Exodus 34:12-15 sits inside this longer paragraph.
10He said, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of Yahweh; for it is an awesome thing that I do with you. 11Observe that which I command you today. Behold, I will drive out before you the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 12Be careful, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be for a snare among you; 13but you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their Asherah poles; 14for you shall worship no other god; for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
15“Don’t make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, lest they play the prostitute after their gods, and sacrifice to their gods, and one call you and you eat of his sacrifice; 16and you take of their daughters to your sons, and their daughters play the prostitute after their gods, and make your sons play the prostitute after their gods.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv12–13 If thou follow their wickedness, and pollute thyself with…
If thou follow their wickedness, and pollute thyself with their idolatry.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv12–15 Exo 34:12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make…
Exo 34:12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
Ver. 12. With the inhabitants.] They were devoted to destruction, as having filled the land from one end to another with their uncleanness. {Ezr 9:11}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv13–15 Which at first were used by good men for…
Which at first were used by good men for their devotion, as Gen 21:33; but afterwards being horribly abused to superstition and idolatry, were by God, s command to be destroyed.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv12–15 Take heed to thyself,.... This is said not to…
Take heed to thyself,.... This is said not to Moses, but to the people of Israel, as a caution to them when they should enter the land of Canaan, and possess it:
lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest: enter into a league and alliance, to live friendly and amicably, and support and assist each other against the common enemy; whereas they were to smite the seven nations and destroy them, and show them no mercy, Deu 7:1.
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lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee; be the means of drawing them into the same sinful practices with themselves, especially into idolatrous ones, and so of bringing ruin and destruction on them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v12 Take heed to thyself - It is a sin…
Take heed to thyself - It is a sin thou art prone to, and that will easily beset thee; carefully abstain from all advances towards it, make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land - If God in kindness to them drove out the Canaanites, they ought in duty to God not to harbour them: If they espoused their children they would be in danger of espousing their gods. That they might not be tempted to make molten gods, they must utterly destroy those they found, and all that belonged to them, the altars and groves, lest, if they were left standing, they should be brought in process of time either to use them, or to take pattern by them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On v13 Verse 13. Ye shall destroy their images] See the…
Verse 13. Ye shall destroy their images] See the subjects of this and all the following verses, to Ex 34:28, treated at large in the notes on "Ex 23:24".
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v12 Exo 34:12. Take heed to thyself — It is…
Exo 34:12. Take heed to thyself — It is a sin thou art prone to, and that will easily beset thee; carefully abstain from all advances toward it; make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land — If God, in kindness to them, drove out the Canaanites, they ought, in duty to God, not to harbour them: If they espoused their children, they would be in danger of espousing their gods. That they might not be tempted to make molten gods, they must utterly destroy those they found, and all that belonged to them, the altars and groves, lest, if they were left standing, they should be brought in process of time either to use them, or to take pattern by them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v12 The precepts contained in these verses are, for the…
The precepts contained in these verses are, for the most part, identical in substance with some of those which follow the Ten Commandments and are recorded in “the Book of the covenant” (Exo. 20–23; see Exo 24:7).
Exo 34:13
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Cut down their groves - This is the first reference to what is commonly known as grove-worship. The original word for “grove” in this connection אשׁרה 'ăshêrāh is different from that so rendered in Gen 21:33. Our translators supposed that what the law commands is the destruction of groves dedicated to the worship of false deities Jdg 6:25; 2Ki 18:4; but inasmuch as the worship of asherah is found associated with that of Astarte, or Ashtoreth Jdg 2:13; Jdg 10:6; 1Sa 7:4, it seems probable that while Astarte was the personal name of the goddess, the asherah was a symbol of her, probably in some one of her characters, made in wood in some conventional form.
Exo 34:15-16
An expansion of Exo 34:12. The unfaithfulness of the nation to its covenant with Yahweh is here for the first time spoken of as a breach of the marriage bond. The metaphor is, in any case, a natural one, but it seems to gain point, if we suppose it to convey an allusion to the abominations connected with pagan worship, such as are spoken of in Num 25:1-3.
