Exodus 33:2

The Command to Leave Sinai

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Depart and go up from here, you ^aand the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ^b‘To your descendants I will give it.’

2 ^aAnd I will send My Angel before you, ^band I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

3 Go up ^ato a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest ^bI consume you on the way, for you are ^ca stiff-necked people.”

4 And when the people heard this bad news, ^athey mourned, ^band no one put on his ornaments.

5 For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore, take off your¹ ornaments, that I may ^aknow what to do to you.’ ”

6 So the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< Exodus 33:1

Exodus 33:3 >>

Exodus 33:2-3

See Exodus 3:8.

For I will not go up in the midst of thee - The covenant on which the original promise Exodus 23:20-23 was based had been broken by the people. Yahweh now therefore declared that though His Angel should go before Moses, He would withhold His own favoring presence. The nation should be put on a level with other nations, to lose its character as the people in special covenant with Yahweh (see the note at Exodus 33:16). Thus were the people forcibly warned that His presence could Proverbs a blessing to them only on condition of their keeping their part of the covenant Exodus 33:3. If they failed in this, His presence would be to them "a consuming fire" (Deuteronomy 4:24; compare Exodus 32:10).

Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Exodus 33:2:

Exodus 40:17
Judges 2:1

<< Exodus 33:1

Exodus 33:3 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,236+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

The Command to Leave Sinai

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning