Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 34:17
Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
17. Molten gods thou shalt not make thee ] Cf. Lev 19:4 (H) ‘And molten gods ye shall not make you ’; also, for the general thought, Exo 20:23.
Vv. 18 26 agree, for the most part verbally, with Exo 13:13-14; Exo 23:12; Exo 23:15-19. The agreements and differences will be seen most clearly, if the two recensions are printed in parallel columns, with the differences in 34 marked either by italics or, where anything is omitted, by a space in the text.
Exo 23:10-11. (The fallow year.) Exo 23:12. Six days shalt thou do thy work: but on the seventh day thou shalt desist: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy bondmaid, and the sojourner, may be refreshed. Exo 34:21. Six days shalt thou labour; but on the seventh day thou shalt desist: in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt desist. Exo 23:13. And in all things that I have said unto you take ye heed: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard upon thy mouth. Cf. Exo 34:14 a. For thou shalt not worship any other god. Exo 23:14. Three times ( r e glim) thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Exo 23:15 a. The feast of unleavened cakes shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened cakes, according as I commanded thee, at the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt; Exo 34:18. The feast of unleavened cakes shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened cakes [Exo 13:6 a], as I commanded thee, at the appointed time in the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib thou camest out from Egypt. Exo 23:12. And thou shalt cause to pass over all that first openeth the womb unto Yahweh: and all that first openeth [the womb], the casting of beasts that thou shalt have, the males (shall be) Yahweh’s: Exo 34:19. All that first openeth the womb is mine: and all thy cattle that is male, that which first openeth [ the womb ] of ox and sheep: Exo 23:13. and all that which first openeth [the womb] of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb [ or kid]; and if thou dost not redeem it, thou shalt break its neck: and all the first-born of men among thy sons thou shalt redeem. Exo 34:20. and that which first openeth [the womb] of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb [ or kid]; and if thou dost not redeem it, thou shalt break its neck: all the first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. [Cf. Exo 22:29 b The first-born of thy sons thou shalt give unto me.] Exo 23:15 b and none shall appear before me empty. And none shall appear before me empty. Exo 23:16 and the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours which thou sowest in the field; and the feast of ingathering at the going out of the year, when thou gatherest in thy labours out of the field. Exo 34:22. And the feast of weeks thou shalt hold thee, the firstfruits of wheat harvest; and the feast of ingathering at the close of the year. Exo 23:17. Three times ( p e ‘mim) in the year shall all thy males appear before ( ) the Lord Yahweh. Exo 34:23. Three times ( pe‘mim) in the year shall all thy males appear before ( ) the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. 24. For I will dispossess nations before thee, and enlarge thy border; and no man shall desire thy land, when thou goest up to appear before ( ) Yahweh thy God, three times in the year. Exo 23:18. Thou shalt not sacrifice with leavened bread the blood of my sacrifice; neither shall there remain all night the fat of my feast until morning. Exo 34:25. Thou shalt not slaughter with leavened bread the blood of my sacrifice: neither shall there remain all night unto the morning the sacrifice of the feast of the passover. Exo 23:19. The first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of Yahweh thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. Exo 34:26. The first of the firstfruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of Yahweh thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. These are evidently two recensions of one and the same collection of laws. Neither can well be throughout in its original order, and later additions have almost certainly been introduced into both, Exo 34:21 is obviously, where it stands, out of place, and is in a much better position in Exo 23:12, Exo 23:12 b and Exo 34:21 b look like explanatory additions made to the same original law by two different compilers (comp. Exo 20:11 with Deu 5:14 last clause, 15). Exo 23:13 (see note ad loc.) reads like the conclusion of some collection of laws, no longer in its original place. Exo 23:14; Exo 23:17 would hardly both stand in a document written by a single hand: probably Exo 23:17 has been introduced from Exo 34:23. In Exo 23:15 the words from Seven days to appear before me empty leave v. 16 without a verb to govern it (in the ||, Exo 34:22, there is a fresh verb); and have probably been introduced here from Exo 34:18, Exo 34:19-20 (to redeem) seems to interrupt the connexion where it stands, and to be interpolated between Exo 23:15 a and 15b: on the other hand, the first clause of Exo 34:19 seems in form more original than the first clause of Exo 13:12, Exo 34:24 is pretty clearly a reflection of the compiler. The two recensions are derived evidently from a common original; but we cannot in all cases say how the differences between them arose. For notes upon the passage as a whole, the reader is referred to chs. 13 and 23: it will be sufficient here to comment on the more important expressions peculiar to ch. 34.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Nor graven, nor any other, as it plainly appears both from the nature of the things, and from many parallel scriptures; but he mentions molten, because their late idol was of that kind.