Commentary on Genesis and Exodus, Chapter 34 · Questions · Question 1 – Question 7
QUEST. I. Wherefore the second tables were given.
Vers. 1. HEw thee two tables of stone. 1. The Lord commandeth two tables of stone to bee prepared, that it might bee a signe of his perfect reconciliation with the people, in these respects: 1. Because by this appeared, that the Lord purposed not to destroy them, for then he would not have given them a law: and this was a signe, that God would goe before them, and be their guide still, because he was their spirituall guide in giving them direction by his law, Tostat. qu. 1. 2. And seeing the Arke was appointed to receive and keepe the tables of stone, it shewed that the Lord purposed, that whatsoever he had before prescribed, concerning the making of the Tabernacle should stand, Cajetan. 3. And that he willeth the like tables in all respects to be made, he thereby signifieth, that he would have all things to returne to their former state, Simler.
2. But though God returned in grace unto them, yet in that he prepareth not these tables, as he did the first, but willeth Moses to provide them: he would have, aliquod p…na vestigium rostare, therein some marks of their punishment to remaine: Ac si sanato vulnere maner…t …catrix; as though the scar remained after the healing of the wound, Calvin.
3. But the people are not sprinkled againe with bloud, as they were at the first, as neither now, they which fall after Baptisme, are baptised againe, but it sufficed onelyonly those things to be restored by repentance, which were decayed by their transgression, Ferus.
QUEST. II. Why the Lord saith to Moses, Hew thee.
HEw thee. 1. R. Salomon doth gather hereupon, because Moses is bid to hew unto himselfe, &c. that the Lord shewed a quarrie of Saphir stone, whereout Moses hewed the tables, and so he is willed to hew unto himselfe two tables of stone, that is, to his commoditie: for Moses, he saith, became very rich by the fragments that were left in hewing of the tables. But seeing no such thing is mentioned in Scripture, nor yet by Iosephus, who was more ancient than R. Salomon, it is rather to be thought to be one of his fables, Lyran. and beside, they lay an unjust and untrue imputation upon Moses, as though he intended, and respected his owne profit, whereas all his courses shew the contrarie, that hee sought still the good of the people, and not his owne.
2. Cajetan also hath the like note, Dola tibi, non mihi, ego enim non indigeo tua dolatione; Hew to thy selfe, not for me, for I need none of thy hewing, nor yet any of these tables.
3. But it is rather a phrase of speech in the Hebrew tongue: as, Vado tibi, ibo mihi; Goe thee, or, I will goe me: wherein the English phrase is answerable unto the Hebrew manner of speech. And this kinde of speech is often used, when no profit is intended, as Numb. 13.3. the Lord saith to Moses, shelach …, Mitte tibi; Send thee men, to search the land: which was not to Moses benefit, Oleast. So here, lecut… thee, is added, ex superabundanti, of abundance, more than needeth, Tostat. qu. 2. 4. Lyranus noteth further, that because Moses had broken the first tables, it was just and right that he should make new.
QUEST. III. Whether the Lord or Moses wrote in these tables, and why.
I Will write. 1. God himselfe did write the same words in these tables, the ten Commandements, which was in the former, though Moses prepared them: and whereas it is said afterward, vers. 28. He wrote in the tables, it must be referred unto God, not unto Moses: some make this answer, that God did write them, because it was done by his authoritie, but Moses ministerialiter; Moses ministerially. But that is not like: for whence should Moses have these instruments, wherewith he should grave these letters, seeing he carried none into the mount? Lyranus. But to this reason Tostatus, who doth often without cause oppose himselfe to Lyranus, taketh this exception: that as Moses had instruments wherewith to hew out of the rocke the tables, so he might have other to grave with. Contra. But Moses hewed out the tables after he was gone downe from the Lord, before he came up againe, and brought them readie hewen and made: Moses then had no reason to carry any instruments with him.
2. The writing mentioned, vers. 27. where the Lord saith to Moses, Write thou these words, is understood of Moses writing, not the ten Commandements, but the other lawes given in this place, in an authenticall booke, not in the tables of stone, Tostat. Iunius: as further is declared in the questions upon the 31. chap. vers. 18.
