GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

EXEGESIS OF EXODUS 34:5-7:THE PROCLAMATION OF THE DIVINE NAME

SUBMITTED TO DR. DONNA PETTERIN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF OT627 - EXEGESIS OF EXODUS

BY LARRY HACKMAN

BOX 182-B14 NOVEMBER 2011

PART 1: THE BIG PICTURE OF EXODUS

The introduction to the book of Exodus in the ESV Study Bible describes the main theme of

book to be that of “fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarchs that he would make their

descendants a great nation.”1 While this certainly seems to permeate the narrative of Exodus, it

seems like it would be a more fitting theme for the whole of the Pentateuch, and does not take

into account the specific narrative flow of the book of Exodus around two events: the exodus and

the encounter at Sinai. These two events encompass the one idea of a people being rescued for

relationship.2 The people of Israel are set free from their slavery to the Egyptians so that “they

may serve the LORD their God” (Exodus 10:7, ESV).

Exodus carries on the narrative of Genesis and stands as part of the larger narrative of the

Pentateuch. There are several references in the Pentateuch to Moses writing down records, such

as the “Book of the Covenant” (24:7) and the recording of the words of the law (Deuteronomy

31:24-26). The Pentateuch was written as a memorial3 for the Israelite to remember the several

covenants that God makes with the Patriarchs and the Israelites, and Exodus supplies its part of

the narrative in the larger narrative in the Pentateuch.

The authorship of Exodus is contested by critical scholars as taking place much later than

the traditionally understood date, as well as being written by a number of different authors. The

traditional understanding of Exodus’ authorship and dating place it as having been written by

Moses,4 possibly around the dates of 1440 B.C. to 1260 B.C., the respective dates depending on

! L Hackman 1

1 Wayne Grudem, ESV Study Bible (Harpercollins Pub Ltd, 2008), 140.2 Dr. Donna Petter, notes from Exegesis of Exodus class, Fall 2011.3 cf. Exodus 17:144 cf. Deuteronomy 31:9, Joshua 1:7, Joshua 23:6, 2 Corinthians 3:15, etc.

the dating from 1 Kings 6:1 or archaeological evidence.5 This paper will take the traditional

position on the dating and authorship of Exodus. If it was written by Moses, then it was likely

composed in the wilderness wanderings before his death on Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8).

The book of Exodus is a historical narrative as well as a law document. Chapters 1

through 19, chapter 24, and the golden calf narrative in 32 through 34 follow the events of the

exodus from Egypt and the divine encounter on Sinai. The rest of the book contains detailed

instructions concerning the obligations of Yahweh’s covenant with the Jews. The historical

context is set in the beginning of the book of Exodus by describing the sons of Israel’s rapid

growth as a people after Joseph makes possible their emigration to Egypt. Over many

generations, they become slaves to the Egyptians. God “hears” their cry and “remembers” his

covenant with Abraham and sets into motion the events that will free the Israelites to serve him.

The events of Exodus take place primarily in Egypt and in the wilderness area of the Sinai

peninsula.

SITUATE THE PASSAGE

The passage of this paper is located within the Golden Calf narrative (chapters 32-34), a

depiction of Israel’s rebellion against God at the foot of Sinai. This narrative itself seems to

interrupt the giving of the law and instructions for the priests and tabernacle that begin in chapter

24 and resume in chapter 35. It acts as an extension of the historical narrative from the first part

of the book.

Within the previous chapter, Moses requests to see God’s glory (33:18). Yahweh responds

that he will do this, specifically that he would make all of his “goodness” pass in front of Moses

! L Hackman 2

5 Gordon D. Fee, and Douglas K. Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 34.

and that he would proclaim His name to Moses. Exodus 33:21-23 describes the manner of his

passing in front of Moses, a “passing” revelation limited by Moses’ inability to survive a full

revelation of Yahweh’s glory. Moses’ request is part of his greater role as the one mediating for

Israel’s sin, a quest that involves Moses “reminding” Yahweh about His covenant with Abraham

and reminding Him who He is, as a God who forgives. The passage at hand serves as the

description of the actual passing of God and the revelation of God’s name promised to Moses

from 33:18.

! What precedes the passage, in broad narrative terms, is the rebellion of the “people of

hard neck” after which Moses plays the role of a covenant mediator and “argues” with Yahweh to

“remember” his covenant to Abraham. What immediately follows the passage is the actual

renewal of the covenant which the Israelites had broken. What helps unite these two parts is the

breaking of the tablets on which the covenant was written (32:19), symbolizing the fact that

Israel had broken the covenant, and the rewriting of these tablets by God (34:28), marking

Yahweh’s renewal of the covenant with the Israelites.