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. Made of a melted liquid, whether gold, or silver, or brass, poured into a mould; and though graven images are not mentioned, they are included, a part being put for the whole, as appears not only from the injunction to break images in general, whether graven or molten, Ex 34:13 but from the second command, which expressly forbids the making and worshipping of them; but “molten” ones are particularly mentioned, because it is probable they were chiefly such the Canaanites worshipped, and especially, because the calf the Israelites had lately made and worshipped was a molten one.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The true way to worship Jehovah is then pointed out, first of all negatively, in the prohibition against making molten images, with an allusion to the worship of the golden calf, as evinced by the use of the expression , which only occurs again in Lev 19:4, instead of the phrase “gods of silver and gold” (Exo 20:23); and then positively, by a command to observe the feast of Mazzoth and the consecration of the first-born connected with the Passover (see at Exo 13:2, Exo 13:11, and Exo 13:12), also the Sabbath (Exo 34:21), the feasts of Weeks and Ingathering, the appearance of the male members of the nation three times a year before the Lord (Exo 34:22, see at Exo 23:14-17), together with all the other instructions connected with them (Exo 34:25, Exo 34:26). Before the last, however, the promise is introduced, that after the expulsion of the Canaanites, Jehovah would enlarge the borders of Israel (cf. Exo 23:31), and make their land so secure, that when they went up to the Lord three times in the year, no one should desire their land, sc., because of the universal dread of the might of their God (Exo 23:27).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Exo 34:17
. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods. When he calls graven things, statues, and pictures, by the name of gods, he shews the object and sum of the Second Commandment, viz., that God is insulted when He is clothed in a corporeal image. Moreover, the name of God is transferred to idols, according to common parlance, and the corrupt opinion of the Gentiles; not that unbelievers thought that the Deity was included in the corruptible material, but because they imagined that it was nearer to them, if some earthly symbol of its presence were standing before their eyes. In this sense, they called the images of the gods their gods; because they thought they could not ascend to the heights in which the Deity dwelt, unless they mounted by these earthly aids. There is no doubt but that he comprehends by synecdoche, all kinds of images, when he forbids the making of molten gods; because metal is no more abominated by God than wood, or stone, or any other material, out of which idols are usually made; but, inasmuch as the insane zeal of superstition is the more inflamed by the value of the material or the beauty of the workmanship, Moses especially condemned molten gods. All question on this point is removed by the fourth passage here cited, wherein the Israelites are forbidden to make gods of silver or gold, viz., because idolaters indulge themselves more fully in their worship of very precious idols, by the external splendor of which all their senses are ravished. To the same effect is the third passage, in which mention is not, only made of graven images, but there is also added the name of a statue (89) or figured stone; for, although some expound these words as referring to a pavement, yet I have no doubt but that all monuments are included in them, wherein foolish men think that they have God in some measure visible, and therefore that they express all sculptures and pictures by which the spiritual worship of God is corrupted. For the object of Moses is to restrain the rashness of men, lest they should travesty God’s glory by their imaginations; for another clause is immediately added, “I am the Lord your God, ” in which God reminds them that He is despoiled of His due honor, whenever men devise anything earthly or carnal respecting Him. The word מצבה, (90) matsebah, is sometimes used in a good sense; whence it follows, that no other statues are here condemned, except those which are erected as representations of God. The same also is the case as to the polished stone, (91) viz., when it receives a consecration, which may attract men’s minds to regard it in a religious light, so as to worship God in the stone. But both in the second and third passages, Moses teaches men that as soon as they imagine anything gross or terrestrial in the deity, they altogether depart from the true God. And this is also expressed in the word אלילים, elilim, which embraces in it statues, stones, and graven images, as well as molten gods. Some think that this word is compounded of אל , al (92) the negative particle, and אל, el, God. Others translate it “a thing of nought;” the Greeks and Latins have rendered it “ idols.” It is plain, that the false representations, which travesty God, are so called to mark them with disgrace and ignominy. But, since the superstitious cease not to gloss over their errors with cavils, God is not content with this opprobrious name, but adds others also, respecting which their pretext was more specious; that we may know that whatsoever withdraws us from His spiritual service, or whatsoever men introduce alien from His nature, is repudiated by Him. In the fourth passage, the antithesis must be noted, which will presently be explained more fully, viz., when God forbids them to make gods of corruptible materials, since He has “spoken from heaven;” in which words He signifies that all are doing wrong, who, when they ought to look up to heaven, tie down their own minds as well as Him to earthly elements.