Exo 34:21
See Exo 20:9; Exo 23:12. There is here added to the commandment a particular caution respecting those times of year when the land calls for most labor. The old verb “to ear” (i. e. to plow) is genuine English.
Exo 34:24
Neither shall any man desire etc. - Intended to encourage such as might fear the consequences of obeying the divine law in attending to their religious duties. Compare Pro 16:7.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv13–15 Statues. Septuagint have, "pillars," and subjoin after groves, (unless…
Statues. Septuagint have, "pillars," and subjoin after groves, (unless it be another translation, as Grabe insinuates) "you shall burn with fire the graven things of their gods."
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv12–13 12-26. Take heed to thyself — Here follows a…
12-26. Take heed to thyself — Here follows a brief resume of the laws previously ordained, and written in the Book of the Covenant, 21-23. They may be resolved into ten precepts, as follows:
1. Thou shalt make no covenant with the heathen. Exo_34:12.
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2. Thou shalt destroy their altars and images. Exo_34:18.
3. Thou shalt worship no other god save Jehovah. Exo_34:14.
4. Thou shalt make no molten gods. Exo_34:17.
5. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread. Exo_34:18.
6. Thou shalt redeem all the firstborn. Exo_34:19-20.
7. Thou shalt keep the sabbath day. Exo_34:21.
8. Thou shalt observe the three annual feasts. Exo_34:22-23.
9. Thou shalt not offer sacrifice with leaven. Exo_34:25.
10. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk. Exo_34:26.
We should lay no stress upon this division into ten commandments; for it is possible, by making separate precepts of the firstfruits, (Exo_34:26,) and the not appearing empty (Exo_34:20,) to make more than ten; or by combining several very kindred laws to reduce the number to seven or eight. In no case should this recapitulation of laws be identified with the ten commandments mentioned in Exo_34:28, for these were identical with those in the first tables. Exo_34:1.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv12–15 12. Take heed to thyself] Also a phrase common…
12. Take heed to thyself] Also a phrase common in Dt. (Deu_4:9; Deu_4:23, Deu_6:12 Heb., Deu_8:11 Heb., Deu_11:16 al.).
lest thou make, &c.] Cf. Exo_23:32.
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a snare] i.e. an allurement to ruin: cf. Exo_23:33 b with the note.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv12–15 (12) A snare.—Comp. Exo_23:33; and for the nature of…
(12) A snare.—Comp. Exo_23:33; and for the nature of the snare, see Exo_34:15-16 of the present chapter.
(12-16) This passage may be compared with Exo_23:24-25; Exo_23:32-33. It repeats, with some enlargements, the enactments there made, and traces in detail the evil consequences which would follow from a neglect of the enactments.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv12–15 Take heed to thyself lest thou make a covenant.…
Take heed to thyself lest thou make a covenant. See above, Exo_23:32. A snare. See Exo_23:33.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12, 15 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking to Moses. Here he tells him what Moses and the people must do.
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they will become a trap among you
People who tempt others to sin are spoken of as if they were a trap. AT: "they will tempt you to sin" (See: Metaphor)
Yahweh, whose name is Jealous
The word "Jealous" here means that God is concerned to keep his honor. If his people worship other gods, he loses honor, because when his people do not honor him, other people also will not honor him. AT: "I, Yahweh, always guard my honor" (See: Metonymy)
whose name is Jealous,
The word "name" here represents God's character. AT: "I, Yahweh, who am always jealous" or "I, Yahweh, am always jealous" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
covenant
altar
column
Asherah
worship
false god
Yahweh
name
jealous
God
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12–13 34:12-17 Worship of idols was prohibited, particularly the idols…
34:12-17 Worship of idols was prohibited, particularly the idols of the peoples into whose lands the Israelites were going. Central to this restriction was the prohibition of treaties, or covenants, with these idol-worshiping peoples. Not only would the making of a treaty involve recognizing those peoples’ gods (because ancient treaties would call upon the gods as witnesses; see study note on 20:1–23:33), but the very existence of the treaties would predispose the Israelites to accept the ways of their treaty partners (34:12, 15-16).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.