3. In that Moses himselfe hewed these tables, Procopius would have Christ the true Lawgiver shadowed forth; Qui ipse carnis suae lapicida; Who was the preparer and hewer out as it were of his owne flesh. But more properly herein Moses resembled Christ, that as the first tables being broken, the second were prepared by Moses: so the law of nature being decaied in man, it is repaired in us by Christ, and the image of God renued in us, Simler, Ferus.
4. R. Cahadiagon sheweth divers frivolous reasons, why these second tables, fuerunt digniores primis, were more worthie than the first: but he is convinced by this; that the first were both of Gods making and writing: but the latter were onelyonly written by the Lord, and prepared by Moses.
QUEST. IV. Whether Moses was to be readie the next morning, and why.
Vers. 2. BE readie in the morning, &c. 1. Cajetan thinketh, that this was not the next morning, because the tables could not be hewed and finished in one day: but he thinketh onelyonly the time of the day to be noted, that he should come up in the morning. But beside that the phrase, Be readie in the morning, or on the morrow, alwayes includeth a signification of the next morning following: Moses should have beene left in great doubt and suspense when to come up, if the Lord had not assigned the time: as for the finishing of the worke, there is no question, but that Moses being thereunto appointed, and so enabled of God, might dispatch it in a day.
2. Therefore Iunius opinion is rather to be received, who giveth this sense, as though the Lord should thus say to Moses; Hodie illas expedi, Make them readie to day, that you may come up in the morning: so also Tostatus who thinketh, that when the Lord had thus said to Moses, he descended and made readie the tables against the next day.
3. By this then it is evident, that when the Lord had all that communication with Moses, as is set downe chap. 33. that Moses was not gone up to the Lord to the mount the second solemne time, as thinketh Tostatus, where he continued fortie dayes more, for all that while he came not downe. See before chap. 33. qu. 55.
4. The morning is prescribed, as Lyranus thinketh, Quia talis hora est convenientier, &c. because that houre is more convenient to talke with God: as also, Quia Deus amat hilarem & obedientem servum; The Lord loveth cheerfull obedience, Ferus: and he is bid to come up betimes, as Tostatus thinketh, that the people should not see what he carried, quest. 4. But seeing that Moses spent most of the day in hewing the tables, it is not like that the people were ignorant what he did: and Simlerus thinketh rather, that the people saw Moses bearing the tables.
QUEST. V. Why none are suffered to come up now with Moses.
Vers. 3. LEt no man come up with thee. 1. At the first time, when Moses went up to receive the Law, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu went up with him, and 70. of the Elders, and Ioshua accompanied him still, after he had left the other: but now none is permitted to come up with him, because the Lord intended to shew unto Moses a more glorious sight, which he would have none else made partakers of but Moses. 2. This was not onelyonly done for more reverence sake, because the Lord shewed himselfe there in some visible signe, as Lyranus: for the Lord at other times, as when he gave the Law the first time, did shew himselfe by visible signes, when yet no such prohibition was given: therefore Burgensis noteth, that this apparition was, majori… solemnitatis, of greater solemnitie, than the former: and that the Lord did now shew his secrets to Moses, which it was not lawfull for any other to see: whereupon Moses face shined at his comming downe now, and not before: therefore, curiositatis cohibenda causa, to stay their curiositie, none are permitted to come up with Moses, Simler.
3. Here is no mention made of thunder or lightning, as in the giving of the Law: Hic omnia laet… sunt; All things here are cheerfull, because this was a signe of the giving of the Gospell, Ferus.
4. Another reason hereof that none ascended with Moses, was to get him more authoritie with the people, when they see that he onelyonly hath accesse unto Gods presence, Simler.
