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And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.
Exodus 34:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed Yahweh’s name.
  • BSB And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name, the LORD.
  • NKJV Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.
  • NASB And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord.
  • NLT Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God descends in the cloud, stands with Moses, and proclaims His own name, Yahweh. God Himself reveals who He is.

Overview

In answer to Moses' earlier plea to see His glory, God comes down and proclaims His name. The self-revelation of God's name is the unveiling of His character and glory. This shows that we know God truly only as He graciously makes Himself known, supremely in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-3).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Exod 33:19And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
  • Num 11:25And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.
  • Luke 9:34–35While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
  • Exod 33:9And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses.
  • Num 11:17And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
  • Prov 18:10The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
  • Ps 102:21To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
  • Exod 19:18And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
  • Deut 32:3Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
  • Isa 1:10Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
  • Num 14:17And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
  • 1 Kgs 8:10–12And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Exodus videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Exodus 34:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ExodusMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.

How Exodus 34:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.