When Moses asks God to reveal his glory to him, he is asking God to reveal his character

to him. It was his character, revealed in the divine revelation, which determined God’s ongoing

grace and mercy to Moses and the Jews as they moved onward to Canaan.6 God has already told

Moses that he is compassionate (22:27) and this must have also been apparent through his

dealings with the people of Israel. In a sense, Moses is echoing the argument that Abraham had

with God in Genesis 18:22-33 wherein Abraham essentially assumes the mercy of Yahweh in

interceding for Sodom. Moses, too, depends on the mercy of Yahweh as he calls upon Him to

! L Hackman 3

6 Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006), 715.

reveal his glory, his essence, to Moses. The passage in Exodus 34:5-7 thus provides the basis on

why God does indeed renew His covenant with His people.

PART 2: OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION

THE HEBREW TEXT

:h`Dwh◊y M™EvVb 7añ∂rVqˆ¥yÅw M¡Dv wäø;mIo b¶E…xÅyVtˆ¥yÅw NYÎnDo`R;b ‹hÎwh◊y

8d®r§E¥yÅw Ex. 34:5

Mˆy™AÚpAa JK®r¶Ra N…wó…nAj◊w M…wäjår l¶Ea 9hYÎwh◊y —h∞Dwh◊y a∂rVqˆ¥yÅw wyÎnDÚp_lAo —h¶Dwh◊y r°ObSoÅ¥yÅw Ex. 34:6

:t`RmTa‰w dRs¶Rj_bår◊w

NâOwSo —dâéqOÚp h$®;qÅn◊y aâøl ‹hé;qÅn◊w h¡DaDÚfAj◊w oAv™RpÎw NöOwDo 10a¶EcOn

11My$IpDlSaDl ‹dRs‹Rj r¶ExOn Ex. 34:7

:My`IoE;bîr_lAo◊w My™IvE;lIv_lAo MyYˆnDb y∞EnV;b_lAo◊w ‹MyˆnD;b_lAo tw#øbDa

Text-Critical Interpretive Summary

The Hebrew text for this passage is almost completely devoid of any text-critical issues

and easily stands as is. Where other translations differ from the Masoretic text they tend to do so

as editorial emendations that serve to clarify the text or emend it for particular theological

concerns (especially the Targum).12 The LXX does omit the second Yahweh, along with the few

other emendations the editors of the LXX made to this passage. This seems to be done in an

effort to clarify the text, possibly to reduce a perceived redundancy in this case. That the text

! L Hackman 4

7 In both the Vulgate and the Targum, Moses is the one calling the name Yahweh, while the MT remains somewhat ambiguous. It seems best to carry on the subject from the first part of the verse as Yahweh. John I. Durham, Word Biblical Commentary: Exodus (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987), 453.8 The Targum changes this verb to “revealed” but this seems to be a editorial emendation that does not reflect the original text.9 The LXX omits this second Yahweh. Other translations do not and there is no reason to think that the original text did not include both names. 10 The Targum includes a number of additional phrases from here centered around conditional forgiveness based on obedience to the Torah. These are clearly editorial emendations and should not be considered as part of the original text. 11 The Targum and the Peshitta include the noun “generations,” perhaps to bring continuity to the second half of the verse. This appears to be an editorial emendation for clarity.12 See appendix 1.

seems to be so well preserved may be because of its poetic nature and distinctive grammar, along

with the important part that it plays in the narrative of Exodus.

TRANSLATION - “The Proclamation of the Divine Name”

v.5 13And Yahweh14 descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed in the name of Yahweh.15

v.6 And Yahweh passed on before him and proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh, a God16 compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness,17

v.7 keeping lovingkindness to thousands and forgiving offense18 and rebellion and sin. But he will surely not19 leave the guilty unpunished, avenging20 the offense of the fathers on the sons, and on the sons of the sons, to the third generation and to the fourth generation.21

