And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses uses Israel's stubbornness, the very reason God had for not going with them, as his strongest argument for God to go with them. He flips the script, arguing that precisely because they are so difficult, they desperately need God's presence to keep them in line and to continue showing them His remarkable patience.
And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Moses, having just received a profound revelation of God's character and promises, steps forward as an intercessor for the people. He pleads for God's presence to remain with them, acknowledging their stubborn nature and asking for their iniquity and sin to be pardoned so that God will claim them as His own inheritance. This prayer comes after God has revealed His mercy and readiness to forgive, and it serves as a foundation for God to formally renew His covenant with Israel, promising to go with them and drive out their enemies.
Why would Moses use the people's rebellion as a reason for God to stay with them? It seems backward, but Moses understood something profound about God's mercy.
Moses' plea in Exodus 34:9 is incredible because he uses the very reason God gave for not going with the people – their 'stiff-necked' nature – as the reason God should go with them.
The Paradox of Mercy
Ask a follow-up
Moses links pardon and inheritance directly to God's presence. What does this tell us about God's heart for His people?
Moses' prayer weaves together three crucial elements: God's presence, pardon for sin, and Israel's status as God's inheritance. He understands these aren't separate desires, but deeply interconnected aspects of God's covenant relationship.
The Flow of God's Grace
Moses sees that God's continued presence depends on their standing right with Him through pardon, and that this whole relational dynamic culminates in them being His treasured inheritance.
Understand the original words
chen · Hebrew Noun
Unmerited kindness or good will extended by a superior to an inferior; being accepted or pleasing in God's eyes.
qesheh-oreph · Hebrew Adjective
A metaphorical description of stubbornness and obstinacy, derived from an ox that refuses to submit to the yoke of its master.
Moses pleads for forgiveness and for God's presence with Israel, much like in Exodus 34:9, highlighting their rebellious nature as a reason for God's mercy.
Psalm 78:38This Psalm reflects on Israel's repeated sin and God's merciful response, echoing the tension in Exodus 34:9 between a 'stiff-necked people' and God's willingness to pardon.
Jeremiah 3:14The prophet calls for Israel's return, promising to be their God and healer, mirroring the plea in Exodus 34:9 for God to go among them and take them as His inheritance.
2 Corinthians 6:16This New Testament passage speaks of God dwelling among His people and being their God, directly echoing the heart of Moses' prayer in Exodus 34:9.
Nehemiah 9:16-17The prayer of confession here recalls Israel's stubbornness and rebellion, yet also their God's readiness to forgive and His presence with them, similar to the context of Exodus 34:9.
jfbExodus 34:9: "And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance."
9, 10. he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us—On this proclamation, he, in the overflowing benevolence of s heart, founded an earnest petition for the Divine Presence being continued with the people; and God was pleased to g…
cambridgeExodus 34:9: "And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance."
9 . Jehovah’s ‘ways’ ( Exodus 33:13 ) and character having now been disclosed to Moses, he again entreats Jehovah, who is ready to forgive ( v. 7a), to pardon His people’s sin, and give proof that He has again received them into His favour, by going personally with them to Canaan…
Moses uses Israel's stubbornness, the very reason God had for not going with them, as his strongest argument for God to go with them. He flips the script, arguing that precisely because they are so difficult, they desperately need God's presence to keep them in line and to continue showing them His remarkable patience.
Moses, having just received a profound revelation of God's character and promises, steps forward as an intercessor for the people. He pleads for God's presence to remain with them, acknowledging their stubborn nature and asking for their iniquity and sin to be pardoned so that God will claim them as His own inheritance. This prayer comes after God has revealed His mercy and readiness to forgive, and it serves as a foundation for God to formally renew His covenant with Israel, promising to go with them and drive out their enemies.
Moses, having just received a profound revelation of God's character and promises, steps forward as an intercessor for the people. He pleads for God's presence to remain with them, acknowledging their stubborn nature and asking for their iniquity and sin to be pardoned so that God will claim them as His own inheritance. This prayer comes after God has revealed His mercy and readiness to forgive, and it serves as a foundation for God to formally renew His covenant with Israel, promising to go with them and drive out their enemies.
"And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”" — Moses uses Israel's stubbornness, the very reason God had for not going with them, as his strongest argument for God to go with them. He flips the script, arguing that precisely because they are…
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Last reviewed October 2026