(89) A.V. “a standing image.” Margin, “pillar:” or “image of stone.” Margin, “ figured stone, Heb. a stone of picture.”
(90) The same word occurs in Gen 28:18, where the AV. has pillar, and where the narrative shews that no idolatry was meant. — W.
(91) משכית C polished. S.M., figured. AV, image of stone, and in. the margin, figured, stone. V, insignem . S.M quotes Rabbinical interpreters, who explain the root שכה as meaning to imagine; and the noun as somewhat painted, or fashioned after an imagination. The root does not occur in Hebrew, but is preserved in Arabic, where it means to form an obscure resemblance. Hence in Simon’s Lexicon, the words אבן משכית, are interpreted as meaning such a stone as an Egyptian obelisk, with its hieroglyphics. — W.
(92) So S.M. says “Some think this word compounded of אל, not, and אל, God, as much as to say, those who are not gods; but others interpret it to mean an empty thing, and that which profiteth not.” Lexicographers observe that the same word occurs in Syriac, in which language it means weak either in body or mind, and is therefore a fit epithet for designating idols. — W
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.It is just possible that the Israelites when they worshipped the golden calf may have conceived that they were not breaking the second commandment, which forbade the adoration of any graven image. An express law was therefore made against molten images.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
A Covenant Codicil Containing Ten Ritual Requirements Which Will Confirm Their Faithfulness to Their Overlord As Selected from Chapters 20-23 ( Exo 34:17-26 ).
In counteracting the temptation to idolatry Yahweh now pronounces what are seemingly ten reminders of what His ritual requirements concerning Himself in the Book of the Covenant (Exo 20:1 to Exo 23:33) were. The thought is that temptation is best fought by positive action rather than simply by rejection of the sin. The one who is busy about the Lord’s work will not have the time to be busy with sin.
Ten was a regular number used for lists, although the number word is not mentioned. Compare the ten Patriarchs in Genesis 5 and in Genesis 11 (paralleled elsewhere in lists). The ten plagues in Egypt. The ten ‘words’ in Exodus 20. It will be noted that apart from the first, the eighth and the tenth statements they are all ritual requirements, and that the first and last form an inclusio referring to idolatry.
But it must be admitted that the numbering of the instructions as ten may simply be due to the commentator, for the eighth may in fact be a continuation of the seventh (it is negative), which then means that we have only nine in the list, whilst the same may be true of the third which may be a continuation of the second (note that it is not a positive command). Exo 34:13 may also need to be included among the commands. Thus it may well be argued that we do not have ten.
a 1). “You shall make yourself no molten gods.”
b 2). “You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib. For in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.”
c 3). “All that opens the womb is mine, and all your cattle which are male, the firstlings of ox and sheep. And the firstling of an ass you will redeem with a lamb, and if you will not redeem it then you shall break its neck.
d 4). “All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem, and none shall appear before me empty.”
e 5). “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In ploughing time and in harvest you shall rest.”
e 6). “And you shall observe the feast of sevens, even of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year end.”
d 7). “Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders. Nor will any man desire your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in the year.”
c 8). “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with unleavened bread, nor shall the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover be left to the morning.”
b 9). “The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of Yahweh your God.
a 10). You shall not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk.”
Note the parallels. In ‘a’ the making of molten images is forbidden, and in the parallel pagan practises with regard to idolatry are forbidden. In ‘b’ the command is to keep the feast of unleavened bread and in the parallel the bringing of the first of the firstfruits to Yahweh is commanded. It was on the first day of unleavened bread that a sheaf of the firstfruits was presented before Yahweh (Lev 23:10-11), ‘the first of the firstfruits’, a symbol of all the firsfruits offered to Him. In ‘c’ all beasts that opened the womb were to be offered to Yahweh as an offering, (without having been tainted by work), and in the parallel the blood of sacrifices was not to be offered with unleavened bread, nor was the feast of the Passover to be left until the morning. The holiness of all must be preserved. The offering of firstlings was closely connected with Passover (Exo 13:1), as was unleavened bread. We note also that these are the only two instructions which are not positive commands. In ‘d’ the firstborn of sons had to be redeemed, and no one was to appear before Yahweh empty. In the parallel all males were to appear before Yahweh three times a year. In ‘e’ they must work for six days and rest in the seventh day in both ploughing time and harvest, and in the parallel they must observe the feast of sevens, even of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year end, the former a rest day and the latter including rest days, both connected with harvest.
