Exodus 34:34-35
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What's often missed is that Moses actively removed the veil when going into God's presence, not just when coming out. This wasn't about hiding the glory from the people; it was about Moses needing to be fully exposed and open to God to truly commune with Him.
Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
After descending from Mount Sinai with the renewed stone tablets, Moses experiences a profound connection with God in the Tent of Meeting. When he enters God's presence, he removes a veil, and upon returning to the people, he shares God's commands. This narrative sets the stage for understanding the visible manifestation of God's glory on Moses' face and how it impacts the Israelites' perception of God's presence and law.
Why did Moses take off his veil before God, only to put it back on later? This wasn't just a habit; it was a sacred practice.
The text describes a repeated, intentional action: Moses removed his veil specifically when he entered God's presence to speak. This act symbolized shedding the ordinary, the earthly, and any pretense before the absolute holiness of God. It was a ritual of complete openness and reverence. The fact that this happened 'until he came out' emphasizes that this state of unveiled communion was reserved for his direct encounter with the Divine.
Moses' face shone after meeting God, but the veil suggests a fading. What does this contrast reveal about divine encounters?
The glory radiating from Moses' face after speaking with God was a tangible sign of God's presence and power. However, the subsequent veiling indicates that this glory was not permanent or meant to be constantly displayed. As interpretations suggest, the vailing might have been to hide the waning of this glory, symbolizing that the Old Covenant's radiance was temporary and preparatory. The people saw the effect of God's presence on Moses, but the full, unveiled glory of God was too much to bear directly. This points to the New Covenant, where believers, with unveiled faces, are transformed into God's likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Understand the original words
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qaran · Hebrew Verb
Refers to the radiance, brilliance, or glow resulting from proximity to the presence and glory of God; it is a visible manifestation of divine holiness.
This passage directly references Moses' veil, explaining that it symbolized the temporary nature of the Old Covenant and its fading glory, contrasting it with the enduring glory of the New Covenant.
2 Corinthians 3:16This verse speaks to the spiritual 'veiling' that occurs when people don't turn to the Lord, highlighting the theme of spiritual blindness and the removal of that veil when one turns to God.
2 Corinthians 3:18This passage offers a beautiful parallel, stating that believers, with unveiled faces, can behold the glory of the Lord and be transformed into His likeness, echoing the idea of divine radiance from encountering God.
Hebrews 4:16This verse speaks to the ability to 'draw near with confidence to the throne of grace' in the New Covenant, mirroring the confidence Moses had when entering God's presence, but now available to all believers.
cambridgeExodus 34:34: "But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded."
34 . went in before Jehovah ] viz. into the Tent of Meeting (which is here presupposed): cf. Exodus 25:22 , Numbers 7:89 . Comp. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 , noticing (1) that St Paul interprets the narrative allegorically, assigning as the reason why Moses used to put on the veil, not that the Israelites…
gillExodus 34:34: "But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded."
But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him,.... Went into the tabernacle to converse with him, to pray unto him, and inquire about any matter of difficulty respecting the people of Israel he was concerned for, which he often did: he took the vail off until he came out: and so when men…
What's often missed is that Moses actively removed the veil when going into God's presence, not just when coming out. This wasn't about hiding the glory from the people; it was about Moses needing to be fully exposed and open to God to truly commune with Him.
After descending from Mount Sinai with the renewed stone tablets, Moses experiences a profound connection with God in the Tent of Meeting. When he enters God's presence, he removes a veil, and upon returning to the people, he shares God's commands. This narrative sets the stage for understanding the visible manifestation of God's glory on Moses' face and how it impacts the Israelites' perception of God's presence and law.
After descending from Mount Sinai with the renewed stone tablets, Moses experiences a profound connection with God in the Tent of Meeting. When he enters God's presence, he removes a veil, and upon returning to the people, he shares God's commands. This narrative sets the stage for understanding the visible manifestation of God's glory on Moses' face and how it impacts the Israelites' perception of God's presence and law.
"Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the ski…" — What's often missed is that Moses actively removed the veil when going into God's presence, not just when coming out. This wasn't about hiding the glory from the people; it was about Moses needin…
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Last reviewed October 2026
