yahweh’s declaration may sound redundant, “I am gracious with whom I am gracious, and I am compassionate with whom I am compassionate,” it is Yahweh’s declaration of independence, where he avers his sovereign and personal choice. One could paraphrase it as, “I am, in fact, gracious with whom I choose to be gracious.” In other words, as persuasive as Moses’ intercession has been, the decision to show grace to the idol worshipers is entirely Yahweh’s.
Yahweh’s proclamation of his name invites comparison with his earlier elaboration of the second of the Ten Words/Commandments.
Exod 20:5–6
• a jealous God (אֵל, El)
• visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, showing loyalty to thousands
• Qualifiers: to those who hate me, to those who love me and keep my commandments
Exod 34:6–7
• a compassionate and gracious God (אֵל, El), slow of anger, and great of loyalty and fidelity (“jealous God” is transposed to Exod 34:14)
• Reversal: showing loyalty, visiting iniquity
• No qualifiers
• Addition: lifting iniquity, transgression, and sin (though contrast
Exod 23:21
• Addition: he will not acquit/leave unpunished
As part of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel, the second commandment focuses on their exclusive relationship and on the threat of punishment. In context of the Golden Calf rebellion, this new proclamation of Yahweh’s name focuses on his compassion, patience, and loyalty. It also adds the new possibility of forgiveness, while also maintaining the threat of punishment for those who continue in their transgression. Not surprisingly, Exodus 34:6–7 is one of the most frequently cited passages in the Old Testament (Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Pss 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nah 1:3).
Moses has been listening closely: he petitions Yahweh to do as he had just promised, namely to “forgive our iniquity and our sin.” And, as Yahweh has yet to explicitly restore his presence among the people, Moses presses him, “Lord, let the Lord please go in our midst.” Yahweh’s response is to “cut a covenant”—a new one subsequent to the one cut in Exodus 24:8.
This passage serves to illustrate the nature of covenants in the Old Testament, whether they be with human parties or with God: these covenants/treaties/contracts are by nature conditional. The covenant itself does not guarantee God’s promises unconditionally. But what ensures the preservation of the divine-human relationship is the God who transcends covenantal obligations—and in this case Moses’ tenacious intercession.
At Sinai Yahweh delivers the "Ten Words" ("You shall [not]") and the case laws of "the Book of the Covenant" ("If ... then").
Laws (Exod 20–23, 34). In the narrative describing the Israelites’ arrival at Mount Sinai Yahweh had forewarned that he would make a “covenant” with them and that he himself would appear in a theophany, coming in a “cloud” (Exod 19:5, 9).
This would be a personal meeting (“I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself”) and initiate a special relationship (“you will be to me a treasure among all the peoples”). In this respect, the laws that follow reflect Yahweh’s values for the society of God’s people. These are not universal principles for all humanity, but are intended as a particular gift to the people of God. Then, “there was thunder and lightning and a heavy cloud upon the mountain …, so all the people in the camp trembled” (Exod 19:16; cf. 19). The Hebrew word translated “thunder” (qolot) usually means “sound” or “voice” in the OT, so here the thunder is an expression of God’s voice, but suddenly in Exodus 20:1 God’s voice becomes an articulate voice in the delivery of the Ten Words: “And God spoke all these words.”
The material in Exodus 20–23 formally consists of “words” (Exod 20:1) and “judgments” (Exod 21:1; see Exod 24:3 for both). The “words” are phrased as brief statements (“You shall [not] …”), which scholars call apodictic laws. The “judgments” are phrased as conditional sentences “(“If …, then …”), which scholars call case laws. The former present law in principle, and the latter in practice. Only some of the apodictic laws find elaboration in the case laws: worshiping other gods, honoring parents, murder, theft, and perjury (see details in Info Box 8.5 below).
The Ten Words
The lawgiver introduces himself as liberator and establishes the parameters of how the Israelites are to respect their God and each other.
The Ten Commandments form one of the best-known biblical passages in Western culture. The phrase, “the Ten Commandments,” occurs three times in most English translations (Exod 34:28; Deut 4:13; 10:4), but each time the Hebrew phrasing is literally “the Ten Words.”
In the narrative frame we are told, “and God spoke all these words” (Exod 20:1; cf. 24:3). They are not presented as commands, but rather as words of instruction. Exodus 24:12 comes the closest where the stone tablets are identified as “instruction/law (torah) and commandment,” but even here Yahweh has explicitly written them “for their instruction (horot, the same Hebrew root underlying torah).” Most importantly, in the preface to the Ten Words Yahweh identifies himself: “I am Yahweh your God who brought you forth from the land of Egypt from the house of slaves” (Exod 20:2). In other words, he is a liberator, implying these words/commandments are intended to help maintain their liberation, not put them in bondage to law. Perhaps obvious but often overlooked is the clear narrative sequence: the story of liberation and salvation from Egyptian slavery precedes the giving of the law. It is not the Israelites’ obedience to the law that makes them the people of God; they are that already.