It should be noted that these ritual requirements closely parallel those in Exodus 20-23. The first one parallels Exo 20:4. The second closely resembles Exo 23:15. And the chiasmus there which includes it, and of which extracts are included below, confirms that Exodus 23 is primary.
Exo 34:17
“You shall make yourself no molten gods.”
This stands as a direct command by itself and briefly parallels Exo 20:4. Compare also Lev 19:4. It may, however, also be looked at as a tailpiece to the previous verses and has very much in mind the molten calf and the similar images they will find among the Canaanites. They are not to ape their previous sad behaviour with the molten calf (Exo 32:8) when they arrive in the land, by making Baal-like images.
Having hopefully saved them from Canaanite religion Yahweh now outlines rather the positive things they should do, and there now follow a number of provisions whereby they will reveal themselves as true to Yahweh, and truly His people. Compare for these Exo 23:14-19. These involve keeping the feast of unleavened bread; offering to Yahweh all that opens the womb, i.e. the firstborn; keeping the Sabbath day; observing the feast of weeks; the threefold appearance before Yahweh in order to maintain tribal unity; not to offer leavened bread with their sacrifices; not to leave anything of the feast of Passover until the morning; the requirement that they bring the firstfruits of their harvests to the house of Yahweh their God; and the command to avoid the magical practise of seething a kid in its mother’s milk. Most of these have been dealt with previously and simply sum up the things that reveal a good Israelite. Some are almost exact repetitions of what is in the Book of the Covenant (Exo 23:14-19). Yahweh is therefore indicating that He now looks on them as good Israelites again.
Exo 34:18
“You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib. For in the month Abib you came out from Egypt.”
Compare for this Exo 12:15-20; Exo 23:15. Here also it is linked with the deliverance from Egypt. The unleavened bread would remind them of the haste with which they left Egypt because Yahweh was delivering them. It may well have been a regular feast before that, but in Egypt its significance had been changed. (The observing of the Passover is spoken of later, Exo 34:25).
Exo 34:19-20 a
“All that opens the womb is mine, and all your cattle which are male, the firstlings of ox and sheep. And the firstling of an ass you will redeem with a lamb, and if you will not redeem it then you shall break its neck.”
Compare here Exo 13:2; Exo 13:12-13 from which this command is constructed (although it is not strictly a command. It may well be that this is simply to be appended to 2). ), especially as in Exo 23:15 the final phrase is linked with the feast of unleavened bread above. Thus all firstborns must be either offered to Yahweh sacrificially, ransomed, or have their necks broken if unclean. Usually an ass would be worth more than a lamb, and would thus be redeemed, but there would be cases where the ass was deformed or otherwise not valuable, then the alternative would be to break its neck. It could not be sacrificed because it was ‘unclean’. See for the whole Exo 13:2; Exo 13:12-13; Exo 22:29-30.
Exo 34:20 b
“All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem, and none shall appear before me empty.”
The male firstborn of humans must be redeemed. This was a specific requirement. There must be no child sacrifice among the Israelites. They required redeeming because Yahweh had spared them in the night of judgment at the Passover. They therefore especially belonged to Him.
“ None shall appear before me empty.” This distinctive phrase is all embracing. See Exo 23:15 where it comes after describing the feast of unleavened bread and Deu 16:16 where it follows mention of the three feasts. It is either a promise that such will be the fruitfulness of the land that ‘emptiness’ will be unknown, or an injunction to ensure that they bring their gifts to Yahweh. Here then it is either again a promise of many lambs and kids or a reminder that they must not come with empty hands. Their loyalty to Yahweh must be constantly demonstrated in gratitude for provision made.
Exo 34:21
“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In ploughing time and in harvest you shall rest.”
The newly founded Sabbath must be observed, even when it was ploughing time or harvest. Nothing must prevent the Sabbath rest which is for all. Even the most urgent of tasks must not interfere with it, the exception being in order to deal with their beasts daily needs. See Exo 20:8-11; Exo 23:12; Exo 35:2-3. It was a specific sign that they were Yahweh’s (Exo 31:13).
Exo 34:22
“And you shall observe the feast of sevens, even of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year end.”
These two feasts are mentioned together, in order to prepare, along with the feast of unleavened bread, for the next verse. See also Exo 23:16 where both feasts are spoken of together. Both are harvest festivals, one for wheat and the other for vintage. As a competent leader Moses would have made himself aware of what weather conditions were like in Canaan, and what harvests there were, and God obviously knew.
