Exodus 34:5

_AND THE LORD DESCENDED IN THE CLOUD, AND STOOD WITH HIM THERE, AND PROCLAIMED THE NAME OF THE LORD._ The Lord descended in the cloud. After graciously hovering over the tabernacle, it seems to have resumed its usual position on the summit of the mount, and to have made a slight descent visibly in the sight of the camp, and for the sake of the people. It was the shadow of God manifest to the outward senses, and at the same time, of God manifest in the flesh. The emblem of a cloud seems to have been chosen to signify that, although He was pleased to make known much about Himself, there was more veiled from mortal view (cf. Exodus 19:9; Exodus 19:16). It was to check presumption and engender awe, and give a humble sense of human attainments in divine knowledge, as now man sees but darkly....

5._And the Lord descended in the cloud _It is by no means to be doubted but that the cloud received Moses into it in the sight of the people, so that, after having been separated from the common life of men for forty days, he should again come forth like a new man. Thus did this visible demonstration of God’s glory avail to awaken faith in the commandments. The descent of God, which is here recorded, indicates no change of place, as if God, who fills heaven and earth, and whose immensity is universally diffused, altered His position, but it has reference to the perceptions of men, because under the appearance of the cloud God testified that He met Moses. Therefore, according to the usual phrase of Scripture, the sacred name of God is applied to the visible symbol; not that the empty cloud was a figure of the absent Deity, but because it testified His presence according to the comprehens...

5-9 The Lord descended by some open token of his presence and manifestation of his glory in a cloud, and thence proclaimed his NAME; that is, the perfections and character which are denoted by the name JEHOVAH. The Lord God is merciful; ready to forgive the sinner, and to relieve the needy. Gracious; kind, and ready to bestow undeserved benefits. Long-suffering; slow to anger, giving time for repentance, only punishing when it is needful. He is abundant in goodness and truth; even sinners receive the riches of his bounty abundantly, though they abuse them. All he reveals is infallible truth, all he promises is in faithfulness. Keeping mercy for thousands; he continually shows mercy to sinners, and has treasures, which cannot be exhausted, to the end of time. Forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin; his mercy and goodness reach to the full and free forgiveness of sin. And will by...

EXPOSITION THE FULFILMENT BY GOD OF HIS PROMISE TO MOSES. This section coheres closely with the last section of the preceding chapter, and must be regarded, as the historical account of how God fulfilled the promises there made by him to Moses (Exodus 33:19-2). The promises were mainly two— 1. That he would proclaim his name to him afresh; and 2. That he would pass by him, and let him see, after he had passed, what man might see of his glory. The fulfilment of the first promise appears in the long enumeration of attributes contained in Exodus 34:6,...

AND THE LORD DESCENDED IN THE CLOUD,.... The same with the cloudy pillar, which was now gone up from the door of the tabernacle, and was on high in the air over the mount, and on which the Lord now descended in it, as he had before, Exodus 19:9: AND STOOD WITH HIM THERE; not Moses stood with the Lord, as the Vulgate Latin version; but the Lord, or the cloud in which the Lord was, stood near to Moses: AND PROCLAIMED THE NAME OF THE LORD: Jehovah declared with a loud voice out of the cloud, that the Lord was there; the Targum of Jonathan is, "and Moses called on or in the name of the Word of the Lord;'' and so the Vulgate Latin version refers it to Moses, and renders the words, "calling on the name of the Lord"; but the following verse clearly shows that it must be understood of the Lord, and not of Moses....

CHAPTER 34 THE RESULT: THE SECOND COVENANT AND THE GLORY _ 1. The command to hew two tables of stone (Exodus 34:1)_ 2. The proclamation of Jehovah (Exodus 34:5) 3. Moses' worship and prayer (Exodus 34:8) 4. The covenant restated (Exodus 34:10) 5. The second tables written (Exodus 34:27) 6. The glory upon the face of Moses (Exodus 34:29) The command is given to Moses to hew two tables of stone like the first, which Jeho

EXODUS 34:1 J. THE COVENANT WORDS. After removing Exodus 34:5, the sublime account of the revelation of Yahweh's nature as mercy and truth in their unity, which follows on Exodus 33:23, the remainder is the sequel of J's account of the descent upon Sinai in Exodus 19, and the clauses (Exodus 34:1; Exodus 34:3) referring to the first (tables) are glosses of the editor who displaced this section (_cf._ p. 183). And it may be that originally, as in Deuteronomy 10:1

PROCLAIMED. As promised in Exodus 33:19....

Moses is commanded to hew two tables of stone, similar to those which he had broken (Exodus 32:19), and bring them up Sinai to Jehovah. The former tables are said (Exodus 32:16) to have been themselves God's handiwork: in the new tables only the writing is to be His....

PROCLAIMED THE NAME OF THE LORD— Moses desired to see the _glory_ of the Lord, ch. Exodus 33:18. The Lord promises to shew him his _goodness;_ and, accordingly, _he passes by before him,_ proclaiming _his Name,_ the Deliverer and Covenant-God of the Hebrews; and also his attributes, at once of mercy and of terror; those attributes which were displayed in their most glorious light in the redemption of the world by the death of JESUS CHRIST: God thus shewing himself _merciful,_ that is, abounding in tender mercy and pardoning goodness: _gracious, i.e_. free and disinterested in his love: _long-suffering,_ patiently bearing with sinners, not willing that any one should perish: yet though thus exquisite in mercy, and ready to forgive sins, at the same time just; not clearing or suffering the obstinately guilty to escape; but _visiting,_ &c. for which se