Exo 34:2-8

2 Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.

Rashi

נָכוֹן means ready.

3 No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.

Beitzah 5b:4-5

And if you say an alternative explanation, that the instruction to “return to your tents” was not given to permit the men to return home to their wives, but rather it came as a special command to fulfill the commandment of conjugal rights, i.e., the obligation of a man to engage in periodic marital relations with his wife, then it was to refute this possibility that Rav Yosef continued: Come and hear a different proof from another verse: “When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain” (Exo 19:13).

Now since it is written: “Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain” (Exo 34:3), this indicates that the prohibition applies only when the divine presence is revealed on the mountain, and it is permitted immediately afterward. If so, why do I need the verse “When the trumpet sounds a long blast”? Why is a special signal required? Conclude from this that any matter established by a vote requires another vote to permit it.

Rashi

No one shall come up with you—Because the first tablets were given amidst great noises and alarms and a vast assembly the “evil eye” had power over them—there is no finer quality than to be unostentatious (Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:31).

Taanit 21b:4

Upon hearing this impressive argument, Rav Naḥman bar Rav Ḥisda said to Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak: Let the master arise and come to live with us as our community leader. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to him: We already learned in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei says: It is not the place of a person that honors him; rather, the person honors his place, as we found with regard to Mount Sinai, that as long as the divine presence rested upon it, the law said: “Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain” (Exo 34:3). Once the divine presence departed from the mountain, the law said: “When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain” (Exo 19:13). This indicates that the sanctity was not inherent to the place but was due to the divine presence resting there.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1TI 2:5

For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” HEB 12:20

4 So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone.

Shabbat 86a:6

The Gemara explains the source of this opinion: He ascended Mount Sinai early in the morning, as it is written: “And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him” (Exo 34:4). And he descended the mountain early in the morning, as it is written: “Go down, and you shall ascend bringing Aaron with you” (Exo 19:24). The law juxtaposes descent to ascent to establish that just as Moses’ ascent was early in the morning, so too, his descent was early in the morning. Moses told the people to separate in the early morning so that there would be five complete periods of separation over the course of the three days.

5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

Rashi’s Commentary

And proclaimed the name of the Lord—We render this in the Targum by, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” LUK 9:34-35

6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”

Arakhin 8b:13

The Gemara asks: With regard to what principle do Rav Yehuda and Rabba disagree? The Gemara answers that they disagree with regard to the dispute between Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, about how God applies his attribute of “abounding in steadfast love” (Exo 34:6) when he judges a person whose merits and sins are equal. As it was stated that Rabbi Elazar says: He hides away some sins and does not put them on the scale, thereby allowing the merits to outweigh the sins. Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says: He lifts the side of the scale that holds the sins so that the merits outweigh the sins.

Bava Kamma 50b:1

In the verse that recounts the thirteen attributes of mercy: “Slow to anger [erekh appayim]” (Exo 34:6), using the plural form, and it is not written as erekh af, in the singular? In order to teach that he is slow to anger for both the righteous and for the wicked and does not punish them immediately for their transgressions.

Eruvin 22a:6

In a similar vein, Rabbi Ḥaggai said, and some say it was Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani: What is the meaning of that which is written: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, merciful and gracious, slow to anger [erekh appayim], and abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exo 34:6)? Why does it say “erekh appayim,” using a plural form? It should have said erekh af, using the singular form.

Rashi

The Lord, the Lord—This is the attribute of divine mercy. The one alludes to God having mercy on the sinner before he sins and the other after he has sinned and repented (Rosh Hashanah 17b).

God—This is also an attribute of divine mercy. Thus also does Scripture say (Psa 22:2), “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—for surely one would not say to the attribute of stern justice “why have you forsaken me?” Thus have I found in the Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2.

Slow to anger—He defers his anger and does not hasten to punish—it may be that the sinner will repent.

And abounding in steadfast love—To those who need steadfast love because they have not sufficient merits.

And faithfulness—Faithfully rewarding those who perform his will.

Rosh Hashanah 17b:4

Ilfai, and some say it was the Sage Ilfa, also raised a contradiction: It is written in the list of God’s attributes: “And abounding in steadfast love” (Exo 34:6), and it is written in the same verse: “And faithfulness,” which implies the attribute of justice. He answered: Initially, at the time of judgment: “And faithfulness,” i.e., God employs strict justice, but in the end, when he sees that the world cannot survive on judgment based only on faithfulness and justice: “And abounding in steadfast love,” i.e., he is merciful.

Rosh Hashanah 17b:5

The verse states: “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed” (Exo 34:6). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor. The verse teaches that the Holy One, blessed be he, wrapped himself in a prayer shawl like a prayer leader and showed Moses the structure of the order of the prayer. He said to him: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before me in accordance with this order. Let the prayer leader wrap himself in a prayer shawl and publicly recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, and I will forgive them.

Rosh Hashanah 17b:6

The verse continues: “The Lord, the Lord,” and it should be understood as follows: I am he before a person sins, and I am he after a person sins and performs repentance, as God does not recall for him his first sins, since he is always “God merciful and gracious” (Exo 34:6).

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. JOH 1:17

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ROM 2:4

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ROM 5:20-21

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight EPH 1:7-8

7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; yet he does not completely clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.

Berakhot 7a:26

The Gemara expands upon these righteous and wicked individuals: The master said: The righteous person who prospers is a righteous person, the son of a righteous person. The righteous person who suffers is a righteous person, the son of a wicked person. The Gemara asks: Is it so that one is always punished for his ancestors’ transgressions? Isn’t it written: “Visiting iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exo 34:7). And it is written elsewhere: “Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall die for his own transgression” (Deu 24:16). And the Gemara raises a contradiction between the two verses.

Rashi

Keeping steadfast love—That a person does in his presence.

For thousands—To two thousand generations.

Iniquity and transgression—Iniquities (עִוֹנוֹת) are sins committed presumptuously (with premeditation). פְּשָׁעִים are sins committed rebelliously.

Yet he does not completely clear the guilty—According to its plain sense this means that he does not completely overlook the iniquity but exacts retribution for it little by little. Our Rabbis, however, interpreted this expression to mean: He clears those who repent, but does not clear those who will not repent (Yoma 86a).

Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children—When they retain in their hands (follow the example of) the evil doings of their fathers. This must be the meaning because in another verse of a similar character it has already been stated: of those who hate me (cf. Exo 20:5).—from Berakhot 7a; Sanhedrin 27b

And the fourth generation—It follows, therefore, that the measure of good (reward) is greater than the measure of punishment in the proportion of one to five hundred, for in respect to the measure of good it says: “Keeping steadfast love for thousands” (cf. Rashi above: Tosefta Sotah 4:1; see also Rashi on Exo 20:5).

Sanhedrin 27b:16

The Gemara asks: And are children not put to death for the sin of the fathers? But isn’t it written: “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Exo 34:7)?

Shevuot 39a:16

The Gemara asks: And is it not stated with regard to all of the other transgressions in the law that God “will not hold guiltless [lo yenakkeh]” one who transgresses? But isn’t it written: “And who does not completely clear the guilty [venakkeh lo yenakkeh]” (Exo 34:7)?

8 And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

Rashi

And Moses quickly—When Moses saw that the glory passed by and heard the sound of the proclamation he immediately worshiped.