! L Hackman 5

13 My method of translation is to try to retain the original word order from the Hebrew while also seeking to use reasonably colloquial meanings for individual words. 14 I retain the use of Yahweh as a proper noun because it avoids the awkward articular use of “The LORD” that English translations take.15 Most translations seem not to translate the inseparable preposition b here (NASB is a notable exception). M™EvVb is commonly translated in Scripture as the phrase “in the name of the LORD” (see Genesis 13:4, Deuteronomy 18:5, 1 Samuel 17:45 and many more) and I have chosen that rendering here. Merrill C. Tenney, and Steven Barabas, eds., The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1975), 364, 366.16 I agree with the ESVS and NRSV here in seeking to retain the original word order by placing the noun “God” before the attributes. The NASB seems to attach Yahweh and l¶Ea but I believe the emphasis in the original text goes onto the double pronouncement of God’s proper name, Yahweh, the impact of which is diluted with the rendering “Yahweh, Yahweh God.” In addition, because adjectives do not normally qualify proper nouns in Hebrew, it is clear that l¶Ea was included to allow the string of adjectives to describe Yahweh within normal Hebrew usage. Paul Joüon, A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, trans. By T. Muraoka, (Rome: Editrce Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2006), §141 488; Stuart, Exodus, 715.17 The NASB translates this “truth” but I agree with the ESV, NIV, and NRSV with the rendering “faithfulness” as it retains the sense of relational aspect that all the other attributes have.18 “Offense” remains in the range of meaning for NöOwDo but is far more colloquial, thus provides easier reader comprehension. The same holds true for translating oAv™Rp as “rebellion” instead of “transgression” as the ESV, NRSV, and NASB do. William L Holladay, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co., 1988), 268, 300.19 Here there is an infinitive absolute followed by a negative particle then an imperfect with the same verb root, which is typically translated as an emphatic. Bruce K. Waltke and M. O’Connor, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, (Eisenbrauns, 1990), 583.20 I have used the translation “avenging” instead of “visiting” (ESV, NRSV, NASB) because I have rendered the object of the verb “offense” as I did earlier in v. for NöOwDo and “avenging the offense of the fathers” sounds more smooth than “visiting the offense of the fathers” and remains in the range of meaning for dâéqOÚp. Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, eds., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 2 vols., rev. by Walter Baumgartner and Johann Jakob Stamm, trans. and ed. by M. E. J. Richardson (Boston: Brill, 2001), 1.956. Hereafter, HALOT.21 I retain all of the words from the Hebrew in the translation of this clause instead of smoothing it out for the sake of retaining the flow of syntax.

Grammatical Interpretive Summary

Several features of the grammar and syntax of the passage hint at a cultic nature to the

text. One of the more striking features of the passage is that Yahweh pronounces his own name in

third person in an extremely formalized manner. The phrase h`Dwh◊y M™EvVb appears to be a formulaic

introduction that is used often elsewhere in Scripture. The use of Yahweh’s name twice also

seems like a formalized pronouncement, similar to Yahweh’s calling of Moses in Exodus 3:4.

The clipped string of adjectives, distinct participle clauses, unusual phonetically poetic sound of

the infinitive absolute clause, and the progressive repetition of lAo all make for an easy to

memorize and reproduce passage. This passage was meant to be handed down from generation to

generation, it was meant to be remembered. This only highlights its importance within the

narrative of Exodus.

Lexical Interpretive Summary

h`Dwh◊y M™EvVb is used very frequently 22 throughout the Old Testament by those who are

calling on, or doing something in the name of Yahweh. What is unique about this passage is that

apparently Yahweh is calling in his own name, something that is not done elsewhere. The unique

self-reference combined with the other formalities of the passage make it seem like perhaps God

is modeling a confession for the Israelites, saying it from their point of view for their benefit and

to make apparent that they are to confess this with him.

! L Hackman 6

22 Forty-six times, using a search done in the Accordance Bible software. It is distributed almost evenly through the Pentateuch, Historical books, Prophets, and the Poets.

When dRs¶Rj is used with the noun t`RmTa it has a specific usage as “lovingkindness and

faithfulness.”23 This usage has a particular connotation in relation to God remembering his

promises to the Patriarchs and to his people. This bears relationship to the context surrounding

the passage, that of the people of Israel forsaking their covenant and God considering his renewal

of the covenant. Why would he renew his covenant? Because of his t`RmTa‰w dRs¶Rj.

Another word combination that appears in this passage is NöOwDo a¶EcOn, which often appears in

the Pentateuch and the Prophets in relation to the carrying out of the Torah.24 It is understood to

mean “to bear, suffer”25 when the referent is a human, but when the referent is God it is

translated in many English versions as “to forgive” as he is the one removing the transgression.

Perhaps the Israelites had no concept of “bearing” their sins like Christians do now with the

revelation of the Christ, but it is intriguing to think of the lexical hint of God “bearing” the

offenses of his people. For the purposes of this paper, however, a¶EcOn will be translated in the

traditional manner: “forgive.”

Similarly to a¶EcOn, hé;qÅn (in the piel verbal stem only) is often related to carrying out the

regulations of the Law and means “to leave unpunished.”26 However, most of the time it is used

it is joined by a negative particle and the context is usually that of the offender not getting away

with his offense, i.e. “to not leave unpunished.”27 In other words, the point of hé;qÅn is to say that

the justice of God will most certainly be done.

! L Hackman 7

23 HALOT, 1.336; Francis Brown, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2006), §2616 p338-39.24 Seven times within each corpus.25 HALOT, 14.726.26 HALOT, 1:720.27 cf. Num. 5:31, Prov. 11:21, Jer. 49:12

The nouns and verbs of this passage work together to create a proclamation of Yahweh’s

name, which could be boiled down to the essential elements of mercy and justice, as exemplified

by the phrases t`RmTa‰w dRs¶Rj and h$®;qÅn◊y aâøl ‹hé;qÅn◊w. The frequency of which many of the phrases in this

passage occur elsewhere bear testimony to the enduring importance that this passage has in the

rest of the Old Testament.

Structure and Narrative Art Interpretive Summary

The passage acts as a hinge within the surrounding context. As mentioned previously, from

chapter 25 God has been giving instructions to Moses on the House of God and these instructions

are seemingly interrupted by the rebellion of the Israelites. Chapters 32 to 34 comprise a

showcase of how the Israelites fail to meet their part of the recently agreed-upon covenant and of

how Yahweh counters their failure with his glorious mercy. The passage at hand acts as a

proclamation of this divine mercy and justice and serves to hinge the surrounding context around

it. It is the “turning point” upon which the covenant is renewed and the people’s relationship to

God is healed. In the grander scheme of the book, it is the basis on which Israel is even freed

from the grasp of the Egyptians in the first place, and within the narrative of the Pentateuch as a

whole it is the basis on which the covenant with the Patriarchs is fulfilled.

The passage itself can be structured fairly simply.28 Verse five acts as a summary statement

of the revelation of Yahweh’s name: he descends, stands with Moses, and proclaims his name.

Verses 6 and 7, as the actual proclamation of the name, are in three parts: God’s title, his merciful

attributes, and his just attributes. The majority of the passage is dedicated to the character of

! L Hackman 8

28 See appendix 2.

Yahweh as expressed in his name. God is merciful and just, and this is why the covenant with the

Israelites is renewed.

General Interpretive Summary

The fate of the Israelites rests on the character of Yahweh as expressed in his divine

name. The passage reveals his name, and thus his character, and explains his actions throughout

the whole of the Pentateuch and into the rest of the Old Testament. Because his character is

revealed as both merciful and just, this means that the rebellion of the Israelites will not

ultimately frustrate the fulfillment of the covenant. It will be renewed and carried out under the

auspices of Yahweh’s mercy and justice.

PART III: BIBLICAL, CULTURAL, AND THEOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT

THE PASSAGE IN OLD TESTAMENT LITERATURE

The literary setting of the passage is historical narrative, but it is a relatively brief passage

within a larger section of legal documentation which begins in 25, instructions for the building of

the tabernacle and the order of priests. Before this, Yahweh had set down the conditions of the

covenant in chapters 20 through 22, which are confirmed by the Israelites in chapter 24. In terms

of the literary flow, then, the Israelites confirm the covenant and Moses is ordered up the

mountain to receive the tablets of the Law and the instructions for the tabernacle which will

allow the presence of God to be in the midst of the Israelites. The Golden Calf narrative then

interrupts these instructions, but immediately after the events of the betrayal and renewal at the

foot of Sinai the instructions for the tabernacle are given to the Israelites post-haste, almost as

though nothing had happened. In fact, one could excise the Golden Calf narrative completely

from the document and the literary flow would be the better for it.

! L Hackman 9

The question remains of why it was included here when it seems so anachronistic in the

literary flow. Besides its historical value in the formation of the nation of Israel, I believe it is

included because it relates directly to the fulfillment of the covenant which the Israelites had just

ratified. The Golden Calf narrative makes shockingly clear that the sons of Jacob are apparently

unable to fulfill their end of the covenant. On the other hand, the revelation of the divine name

makes it abundantly clear that God is able, and willing, to fulfill the covenant. The revelation of

the divine name stands as a lynchpin which applies to the rest of the narrative of the Old

Testament and explains his dealings with the Israelites in the wilderness and beyond. Because of

this, it serves a very important purpose in the larger narrative of the Pentateuch.

In the rest of the Old Testament,29 the proclamation of Yahweh’s character (verses 6 and

7) becomes a kind of formula that is used to understand God’s dealings with the people of Israel,

from the Wilderness to the Exile. Within the Pentateuch, an almost parallel situation to that of the

Golden Calf appears in Numbers 14. The Jews have just received a bad report from the spies

who entered Canaan and they rebel, desiring to go back to Egypt. As in the Golden Calf

narrative, God threatens to desert and destroy the people, but again Moses steps in as a mediator.

Interestingly, he quotes almost the entire proclamation formula to remind Yahweh of his

character in dealing with the Israelites. As before, God is indeed merciful to the Israelites.

As the nation of Israel stumbles on through its history and finds itself under God’s justice

for the weight of its sins during the period of the Exile, the proclamation is repeated in the books

of the prophets. When God tells Jeremiah to buy a field, Jeremiah is confused, but recalls God’s

dealings with the Israelites, quoting God’s merciful and just attributes from the proclamation, as

! L Hackman 10

29 See appendix 3

he asks Yahweh what his plans are (Jeremiah 32:18). God proceeds to tell Jeremiah of his plan to

redeem his people and make them his once again (32:36-44), presumably based upon his

“abounding lovingkindness and faithfulness.” As Joel pleads for Judah to turn to God, he

reminds them that God is “slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over

disaster” (Joel 2:13, ESV). Joel is banking on the same mercy that God showed to the Israelites

in the wilderness to motivate them now. Perhaps he will “turn and relent…” (2:14, ESV). In

