Exodus 34 30

Exodus 34:30 kjv

And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.

Exodus 34:30 nkjv

So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

Exodus 34:30 niv

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

Exodus 34:30 esv

Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

Exodus 34:30 nlt

So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses' face, they were afraid to come near him.

Exodus 34 verses

Exodus 34 30 Meaning

Exodus 34:30 describes the awe-inspiring reaction of Aaron and the Israelites upon seeing Moses after his second descent from Mount Sinai. His face emanated a divine radiance, a direct physical manifestation of having been in God's overwhelming presence. This glory was so intense that it instilled a profound sense of fear and holy dread in the people, making them hesitate to approach him. The verse underscores the tangible effect of communing with the Most High God and solidifies Moses' unique role as the primary mediator between God and Israel, capable of standing in such awesome holiness.

Exodus 34 30 Context

Exodus 34:30 occurs immediately after Moses' second descent from Mount Sinai, having just received the new set of tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments by the finger of God Himself. This momentous event follows Israel's egregious sin of worshipping the golden calf while Moses was first on the mountain. The initial tablets were broken by Moses in his righteous anger (Exod 32:19), necessitating a new revelation. Moses had spent another forty days and forty nights with the LORD, neither eating nor drinking (Exod 34:28). His radiant face is a visible testimony to the direct and intimate communion he had with God, highlighting his unparalleled proximity to the divine presence among all of Israel. It emphasizes God's enduring commitment to His covenant with Israel, despite their profound failings, as demonstrated through His chosen mediator, Moses. Historically, this scene reinforces the unique nature of Yahweh as a transcendent and holy God, distinctly different from the tangible, controllable idols of surrounding pagan cultures, whose "gods" had no such glory or awe.

Exodus 34 30 Word analysis

• And: Connects the previous action (Moses descending the mountain with the tablets) to the observation by Aaron and the Israelites.

• when Aaron and all the children of Israel: Signifies the collective witness of both the religious leader (Aaron) and the entire congregation of the chosen people. This makes the observation universally acknowledged and impactful.

• saw Moses: Highlights the direct visual encounter. The phenomenon was not just a rumor but a plainly visible reality to the entire community.

• behold: An interjection calling for special attention to what follows, indicating something surprising or extraordinary is about to be revealed. It creates a sense of drama and importance.

• the skin of his face: Specific and personal, indicating that the divine glory was not just on his clothing or general appearance, but had profoundly permeated the very surface of his being exposed to God. This area, the face, is central to human identity and expression.

• shone (קָרַן, qaran): The pivotal word. Its primary meaning is "to emit rays," "to radiate," or "to beam." This Hebrew verb denotes a sending forth of light, reflecting the intensity of God's glory Moses had experienced. It has been famously (mis)translated as "had horns" (cornuta in the Latin Vulgate by Jerome), which led to a peculiar iconographic tradition in some art, but the contextual and lexical evidence strongly supports "shone" or "radiated." Its significance lies in being an undeniable, outward sign of an inner, supernatural communion with the Almighty God.

• and they were afraid (יָרְאוּ, yare'u): More than just physical fear, this verb implies a deep reverence, awe, dread, and a sense of inadequacy in the face of the holy. It's a primal, reverential fear of the sacred, common when sinful humans encounter divine purity and power. This fear underscores the immense chasm between humanity's fallen state and God's perfect holiness, especially fresh off the golden calf incident.

• to come near him: The consequence of their fear and awe. The visible glory on Moses' face made him appear dangerously holy, like the mountain itself (Exod 19:12-13), signifying an impassable boundary. This emphasized that even approaching God's mediator required trepidation, reinforcing the need for separation and atonement.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses": This phrase emphasizes that the manifestation of divine glory was a collective, public witness for the entire Israelite community. It wasn't a private vision but an undeniable phenomenon, crucial for establishing Moses' authority and God's awe-inspiring power to the entire nation.
  • "the skin of his face shone": This detail highlights the direct, personal nature of Moses' encounter with God. The radiance was an absorbed glory, not something conferred on him to achieve a specific purpose, but an afterglow of being directly in the Lord's immediate presence. It visually attested to the truth of Moses' claims about his communion with God.
  • "they were afraid to come near him": This illustrates the profound and often terrifying nature of God's holiness as manifested in His mediator. Even after the tabernacle's construction, access to God remained restricted and awe-inspiring. This fear, after their recent rebellion with the golden calf, served as a potent reminder of their unholiness and the necessity of boundaries between God's perfect glory and their sinful state, underscoring the vital mediatorial role of Moses.

Exodus 34 30 Bonus section

The peculiar translation of "shone" as "horned" (Latin Vulgate: cornuta) in some early biblical texts had a lasting impact on Christian art, leading to iconic depictions of Moses with small horns, most famously in Michelangelo's statue. This historical misinterpretation underscores the importance of understanding original language nuances. Additionally, it is notable that Moses himself was unaware that his face was shining (Exod 34:29). This detail emphasizes that the glory was not something he sought or consciously put on, but a spontaneous, undeniable divine consequence of his time with God. This divine impartation highlights his humility and total absorption in the divine encounter, indicating the profound and overwhelming nature of the experience itself. The temporary, fading nature of Moses' glory, contrasted with the permanent indwelling Spirit's glory in believers, is a profound theological insight of the New Testament (2 Cor 3), showing the old covenant's external and conditional nature versus the new covenant's internal and transformative power.

Exodus 34 30 Commentary

Exodus 34:30 powerfully reveals the transformative effect of encountering God's direct presence. Moses' radiating face was not a magic trick but a divine imprint, an absorbed afterglow of intimate communion with Yahweh on Mount Sinai. This external glory confirmed his unique position as God's chosen messenger and mediator for Israel, especially after the devastating sin of the golden calf. The people's fear was a natural response to such unmediated holiness; their unholiness, recently exposed by the golden calf idolatry, made them unable to bear even the reflection of God's glory. This incident served as a potent, physical reminder of God's transcendent power, awe-inspiring majesty, and absolute holiness, demanding reverence and careful approach. The fading nature of this glory, later mentioned in 2 Cor 3, highlights its temporary purpose under the old covenant compared to the abiding, internal glory accessible through the new covenant in Christ, where believers are transformed from glory to glory by the Spirit.