Exodus 34:29

"He was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments."

Key Reflection

Moses' forty-day sojourn with the Lord symbolizes a period of intense spiritual communion and divine instruction, similar to his earlier experience on Mount Sinai where he received the Ten Commandments. This time underscores Moses’ dedication and the reaffirmation of God’s covenant with His people through the clear stipulations written on the tablets.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The two tables of testimony -CompareExodus 31:18. The skin of his face shone -CompareMatthew 17:2. The brightness of the Eternal Glory, though Moses had witnessed it only in a modified mannerExodus 33:22-23, was so reflected in his face, that Aaron and the people were stricken with awe, and feared to approach him until he gave them words of encouragement. The word translated “shine” is closely connected with a word translated “horn”; and hence, the Latin version and others have rendered the verb “to be horned.” From this rendering of the word has arisen the popular representation of Moses with horns on his forehead; e. g.

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