Daniel 9:4, as Daniel prays for the restoration of Israel, he includes a partial quotation of the

proclamation from Deuteronomy 5:10. Daniel is keenly aware of God’s character in his dealings

with his people. Even as the remnant returns from Babylon, they recall God’s merciful attributes

from the proclamation in the face of their rebellion on the foothold of Canaan and at the foot of

Sinai (Nehemiah 9:17-19). God’s merciful character is what allows the remnant to return to

Jerusalem and renew their part in the covenant once again. Throughout the nation’s history, the

proclamation of Yahweh’s character from Exodus 34:5-7 is the guiding principle of God’s

dealings with Israel throughout its history.

This holds true for Yahweh’s interaction with other nations as well, as Jonah finds out. In

his famously petulant remark after God spares his judgement of Nineveh upon their repentance,

he tells Yahweh, “I knew you were a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in

steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2, ESV). In marked contrast, about 100

years later Nahum warns the people of Nineveh to repent, saying “The LORD is slow to anger

and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty” (Nahum 1:3, ESV). God

remains the same to the Ninevites as he does to the Israelites, a God who deals with mercy in the

face of repentance and justice in the face of rebellion.

! L Hackman 11

Throughout the Old Testament the proclamation of God’s name in Exodus 34:6-7 serves

as a bass line, a steady beat that reminded the sons of Jacob that Yahweh was eager to have them

turn to him, but able to act with justice if they did not. In this way, the proclamation serves as an

outline of Israel’s history. God was certainly slow to anger, compassionate and gracious with the

Israelites, but for those who hated him, he did not let their sin go unpunished.

THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE

An understanding of the importance of naming in the Ancient Near Eastern culture of the

Israelites is important to understanding the proclamation of Yahweh’s name. To the ancients,

naming had an essential place in determining who a person was. A name was not merely an

arbitrarily set phonetic means of identifying someone, but “the sum total of a person’s internal

and external pattern of behavior was gathered up into his name.”30 This illuminates passages in

the Old Testament such as Jacob’s naming as “cheat” when he was a baby (Genesis 25:26), and

his later renaming as Israel, or “strives with God” (32:27). Jacob is not merely renamed Israel, he

became Israel.

God has already given himself the proper name Yahweh in Exodus 3:14 to Moses as an

identifier for the Egyptians and the Israelites to know him by. In that case, it serves to let them

know that “I am” is, that he is in exclusion to all other gods and that he is present and aware of

the situation that his people were in. In Exodus 34, God’s revelation of his name serves to further

explicate who exactly he is and how he could be expected to behave. The Israelites understood

that to know God’s name was to know him as a gracious and merciful God. Thus in Psalms 9:6,

! L Hackman 12

30 Tenney and Barabas, The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 363.

the Psalmist declares that “those who know [Yahweh’s] name put their trust in [him]” (ESV)

surely because his name is “abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness.”

The importance of naming was underscored in other cultures as well, particularly as it

related to the naming of deities. Within Egyptian culture, the names of a god could be a closely

guarded secret by the god, kept from even their devoted followers but that imbued the god with

his or her powers.31 The god Re-Atum even states that “Magic is my name.”32 By retaining the

power to itself, no other god could use it. In the Legend of Isis and the Name of Re, a legend

dating from between 1350-1200 B.C.,33 Isis seeks to find out Re’s name so that she can have his

power. She fashions a snake that wounds Re, forcing him to seek her for help. She offers to heal

him in exchange for his name. When he first tells her his name, it is not just a name but a string

of his accomplishments as a god, highlighting his creativity and power. This turns out not to be

his secret name, which he soon divulges to Isis but is not actually divulged within the text.

A text like this, having been written extremely close to the proposed dates of the exodus

from Egypt, bears some resemblance to the proclamation of Yahweh’s name. When Re claims to

reveal his “name,” it comes as essentially a list of his divine attributes (“I am he who made

heaven and earth, who knotted together the mountains,” etc.).34 This recalls both the revelation of

the divine name in Exodus 3:6 and Exodus 34:6-7 through the use of “I am” and the stating of

divine attributes. Of course, Re does not straightaway reveal his deepest name, the magic of his

name, because this would weaken him. In contrast, Yahweh does not need to fear this scenario

! L Hackman 13

31 William W. Hallo, The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions, Monumental Inscriptions and Archival Documents from the Biblical World. Vol. 1, Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World, (Leiden: Brill, 1997), 33.32 Ibid.33 James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1955), 12.34 Ibid., 13.

because he does not share his power with anyone, and his name does not hold some magical

power. His power resides within his being and his name only illuminates his being and thus he is

free to share with everyone. When Moses asks to see God’s glory (33:18), to be a witness to the

essence of Yahweh, this does not threaten Yahweh in the slightest. God’s main concern seems to

be that Moses will not be obliterated by being exposed to the fullness of Yahweh’s unmitigated

presence.

