The Glory of Yahweh Appears on the Face of Moses (Exodus 34:29-35).
This passage may be analysed as follows:
a When Moses comes down the mountain the skin of his face shines, although he is unaware of it (Exodus 34:29).
b When Aaron and the children of Israel were aware of it they were afraid to approach him (Exodus 34:30).
c Moses calls Aaron and the rulers to him and obediently they return to him and Moses spoke with them (Exodus 34:31).
d All the children of Israel come near and he gives them the commands that Yahweh has given him in Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:32).
d When he had finished speaking he put on a veil (Exodus 34:33).
c When Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with Him, he took the veil off until he came out (Exodus 34:34 a).
b Then he came out and spoke to the children of Israel what Yahweh had commanded (Exodus 34:34 b).
a And the children of Israel then saw that the skin of his face shone, and he put the veil on his face until he again went in to speak with Yahweh (Exodus 34:35).
In ‘a' Moses coming down from the mountain and his face shining is paralleled by Moses' face shining and going in to speak with Yahweh. In ‘b' Aaron and the children of Israel were afraid to approach him and in the parallel they have learned to bear it while he speaks to them what Yahweh has commanded. In ‘c' Moses calls Aaron and the rulers to him so that he can speak with them, and they come despite the shining of the skin of his face, and in the parallel when he goes in to speak with Yahweh he takes off the veil so that his face is shining. Thus the two way communication takes place when he is unveiled and the skin of his face is shining. In' d' all the children of Israel approach to hear what Yahweh has commanded and hear him with unveiled face, but when he has finished he veils his face.
‘And it came about that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the Mount, that Moses did not realise that the skin of his face shone as a result of his speaking with him.'
Note the repeated ‘came down from the Mount' which is typical of ancient writings. The repetition means that the hearers recognise the emphasis and go along with it. It was because he had been in the Mount with Yahweh that his skin shone. He was carrying in his hands the two Tablets of Testimony. But Moses was unaware of the fact that his face was shining with an unearthly glow.
Note also the use of pronouns. ‘His speaking with him,' As in Exodus 34:28 we have to gather who is who from context. Was it as a result of God speaking with Moses, or of Moses speaking with God? Either is possible.
‘And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone and they were afraid to approach him.'
The shining of Moses' face was such that even Aaron was reluctant to approach him. Nor would the children of Israel. There was too much of God about him. The distance that they stood back is shown by the fact that the verb ‘coming near' is used of all Israel who could hardly all get very near.
‘And Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. And afterwards all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them in commandment all that Yahweh had spoken with him in Mount Sinai.'
But Moses would have none of it, and he called them to him. Whatever God's purpose was in this it clearly included their facing up to this manifestation of His holiness as they received details of God's command. Then Aaron and the tribal leaders took their courage in their hands and came to him, followed after a time by the whole of Israel. After that he gave them as commands all that Yahweh had said to him on the mountain. The unearthly glow on his face would bring home his words to them far better that any eloquence. The tablets he presumably deposited in the Tent of Meeting.
“ The rulers of the congregation (the gathering).” Those who were leaders, the ‘elders'. The congregation was a name used to describe the Yahweh-worshipping host of Israel (Exodus 12:3; Exodus 12:6, and often).
‘And when Moses had finished speaking with them he put a veil on his face.'
Once he had finished delivering Yahweh's words he put a veil on his face, no doubt at the request of the people who could no longer stand the glory that they saw, which even then was but a pale reflected glory. Had they endured it and let it speak to their hearts what a difference it might have made. But the people grumbled when they thought that God was not watching over them, and again grumbled when He manifested His presence in such a way that it spoke to their hearts. Like many they preferred God at a distance, but not too great a distance.
‘But when Moses went in before Yahweh to speak with him, he took the veil off until he came out, and he came out and spoke to the children of Israel what he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses,that the skin of Moses' face shone. And Moses put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.'
From then on when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to talk with Yahweh he took the veil off, and when he came out he would deliver Yahweh's message to the people unveiled. But then he would don the veil until he again went in to speak with Yahweh. Thus did Yahweh's message always come over with the sense of Yahweh's holiness and glory supporting it, emphasising its unique importance. We are not told at what point this manifestation ceased.