Exodus 34:10

And the LORD said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will perform wonders that have never been done in any nation in all the world. All the people among whom you live will see the LORD’s work, for it is an awesome thing that I am doing with you.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — God addresses Moses immediately following the Israelite's golden calf incident. This declaration responds directly to Moses' request in Exodus 34:9 for God to forgive the stiff-necked people and continue their journey together.

The words — The phrase כֹּרֵת בְּרִית (ko.Ret be.Rit) literally means "[am] about to make a covenant," while הִנֵּה (hi.Neh) functions as a demonstrative marker translating to "behold." These terms establish the covenant as a unilateral divine act rather than a mutual negotiation.

The thread — The motif of God performing unprecedented wonders before nations appears in Deuteronomy 10:21, Psalms 77:14, and Psalms 66:5. These passages consistently frame visible divine intervention as the basis for recognizing God's unique authority among the peoples.

Why it lands — The text explicitly states that God will act independently to demonstrate His work to all surrounding nations. It requires the reader to accept that covenant stability and national identity are sustained by divine action, not human merit or political maneuvering.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֗אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he said הִנֵּ֣הhi.Nehhere!אָנֹכִי֮'a.no.KhiI כֹּרֵ֣תko.Ret[am] about to make בְּרִית֒be.Rita covenant נֶ֤גֶדNe.gedbefore כָּֽל־kal-all עַמְּךָ֙'a.me./Khapeople/ your אֶעֱשֶׂ֣ה'e.'e.SehI will do נִפְלָאֹ֔תnif.la.'Otwonders אֲשֶׁ֛ר'a.Sherwhich לֹֽא־lo'-not נִבְרְא֥וּniv.re.'Uthey have been created בְכָל־ve./khol-in/ all הָאָ֖רֶץha./'A.retzthe/ earth וּבְכָל־u./ve./Khol-and/ among/ all הַגּוֹיִ֑םha./go.Yimthe/ nations וְרָאָ֣הve./ra.'Ahand/ it will see כָל־khol-all הָ֠עָםHa./'omthe/ people אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which אַתָּ֨ה'a.Tahyou בְקִרְבּ֜וֹve./kir.B/o[are] in/ midst/ its אֶת־'et-<obj.>מַעֲשֵׂ֤הma.'a.Seh[the] work of יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahweh כִּֽי־ki-for נוֹרָ֣אno.Ra'[is] awesome ה֔וּאHu'it אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherwhich אֲנִ֖י'a.NiI עֹשֶׂ֥ה'o.Seh[am] about to do עִמָּֽךְ׃'i.Ma/khwith/ you

King James Version

And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

Cross-references

Deuteronomy 10:21 He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome wonders that your eyes have seen.
Psalms 77:14 You are the God who works wonders; You display Your strength among the peoples.
Psalms 66:5 Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.
Isaiah 64:3 When You did awesome works that we did not expect, You came down, and the mountains trembled at Your presence.
Jeremiah 32:21 You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror.
2 Samuel 7:23 And who is like Your people Israel—the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself and to make a name for Himself? You performed great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt.
Psalms 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.
Psalms 78:12 He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.
Deuteronomy 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
Joshua 10:12 On the day that the LORD gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”