God’s essential character, his “name,” is not held back from the Israelites, but is revealed

for them on Mount Sinai to know, understand, and respond to. Judging from the Legend of Isis,

Egyptian culture had a conception of gods who kept part of themselves secret to maintain their

power within a complex polytheistic hierarchy. Yahweh resembles nothing like these gods,

instead freely revealing his nature and character for the Jews to experience. Before he reveals his

name, God makes this freedom clear by saying, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,

and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (33:19, ESV), showing that it is not even by

Moses’ request that God reveals his name, but by the pure grace of God that he does so. In

essence, because God is who he is, he reveals himself to the Israelites and Moses as such.

THE PASSAGE IN NEW TESTAMENT LITERATURE

There are no direct quotations of this passage within the New Testament, but there are

two possible allusions, the first of which is in the Gospel of John. As John introduces Jesus in the

beginning of the Gospel, he makes several theological statements about him. In John 1:14 he

says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of

the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (ESV). The two phrases that stand out here

are “seen his glory” and “grace and truth.” These echo Moses’ request in Exodus 33:18 for God

! L Hackman 14

to show him his glory, which John says, they have indeed seen. Not just any glory, but glory full

of “grace and truth” (ca¿ritoß kai« aÓlhqei÷aß), words which, while not exactly the same, echo

the Septuagint’s “polue÷leoß kai« aÓlhqino\ß” from Exodus 34:6. That this is an allusion to this

passage becomes clearer in John 1:17 when John then tells his readers that “the law was given

through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (ESV). John is contrasting the grace

and truth (t`RmTa‰w dRs¶Rj) revealed in Jesus Christ and the very name of God, with the Law that was

given through Moses.35 Further, John says, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and

Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18, NIV) which has strong

connotations from Exodus 33:20, as God tells Moses, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not

see me and live” (ESV). Apparently, John sees parallels in the revelation on Mt. Sinai of

Yahweh’s name to Moses to the revelation of Jesus Christ to humanity. The grace and truth that

exemplified the name of Yahweh are fully revealed in Jesus, and men have lived to tell the tale.

The same allusion to the revelation of God’s glory that Moses experienced are clear also

in 2 Corinthians 3:12-18. There Paul speaks of the veil that Moses wore over his face after he

witnesses the divine proclamation of Yahweh’s name (Exodus 34:29-35). To Paul, the Israelites,

then and now, are unable to view God’s glory shining through the mediator, whether that be Jesus

or Moses.36 Christians turning their faces to Jesus Christ are able to behold the full glory of

Yahweh, and be “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2

Corinthians 3:18, ESV). Christians are to be transformed into the very likeness of Yahweh’s

name, his “goodness” (Exodus 33:19). The revealed grace and truth of Jesus that John talks about

! L Hackman 15

35 G.K. Beale, and D.A. Carson, eds, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 422.36 G.K. Beale, Ed., The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Texts? / Essays on the Use of the Old Testament in the New, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994). 302.

are further expounded by Paul to be the means of the believer’s transformation into Christ’s

image.

THE BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE PASSAGE

The glory of Yahweh’s name revealed in Exodus 34:5-7 was, in many senses, only a

partial revealing. Only Moses could be present as Yahweh passed by from the cloud and he had

to be covered by Yahweh’s hand so as not to be destroyed by the presence of God, even what was

only exhibited by Yahweh’s backside. As Moses himself descends the mountain the be present

with the Jews, they cannot handle the reflected glory on Moses’ face; it too must be veiled for

them. God’s presence, while there, is always limited in some respect.37 Whether, through the

fingers of God’s hand, by the curtain in the Tabernacle, or in the cloud, the presence of God is

always veiled in Exodus.

For all that, God does reveal himself and make his presence known with the Israelites. He

is revealed, through his actions and through his self-proclamation, as indeed a God who is

merciful and just, forgiving threefold yet not letting those who hate him get away with their open

rebellion. As such, the God of the Old Testament is also the God of the New Testament,

unchanging through the ages (Malachi 3:6).

But instead of the partial unveiling that the Jews were privy to, Christians are witnesses

to the full glory of God unveiled in the person of Jesus Christ. To understand what “abounding

lovingkindness and faithfulness” really mean, one only has to look at the person of Jesus to

know. And as believers, Christians are not only privy as witnesses to God’s glory in Jesus Christ,

! L Hackman 16

37 Stuart, Exodus, 40.

but they are partakers as well, being transformed into the likeness and goodness of Yahweh

himself.

