Exodus 32:3 Kommentar

It is a very lamentable interruption which the story of this chapter gives to the record of the establishment of the church, and of religion among the Jews. Things went on admirably well towards that happy settlement: God had shown himself very favourable, and the people also had seemed to be pretty tractable. Moses had now almost completed his forty days upon the mount, and, we may suppose, was pleasing himself with the thoughts of the very joyful welcome he should have to the camp of Israel at his return, and the speedy setting up of the tabernacle among them. But, behold, the measures are broken, the sin of Israel turns away those good things from them, and puts a stop to the current of God's favours; the sin that did the mischief (would you think it?) was worshipping a golden calf. The marriage was ready to be solemnized between God and Israel, but Israel plays the harlot, and so the match is broken, and it will be no easy matter to piece it again. Here is, I. The sin of Israel, and of Aaron particularly, in making the golden calf for a god (Exo 32:1-4), and worshipping it (Exo 32:5, Exo 32:6). II. The notice which God gave of this to Moses, who was now in the mount with him (Exo 32:7, Exo 32:8), and the sentence of his wrath against them (Exo 32:9, Exo 32:10). III. The intercession which Moses immediately made for them in the mount (Exo 32:11-13), and the prevalency of that intercession (Exo 32:14). IV. His coming down from the mount, when he became an eye-witness of their idolatry (Exo 32:15-19), in abhorrence of which, and as an expression of just indignation, he broke the tables (Exo 32:19), and burnt the golden calf (Exo 32:20). V. The examination of Aaron about it (Exo 32:21-24). VI. Execution done upon the ring-leaders in the idolatry (Exo 32:25-29). VII. The further intercession Moses made for them, to turn away the wrath of God from them (Exo 32:30-32), and a reprieve granted thereupon, reserving them for a further reckoning (Exo 32:33, etc.).

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 32 This chapter gives an account of the idolatry of the Israelites making and worshipping a golden calf, Exo 32:1 the information of it God gave to Moses, bidding him at the same time not to make any suit in their favour, that he might consume them, and make a large nation out Moses's family, Exo 32:7 the intercession of Moses for them, in which he succeeded, Exo 32:11 his descent from the mount with the two tables in his hands, accompanied by Joshua, when he was an eyewitness of their idolatry, which raised his indignation, that he cast the two tables out of his hands and broke them, took the calf and burnt it, and ground it to powder, and made the children of Israel drink of it, Exo 32:15 the examination of Aaron about the fact, who excused himself, Exo 32:21 the orders given to the Levites, who joined themselves to Moses, to slay every man his brother, which they did to the number of 3000 men, Exo 32:25 another intercession for them by Moses, which gained a respite of them for a time, for they are threatened to be visited still for their sin, and they were plagued for it, Exo 32:30.

And he received them at their hand,.... For the use they delivered them to him: and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf; that is, after he had melted the gold, and cast it into a mould, which gave it the figure of a calf, and with his tool wrought it into a more agreeable form, he took off the roughness of it, and polished it; or if it was in imitation of the Egyptian Apis or Osiris, he might with his graving tool engrave such marks and figures as were upon that; to cause the greater resemblance, so Selden (y) thinks; see Gill on Jer 46:20 or else the sense may be, that he drew the figure of a calf with his tool, or made it in "a mould" (z), into which he poured in the melted gold: and made it a molten calf; the Targum of Jonathan gives another sense of the former clause, "he bound it up in a napkin"; in a linen cloth or bag, i.e. the gold of the ear rings, and then put it into the melting pot, and so cast it into a mould, and made a calf of it. Jarchi takes notice of this sense, and it is espoused by Bochart (a), who produces two passages of Scripture for the confirmation of it, Jdg 8:24 and illustrates it by Isa 46:6. What inclined Aaron to make it in the form of a calf, is not easy to say; whether in imitation of the cherubim, one of the faces of which was that of an ox, as Moncaeus thought; or whether in imitation of the Osiris of the Egyptians, who was worshipped in a living ox, and sometimes in the image of one, even a golden one. Plutarch is express for it, and says (b), that the ox was an image of Osiris, and that it was a golden one; and so says Philo the Jew (c), the Israelites, emulous of Egyptian figments, made a golden ox; or whether he did this to make them ashamed of their idolatry, thinking they would never be guilty of worshipping the form of an ox eating grass, or because an ox was an emblem of power and majesty: and they said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt; they own they were, brought up out of that land by the divine Being; and they could not be so stupid as to believe, that this calf, which was only a mass of gold, figured and decorated, was inanimate, had no life nor breath, and was just made, after their coming out of Egypt, was what brought them from hence; but that this was a representation of God, who had done this for them; yet some Jewish writers are so foolish as to suppose, that through art it had the breath of life in it, and came out of the mould a living calf, Satan, or Samael, entering into it, and lowed in it (d). (y) De Diis Syris Syntagm. 1. c. 4. p. 138. (z) "formavit illud modulo", Piscator; so some in Ben Melech, and in Vatablus; and so the Vulgate Latin, "formant opere fusorio"; see Fagius in loc. (a) Hierozoic. p. 1. l. 2. c. 39. col. 334, 335. (b) De Isid. & Osir. (c) De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 677. (d) Pirke Eliezer, c. 45.

