Intercession and Reconciliation: A Canonical Reading of Exodus 32–34

This dissertation applies Brevard Childs’ canonical approach to Exodus 32–34, providing diachronic readings of the chapters and using the text’s prehistory to deepen our understanding of the final form of the text. This approach produces richer readings than purely diachronic approaches on the one hand or synchronic approaches on the other. I argue that all the accounts of Moses’ intercession in Exodus 32–34 were original to the story, forming a framework into which other passages could be inserted. One such insertion is the non-P tent of meeting in Exodus 33:7–11, which was added because it connects on the one hand to God’s refusal to dwell among the Israelites and on the other hand to the unique relationship between God and Moses that leads God to overcome that refusal. Another insertion, the laws in Exodus 34:10–26, contains laws that were selected specifically for their relevance to the golden calf story, to clarify that God’s reconciliation with Israel does not mean that idolatry is insignificant. Exodus 33:18–23 and 34:29–35, take up the theme of divine glory, which is found in the original story in 34:1–9, further emphasizing the connection between God’s glory and his goodness, adding a recognition of the danger that divine glory poses to mortals, and connecting the golden calf story to the tabernacle narrative that surrounds it. The canonical approach thus uses the diachronic evidence to reveal a rich theology of reconciliation and the conditions that make it possible.