PART IV: THE PASSAGE IN THE MODERN WORLD38

One of the many unique things about this passage is that it is one of the few examples of

a personal encounter with the presence of God that occur in the Old Testament. In other words, it

is a theophany, a visible manifestation of God. In this case, the one witness of this personal

encounter is Moses. It is not hard to put the imagination to work, putting in the mind’s eye the

rocky crags of Mount Sinai, envisioning a swirling cloud encircling the top of the mountain,

occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the dark nimbus and sending out crashing peals of

thunder. Imagine Moses working his way up into the maelstrom, wind whipping at his robes,

staff in hand. His thoughts are full of the fate of his people who have come perilously close to

inciting the full wrath of the creator-God. Was he afraid? Was he wondering what he would see

when Yahweh revealed his presence to him?

While most people may be able to imagine this, most people would never imagine

themselves in a similar situation. Who would dare say that they enter the presence of God in the

manner that Moses does? Better yet, who would say that they want to enter the presence like

Moses did? Maybe Moses was bold enough, or crazy enough, but I would be remembering what

I said to my wife yesterday, or that lust issue that still sometimes crops up, or that thing I did in

high school that I still have not told nobody about. Why anybody want to enter God’s presence

with all of that… stuff inside them?

! L Hackman 17

38 I had in mind for this application “veteran” Christians who are either legalistic or lax because of sin. Specifically I had in mind the Christianized culture of the Southern USA .

The Israelites, upon seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, were probably filled

with these kinds of thoughts (Exodus 20:18-19). Their refusal to come near the mountain and

their request for Moses to speak to them in the stead of God set the tone for their interactions

with God, and indeed sets the tone for many of us today. We are afraid of God. We would rather

have someone else talk to him for us, maybe read about him in a book, have someone talk about

him to us on Sunday mornings or feel something nice about him during the occasional weekend

conference. But we simply do not want to see him face to face, like Moses did. For the Israelites

this meant increasing distance from God, a distance that only kept increasing throughout their

history until even when they kept the Torah diligently in the time of Jesus, even that kept them

away from the presence of God. We are not too unlike the Israelites. We are eager to put other

things in between us and him.

But Moses was different. Moses was the crazy one, boldly asking Yahweh to “Please

show me your glory” (33:18, ESV). Why? Moses knew that God’s presence meant blessing. “If

your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I

have found favor in your sight, I and your people?” (33:15-16, ESV). Moses knew that it was

better to be as close to God as possible, the opposite reaction that the people of Israel had. That’s

because Moses the Murderer (2:12) knew that Yahweh was a forgiving God. Maybe Moses had

no idea what he would see when he went up the mountain, but he knew who God is. Over and

over again, Moses had seen God show his love to the slaves of Egypt, rescuing them for

relationship.

The irony of the theophany on Sinai is that the very thing that God reveals to Moses is the

reason why the theophany is even possible. Moses is no less a sinful man than most of us (how

! L Hackman 18

often does someone meet a person who has taken a human life?), yet he is able to bear witness

and confess concerning “Yahweh, Yahweh, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,

and abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness, keeping lovingkindness to thousands and

forgiving offense and rebellion and sin.”

Fast forward about 1400 years and the theophany happens all over again, but happens in a

way it could not have happened before. God is again making himself present to mankind,

“tenting” among them, revealing his full glory, unabated by clouds or tents or a hand but become

flesh (John 1:18). Is he still compassionate? Is he still gracious? Has he changed? He has not, he

is still full of grace and truth, giving to all “grace upon grace” (1:16, ESV).

And yet, we still shrink back from his presence to this day. The irony is that the very

things that hold us back, our sin which seems so big or the standards that we must meet before

we are “okay” to see Christ, are the very things that entering Christ’s presence are meant to

answer. It is not our standards of how good or bad we are that allow us to go up the mountain,

but it is Yahweh’s standard of forgiveness, compassion, and enduring love. “For you have not

come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the

sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be

spoken to them. But you have come to Mount Zion… and to Jesus, the mediator of a new

covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews

12:18-19, 22, 24, ESV).

The challenge of Exodus 34:5-7 for us is to enter the presence of God for ourselves, to

encounter the divine name for ourselves. The blood of Christ has made it possible, but do we as

Christians take advantage of this day in and day out? I am challenged as I read this passage to

! L Hackman 19

ask, the next time I open the words of Scripture, to say, “Please show me your glory!” I am

challenged to say, the next time I bend my knees to prayer to say, “Please show me your glory!”

The next time I fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ to say, “Please, please, please, show

me your glory! How else will I know your blessing unless you go with me?”