The Israelites, finding that Moses delayed his return, desire Aaron to make them gods to go before them, Exo 32:1. Aaron consents, and requires their ornaments, Exo 32:2. They deliver them to him, and he makes a molten calf, Exo 32:3, Exo 32:4. He builds an altar before it, Exo 32:5; and the people offer burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, Exo 32:6. The Lord commands Moses to go down, telling him that the people had corrupted themselves, Exo 32:7, Exo 32:8. The Lord is angry, and threatens to destroy them, Exo 32:9, Exo 32:10. Moses intercedes for them, Exo 32:11-13; and the Lord promises to spare them, Exo 32:14. Moses goes down with the tables in his hands, Exo 32:15, Exo 32:16. Joshua, hearing the noise they made at their festival, makes some remarks on it, Exo 32:17, Exo 32:18. Moses, coming to the camp, and seeing their idolatrous worship, is greatly distressed, throws down and breaks the two tables, Exo 32:19. Takes the calf, reduces it to powder, strews it upon the water, and causes them to drink it, Exo 32:20. Moses expostulates with Aaron, Exo 32:21. Aaron vindicates himself, Exo 32:22-24. Moses orders the Levites to slay the transgressors, Exo 32:25-27. They do so, and 3,000 fall, Exo 32:28, Exo 32:29. Moses returns to the Lord on the mount, and makes supplication for the people, Exo 32:30-32. God threatens and yet spares, Exo 32:33. Commands Moses to lead the people, and promises him the direction of an angel, Exo 32:34. The people are plagued because of their sin, Exo 32:35.

And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings - The human being is naturally fond of dress, though this has been improperly attributed to the female sex alone, and those are most fond of it who have the shallowest capacities; but on this occasion the bent of the people to idolatry was greater than even their love of dress, so that they readily stripped themselves of their ornaments in order to get a molten god. They made some compensation for this afterwards; see Exo 36:22, and See Clarke's note on Exo 38:9.

THE GOLDEN CALF. (Exo. 32:1-35) when the people saw that Moses delayed--They supposed that he had lost his way in the darkness or perished in the fire. the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron--rather, "against" Aaron in a tumultuous manner, to compel him to do what they wished. The incidents related in this chapter disclose a state of popular sentiment and feeling among the Israelites that stands in singular contrast to the tone of profound and humble reverence they displayed at the giving of the law. Within a space of little more than thirty days, their impressions were dissipated. Although they were still encamped upon ground which they had every reason to regard as holy; although the cloud of glory that capped the summit of Sinai was still before their eyes, affording a visible demonstration of their being in close contact, or rather in the immediate presence, of God, they acted as if they had entirely forgotten the impressive scenes of which they had been so recently the witnesses. said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us--The Hebrew word rendered "gods" is simply the name of God in its plural form. The image made was single, and therefore it would be imputing to the Israelites a greater sin than they were guilty of, to charge them with renouncing the worship of the true God for idols. The fact is, that they required, like children, to have something to strike their senses, and as the Shekinah, "the glory of God," of which they had hitherto enjoyed the sight, was now veiled, they wished for some visible material object as the symbol of the divine presence, which should go before them as the pillar of fire had done.

all the people brake off the golden earrings--The Egyptian rings, as seen on the monuments, were round massy plates of metal; and as they were rings of this sort the Israelites wore, their size and number must, in the general collection, have produced a large store of the precious metal.