“ The year end.” That is, looking from the point of view of the farmer who would see the final harvest as the end of his agricultural year as the ‘year end’ agriculturally, after which all must begin again with the coming rains. Or it may signify that the yearly round of three feasts is over. Or indeed both. Israel had been told that they must officially observe the festal year commencing with Abib (Nisan), the time of the Passover (Exo 12:2). But all farmers would also see their agricultural year as naturally ending at the vintage harvest. There were no calendars on the walls or methods of enforcing calendars in those days. Agriculturally vintage was the ‘year end’. That later this was so is evidenced by what was possibly a schoolboys’ tablet of about 10th century BC discovered at Gezer which outlines an agricultural calendar.
Exo 34:23-24
“Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord Yahweh, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders. Nor will any man desire your land when you go up to appear before Yahweh your God three times in the year.”
Compare Exo 23:17. The three feasts were to be times when all Israelite adult males came together to renew covenant, to worship together, and to hear the reading of parts of the Law. This was what would keep them united and keep Yahweh’s requirements before them. And there major intertribal decisions would then be reached. It would be necessary because once they were in the land they would be spread wide. God would enlarge their borders.
The assurance was also given that when they were engaged in these festivals Yahweh would ensure that no one from outside would look with ‘desire’ on their land and invade it (compare Pro 16:7). This promise is made uniquely here.
Exo 34:25
“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with unleavened bread, nor shall the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover be left to the morning.”
This is the only negative command in the list, and it may therefore be that it should be seen as a continuation of Exo 34:23-24. For this instruction compare Exo 23:18. ‘My sacrifice’ here is presumably referring to the Passover sacrifice, as the second clause suggests. The point behind it is that the Passover sacrifice must be offered without anything being added, and that therefore excludes offering with it a cereal offering of unleavened bread (compare Lev 2:4-10), or the unleavened bread which was a part of the seven day feast which followed Passover. It must be offered on its own. It stood uniquely as a reminder of the deliverance of the firstborn (compare Exo 34:19, the connection is made in the chiasmus). All leavened bread will have been removed from their houses prior to that feast so that it is not saying that it can be offered with leavened bread. The offering of leavened bread was forbidden altogether (Lev 2:11-12) apart from with peace offerings (Lev 7:13). It suggests that He saw the Passover sacrifices as a special and unique bond between Him and His people, not to be intermingled with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was the prime reminder of the great deliverance on which His covenant was based. Both the blood of that sacrifice and the remnants after feasting were especially holy to Yahweh. But there is also here a parallel with verse 19 (see analysis), which also refers to offerings, and originated at the time of the Passover.
Exo 34:26 a
“The first of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of Yahweh your God.”
Compare Exo 23:19 a. The first of the firstfruits probably refers to the sheaf of the firstfruits brought to Yahweh on the first day of unleavened bread. But it may mean, and certainly symbolises, the choicest of the firstfruits or literally what ripens first. The point was that Yahweh would receive His portion before His people received theirs as an acknowledgement that what they received came from Him and belonged to Him. The firstfruits that grew were to be dedicated to Yahweh and would, in fact, be available to the priests. These were to be tokens of their gratitude for His provision. ‘The house of your God’ refers to the Dwellingplace. Wherever God revealed Himself could be called ‘the house of God’ (Gen 28:17), for it meant a dwelling-place, where God had revealed Himself. Here it therefore meant the place where God was approached, the Tent of Meeting and later the Dwellingplace (Tabernacle).
Exo 34:26 b
“You shall not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk.”
Compare Exo 23:19 b. Elsewhere among the nations kids were quite possibly boiled in their mother’s milk so that the resulting magical mixture could be sprinkled on the fields hoping to produce fertility. This has been claimed as witnessed to, for example, in The Birth of the Gods, a Ugaritic text, but it is probable that the text was misunderstood. It was a practise forbidden to Israel. The fact that it is paralleled here (see analysis) with not making a molten image, and is included in this list of ritual requirements would seem to confirm its idolatrous connections.
So all these provisions are extracted from earlier enactments and repeated so as to re-establish the covenant.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Exo 34:17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
Ver. 17. No molten gods. ] As the golden calf was. Goodly gods that are molten! Olim truncus eram. a
a Horat.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 32:8, Lev 19:4, Isa 46:6, Isa 46:7, Jer 10:14, Act 17:29, Act 19:26
Reciprocal: Exo 20:4 – General Lev 26:1 – Ye shall Deu 27:15 – maketh 2Ch 28:2 – molten images
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
34:17 Thou shalt make thee no {e} molten gods.
(e) As gold, silver, brass, or anything that is molten: in this is condemned all types idols, no matter what they are made of.