! L Hackman 20

APPENDIX 1: Translation Differences

LXX Samaritan Pentateuch

Targum Peshitta Vulgate

v. 5v. 5v. 5

v. 6v. 6v. 6

v. 7v. 7v. 7v. 7v. 7v. 7

“revealed” vs. “descended”

Moses stands with God

Moses calls on the name

Moses calls on the name

“shekinah” is added

“before his face”

“by his face”

“Lord” only one time

“thousands of generations”

“thousands of generations”

“forgiving those who return to His Torah”

Adds the noun “guilty”

“to those who do not return”

“no man of himself is innocent before thee”

“rebellious grandchildren”

Adds the noun “generations”

! L Hackman 21

APPENDIX 2: Outline of Exodus 34:5-7

I. Summary sentence:A. Descended in the cloudB. Stood with him thereC. Proclaimed the name of Yahweh

II. Proclamation: And Yahweh passed on before him and proclaimedA. Title: Yahweh, Yahweh,B. Merciful attributes:

1.Compassionate and gracious2.Slow to anger3.Abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness4.Keeping lovingkindness to thousands5.Forgiving

a)Offenseb)Rebellionc)Sin

C. Just Attributes:1.Does not leave guilty unpunished2.Avenges offense of fathers

a)On sonsb)On sons of sonsc)To the third generationd)To the fourth generation

! L Hackman 22

APPENDIX 3: OT Allusions and Quotations of Passage With Notes

1. Numbers 14:18; Almost a repeat of the golden calf narrative. The people rebel after they hear the bad report about the giants in the land, God threatens to destroy them, and Moses recalls to Yahweh his revelation of his name at Sinai, quoting the revelation nearly exactly. God shows mercy and justice in his reaction.

2. Deuteronomy 5:9-10; In the renumeration of the Law, this passage is included with the 10 commandments on the commandment against idolatry, except that it is reversed. The justice part is first and added is the line “to those who hate me.” As well, “those who love me and keep my commandments” is added to the part about showing steadfast love to thousands.

3. Nehemiah 9:17; Recalled in part of a larger summary narrative describing the wickedness of the Israelites throughout their nations history and the mercy and justice of God in response to their repeated stiff-nakedness. Interestingly, only the part about God’s mercy is quoted.

4. Jeremiah 32:18-19; As part of an address to Yahweh concerning his command to Jeremiah to buy a field. Jeremiah is confused, but begins his address with a truncated version including HESED and the repayment of sin to the children of fathers after them. God promises to restore the fortunes of the Jews and have a people for himself under the new covenant.

5. Daniel 9:4; Daniel hints at God’s “steadfast love” for those who keep his commandments when praying for the restoration of Israel.

6. Joel 2:13; Joel is pleading to the Israelites to return to Yahweh, because of his merciful attributes. He opens up the possibility that Yahweh will relent in his anger if there is repentance.

7. Jonah 4:2; Jonah knew that God would forgive the Nineties if they repented from their deeds (and is unhappy about it). He quotes the attributes, and includes the line “relenting from disaster.”

8. Lamentations 3:32; Though God is punishing the Jews, he “will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” Jeremiah seems to put his mercy above his justice. He “will not cast off forever.”

9. Nahum 1:3; In contrast to Jonah, here Nahum echoes the revelation of Yahweh to warn Nineveh of God’s wrath. “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty.”

10.Psalms 86:15; David here is praying for deliverance from his enemies, quotes God’s merciful attributes.

11. Psalms 103:8, 17; Quotes the merciful attributes of God, but seems to clarify that the steadfast love is for those who fear him, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his covenants. Part of a Psalm of praise by David.

12.Psalms 145:8; Another psalm of praise extolling God’s grace and mercy.

! L Hackman 23

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, Francis. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2006.

Beale, G.K., and D.A. Carson, Editors. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007.

Beale, G.K. Ed. The Right Doctrine from the Wrong Texts? / Essays on the Use of the Old Testament in the New. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994.

Durham, John I. Word Biblical Commentary: Exodus. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1987.

Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002.

Grudem, Wayne. Ed. ESV Study Bible. Harpercollins Pub Ltd, 2008.

Hallo, William W. The Context of Scripture: Canonical Compositions, Monumental Inscriptions and Archival Documents from the Biblical World. Vol. 1, Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World. Leiden: Brill, 1997.

Holladay, William L. A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Co., 1988.

Joüon, Paul. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrews.Translated by T. Muraoka. Rome: Editrce Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2006.

Pritchard, James B. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1955.

Ritner, Robert K. “Legend of Isis and the Name of Re.” In The Context of Scripture, edited by William W. Hallo, v.1 p33-34. New York: Brill, 1997.

Stuart, Douglas K. Exodus. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2006.

Tenney, Merrill C. and Steven Barabas, Eds. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible. Vols 1-5. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1975.

Waltke, Bruce K. and M. O’Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Eisenbrauns, 1990.

! L Hackman 24

WORKS REFERENCED

Dozeman, Thomas B. Commentary on Exodus. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009.

Glueck, Nelson. Hesed in the Bible. Translated by Alfred Gottschalk. Edited by Elias L. Epstein. Cincinnati, OH: The Hebrew Union College Press, 1967.

NIV Archaeological Study Bible: An Illustrated Walk Through Biblical History and Culture : New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

! L Hackman 25