Exodus 34 28

Exodus 34:28 kjv

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

Exodus 34:28 nkjv

So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:28 niv

Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant?the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:28 esv

So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 34:28 nlt

Moses remained there on the mountain with the LORD forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the LORD wrote the terms of the covenant ? the Ten Commandments ? on the stone tablets.

Exodus 34 verses

Exodus 34 28 Meaning

Exodus 34:28 describes Moses' second, prolonged supernatural encounter with God on Mount Sinai after the covenant renewal following Israel's sin with the golden calf. During this forty-day and forty-night period, Moses supernaturally sustained himself without food or water, as he was in God's presence. At the conclusion, God Himself inscribed "the words of the covenant," identified explicitly as "the Ten Commandments," upon the newly prepared stone tablets. This signifies the divine origin and eternal importance of the foundational law given to Israel.

Exodus 34 28 Context

Exodus 34:28 concludes Moses' second pivotal forty-day and forty-night period on Mount Sinai. This follows immediately after God’s mercy and decision to renew His covenant with Israel, despite their severe idolatry with the golden calf (Ex 32). Chapters 33-34 depict this period of covenant re-establishment, with God revealing His character to Moses (Ex 34:6-7) and outlining new covenant stipulations (Ex 34:10-26). Moses has re-prepared the stone tablets (Ex 34:1-4). This verse therefore highlights the re-affirmation of the divine law and covenant at the very foundation of Israel's relationship with God, post-restoration. It emphasizes the direct and unique interaction between God and Moses, affirming the sacred and unchangeable nature of the foundational commandments, central to the renewed covenant.

Exodus 34 28 Word analysis

• He was there with the LORD:
  • "He": Refers to Moses, emphasizing his unique proximity to God.
  • "there with the LORD": Signifies a profound and intimate presence with Yahweh (יהוה, YHWH), the covenant God. This is not merely being in the same place but a close, direct, and unmediated encounter.
• forty days and forty nights:
  • (ארבעים יום וארבעים לילה, arba'im yom v'arba'im layla): A recurring biblical motif symbolizing a period of testing, purification, divine revelation, or preparation (e.g., the flood, Israel in the wilderness, Jesus' temptation). Here, it indicates a complete and divinely appointed duration for this profound spiritual encounter.
• He neither ate bread nor drank water:
  • Describes supernatural sustenance, indicating that Moses' life was divinely sustained not by natural means but directly by God's presence and power. This underscores the extraordinary nature of his communion with God. It contrasts sharply with normal human endurance.
• And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments:
  • "And He wrote" (ויכתב, vayikhtov): Grammatically, the subject of this verb can be ambiguous. However, based on the immediate context of Exodus 34:1 (where God declares, "I will write...") and consistency with other passages (Ex 31:18, Ex 32:16, Deut 4:13, Deut 9:10) that consistently state God wrote the Ten Commandments, the strongest and most accepted interpretation is that God is the subject. Moses was instructed to write other "words" in 34:27, but the Decalogue is specifically a divine inscription.
  • "on the tablets": Refers to the new pair of stone tablets Moses prepared, signifying the enduring physical record of the covenant.
  • "the words of the covenant": Refers to the foundational terms and stipulations of God's covenant with Israel.
  • "the Ten Commandments": (עשרת הדברים, aseret ha'dvarim, "the ten words/utterances"). This clarifies that the "words of the covenant" inscribed here are specifically the Decalogue, the central moral and ethical core of the Mosaic Law, which establishes Israel's foundational relationship with God and one another.

Exodus 34 28 Bonus section

The forty-day period in biblical narrative often marks periods of significant spiritual transition or judgment, a divine testing or preparation that culminates in revelation or transformation. Moses' glowing face upon descending the mountain, as described in subsequent verses (Ex 34:29-35), is a direct consequence of this prolonged, intimate encounter with God's glory, visibly manifesting the transformative power of God's presence. This radiant glory, while glorious, eventually faded, contrasting with the abiding glory found in Christ under the New Covenant (2 Cor 3:7-18). The repeated act of writing the commandments underscores God's persistent desire for His people to know and obey His will. Despite Israel's initial transgression, God initiates the covenant's renewal, demonstrating His steadfast grace and commitment to His chosen people. The original polemical context of God's explicit writing of His commands contrasts with surrounding polytheistic cultures where laws were often attributed to human kings or lesser deities, thus firmly establishing Yahweh as the sole Lawgiver and Supreme Authority.

Exodus 34 28 Commentary

Exodus 34:28 is a critical verse, completing the restoration of the covenant between God and Israel after the golden calf apostasy. Moses' forty-day fast signifies his complete devotion and utter dependence on God, while his supernatural sustenance demonstrates the life-giving power inherent in God's presence. This period of intense communion purified Moses and prepared him for his prophetic role. The central theological truth is the re-inscription of the Ten Commandments by God Himself. This re-establishes God's unwavering commitment to His Law and His people, despite their failures. It underscores the divine authority and eternal relevance of the Decalogue as the bedrock of moral truth. The Law given at Sinai served as both a guide for righteous living and a mirror revealing humanity's inability to perfectly fulfill it, ultimately pointing to the need for a New Covenant written not on stone, but on the heart by the Spirit (Jer 31:33, Heb 8:10, 2 Cor 3:3). The divine authorship of the commandments emphasizes that true morality and relational purity come from God, not human decree.