Exodus 34:27 Meaning and Explanation
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →The LORD commands Moses to write the covenant words just given. Their substance defines the renewed relationship with Moses and Israel. Writing preserves an authoritative, reviewable witness that can be taught publicly rather than left to memory or private claims.
Moses must write the LORD's words because their stated substance gives the terms of God's renewed covenant with Moses and Israel.
The Context of Exodus 34:27
The LORD has proclaimed His name, answered Moses' intercession, and renewed the covenant after the golden calf. He gives commands concerning exclusive worship, covenant entanglement, molten gods, appointed feasts, firstborn offerings, Sabbath rest, annual appearances, sacrifices, Passover, and firstfruits. Verse 27 directs Moses to write these words because the covenant has been made according to their substance. Verse 28 records Moses' forty days with the LORD and the writing of the ten commandments on the tablets. Moses then descends carrying the testimony. Earlier at Sinai, Moses wrote the LORD's words, read the book of the covenant in the people's hearing, and joined the covenant ceremony to those words.
What Does Exodus 34:27 Mean?
'Write thou these words' gives covenant memory a durable form. Moses' spiritual experience on Sinai cannot replace the words the LORD has spoken. The written witness allows Israel to hear, teach, examine, and remember the covenant's actual substance. It also limits a leader's power to revise yesterday's command through today's private recollection. Writing does not make the covenant impersonal. The words record a living relationship initiated by the LORD, addressed to Moses and Israel, and expressed through worship, loyalty, time, offerings, and communal practice.
The phrase 'after the tenor of these words' ties covenant claim to identifiable content. Israel is not asked to sign an undefined promise or trust Moses without access to what he heard. Earlier, Moses reads the book of the covenant in the audience of the people before they answer. Later, the law is to be read before men, women, children, and strangers so they can hear and learn. Public words support accountability, shared understanding, and teaching across generations. They expose secret additions that serve a leader's interests.
Jesus says He came to fulfill the law and the prophets, affirming their enduring place in God's purpose. He quotes Scripture, teaches its true direction, and centers obedience in love of God and neighbor. Christians therefore honor written Scripture as a trustworthy witness that leads to Christ, while remembering that faithful reading seeks lived covenant truth. Church policies, vows, and safeguarding commitments should also be written plainly and made accessible. Documentation cannot create integrity by itself, yet it allows promises, authority, and responsibility to be tested.
Bible Verses Related to Exodus 34:27
“Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.”
- Exodus 34:25-28
“And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.”
- Exodus 24:3-8
“And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.”
- Deuteronomy 31:9-13
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
- Matthew 5:17-18
Where Exodus 34:27 Echoes in Scripture
Deuteronomy 31:9-13 describes Moses writing the law and ordering its recurring public reading before men, women, children, and strangers. The stated covenant purpose is that the whole gathered community may hear, learn, fear the LORD, and faithfully observe His words.
How to Apply Exodus 34:27 Today
Put important commitments in clear language that every affected person can access. For a church, publish beliefs, financial controls, complaint procedures, safeguarding rules, leadership authority, and appeal paths. For a household or partnership, record major promises, responsibilities, and consent without using paperwork to pressure agreement. Compare every claimed divine command with Scripture in context. If a leader says the real rule is secret, constantly changing, or available only through loyalty to that leader, pause and seek independent, trustworthy review.
Reflection & Prayer
Which important promise or authority remains too vague to be tested against clear words? We might pray: 'Speaking LORD, preserve Your truth among us, make all our commitments plain, and lead us through the Scriptures into faithful obedience to Christ.'