Info Box: The Ten Words
How should we count the Ten Words? The Christian tradition separates the prohibitions of worshiping other gods and idolatry, thus counting them 1 and 2. But the Jewish tradition counts the so-called preface (Exod 20:2) as the first Word and combines the prohibitions against other gods and idolatry as the second Word.
The Jewish tradition actually has grammar on its side. The pronoun “them” makes no sense in an independent Word prohibiting idolatry (Exod 20:4–6). Otherwise, we should expect “it,” referring to the singular “image/idol.” “Them” can only refer to the “gods” of Exodus 20:3. In addition, the rationale for the prohibition lies in Yahweh as “a jealous God,” who would be jealous of other gods, not idols. Elsewhere the Old Testament sees little distinction between worshiping idols and worshiping other gods. Nonetheless, the following exposition follows the Christian tradition.
1 Exodus 20:3 (lit. “There shall not be for you other gods above my face”), as phrased, instructs Israel how to arrange ("for you" or "you shall not have") Yahweh's place of worship. Israel is forbidden to install other deities at Yahweh’s place of worship. The Hebrew preposition (ʿal), which most English Bibles render as "before," literally means "above/upon."
Using the metaphor of a royal court, these would-be deities are forbidden to stand before a seated/enthroned Yahweh. Strictly speaking, this word of instruction institutes monolatry, not monotheism. Monotheism is the belief in one God. Monolatry is the worship of one God without explicitly denying the existence of other deities. The Book of the Covenant likewise prohibits the worship of other gods (Exod 22:20; cf. 23:24, 33).
2 Exodus 20:4–6 supplements the previous prohibition by banning the manufacture of idols or cult statues. Although the Old Testament frequently prohibits idolatry, it rarely provides a rationale. The closest explanation appears in the laws about altars at the beginning of the Book of the Covenant.
In Exodus 20:22–26 it might seem strange that Yahweh should use a verb of “seeing” when referring to his act of “speaking” with them “from the skies/heavens.” But his word choice makes sense in light of the following prohibition: “You shall not make with me gods of silver, and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.” The Israelites saw nothing of Yahweh, so an image of him is impossible. Yahweh remains transcendent in the skies above and is therefore intangible and invisible to human sight. His presence and his voice are not mediated through earthly objects of human manufacture. The closest Israel can get to sacred objects are altars, yet here there is an explicit departure from ANE culture: instead of precious metals, they may use only common dirt or stones, and even here the stones must not be “profaned” with the use of human tools.
The basis for this prohibition lies in Yahweh's character: "for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God." Although his jealousy threatens punishment, this divine characteristic presupposes a relationship with his people that is devoted, as in marriage, and therefore exclusive. Jealousy as a divine quality is unparalleled in the ANE.
3 Exodus 20:7 (lit. “You shall not lift the name of Yahweh your God to worthlessness”) refers not to casual swearing, but to invoking God’s name formally, especially in oaths (e.g., “As Yahweh lives, …”; cf. Jer 34:15-16, where covenant violation amounts to "profaning God's name"). It entails not using God’s name to add weight to one’s claims, especially for manipulative purposes, suggesting that God is now party to one’s endeavor.
4 Exodus 20:8–11 enjoins God’s people to “sanctify” the Sabbath day by “not doing any work,” as a reflection of Yahweh’s “resting” on the seventh day after creation. The Book of the Covenant uses the verb form of the noun Sabbath: “on the seventh day you shall cease (šbt)” (Exod 23:12). The elaboration of this Word specifically names the subordinates that the head of the household or business might abuse: children, servants, livestock, and the sojourner.
5 Exodus 20:12 instructs children to “honor” (lit. “give weight to”) both parents, father and mother. Its elaboration is explained by the threats stipulated in the Book of the Covenant (Exod 21:15, 17).
6 Exodus 20:13 prohibits murder and manslaughter, but not killing as a form of capital punishment or in battle. The Book of the Covenant stipulates the death penalty (Exod 21:12–14).
7 Exodus 20:14 prohibits adultery, but the book of Exodus provides no further clarification or elaboration.
8 Exodus 20:15 prohibits theft. The Book of the Covenant stipulates restitution as a penalty for theft of property, whereby the thief must restore to the victim several times over whatever he/she stole (Exod 22:1–4). Theft of a human, or kidnapping, is a capital offense (Exod 21:16).
9 Exodus 20:16 forbids perjury. The Book of the Covenant elaborates, but specifies no penalties. The stipulations are not case laws, but “You shall not …” (Exod 23:1–2).
10 Exodus 20:17 forbids “coveting” a neighbor’s property, which appears to be more a principle of law, rather than one that is enforceable, as it denotes an attitude that may not be manifest in action.