5. And if Moses had taken some witnesses with him, as hee did when hee smote the rocke, it had not beene so much an act of faith, as an evidence of their sight to acknowledge, thus he received the law of God. It pleased God therefore, dare aliquem locum fidei, to give some place unto faith, and yet take away all occasion of doubting: God would not have them eye witnesses of all, but to beleeve some thing. And yet there was no doubt to be made, that Moses received the law of God: for they saw Moses to carrie up the tables bare without any writing, and in the mount there was no graving instrument: beside, Moses face shined at his comming downe, which shewed, that hee had talked with God, Calvin. And the cloud in the mountaine testified that God was present, and the Lord by his owne voice before had published the law, Simler.
QUEST. VI. Why their cattell are forbidden to come neere the mount.
Vers. 3. NEither let the sheepe or cattell feed, &c. 1. Rabanus, whom Pelargus followeth, by sheepe and cattell, here understandeth, Simplices & terrenis operibus incubantes; The simple and earthly minded, which are not fit for celestiall contemplation: but it is evident, that the text meaneth not men here (but cattell) for they were excluded before: Let not any man bee seene throughout all the mount.
2. Some thinke, that the cattell are restrained, lest by the sight of them, Moses might have beene interrupted in his contemplation: but if this had beene the reason, they should as well have beene kept off the first fortie dayes, when Moses received all those ordinances of God: and when Moses saw this glorious sight, hee was set in the cleft of the rocke, that no such object could withdraw his sight, Tostat. quaest. 4.
3. Therefore this was inquired for more reverence sake: that the very place, where the Lord appeared in this glorious manner, should be reverenced: though God be every where present, yet hee at all times, and in all places, doth not require such reverence; for then it were impossible for men to attend their necessarie worldly affaires; but onelyonly there where it pleaseth him to manifest himselfe, as now in mount Sinai.
4. And though the cloud never departed all this time from mount Sinai, yet the Lord at sometimes shewed more conspicuous signes of his presence, as in the giving of the law: so that not at all times, they and their cattell were forbidden to come neere the mountaine. And now they are forbidden rather than before, when Moses was the first fortie dayes with God, because now the Lord shewed himselfe in more glorious manner, than at any time before, Tostat. qu. 4.
5. Beside, by occasion of the sheepe and cattell, the shepherds and heard-men might come neere also unto the mountaine, and therefore this restraint is made to stay their curiositie, Oleaster.
6. And by this, the men were admonished to be more carefull, seeing the beasts should not be spared, if they transgressed, Marbach.
7. Cajetan thinketh, that the cattell were onelyonly kept off on one part of the mountaine, where the going up was; but rather on every side the mountaine was to be cleared, so farre as any fight might be had of that place, where the Lord appeared unto Moses, Tostat. qu. 4. For the whole mountaine was holy, because of Gods presence.
QUEST. VII. Who is said here to descend, and how.
Vers. 5. ANd Iehovah descended. 1. Tostatus thinketh, that an Angell of God, which he thinketh assumed that glorious bodie, which was shewed unto Moses, thus proclaimed the name Iehovah, quast. 5. But seeing this name is not communicable to any creature, as Burgensis calleth it, nomen proprium divinum, the proper name of God: and this that here speaketh, is said to be Iehovah, could not be an Angell.
2. Therefore their opinion is sounder, which thinke this to bee the Lord Christ himselfe, the Son of God, who appeared to the Fathers, Simler. Qui & Dominus est, & Angelus Testamenti promissus; Who is both the Lord himselfe, and the great Angell of the Testament, which was promised, Lippomen. Pellican. For the Apostle sheweth, that this Angell whom they tempted, and provoked in the wildernesse, was Christ, 1 Cor. 10.9.
3. He is said to descend, not that God doth either ascend, or descend, or goe from place to place, but Symbolice, Symbolically, that is, in respect of the signes of his presence: as here God descended in a cloud: likewise, God is said to descend, ratione nostri intellectus, in respect of our understanding, when he descendeth to our capacitie, Simlerus. And these are correspondent one to the other, Moses ascendeth, God descendeth: Moses fecit, quod praceptum erat, Deu… implevit, quod promiserat; Moses doth as he is bidden, the Lord fulfilleth what he promised, Per….