1 The people in the absence of Moses, caused Aaron to make a calf
7 God informs Moses, who intercedes for Israel, and prevails
15 Moses comes down with the tables
19 He breaks them
20 He destroys the calf
22 Aaron's excuse for himself
25 Moses causes the idolaters to be slain
30 He prays for the people

A.M. 2513, B.C. 1491. An.Ex.Is.1Ab. delayed Ex 24:18 De 9:9 Mt 24:43 2Pe 3:4

up Ge 19:14 44:4 Jos 7:13

make Ex 20:3-5 De 4:14-18 Ac 7:40 17:29 19:26

which shall Ex 13:21 33:3,14,15

the man Ex 32:7,11 14:11 16:3 Ho 12:13 Mic 6:4

we wot Ge 21:26 39:8 44:15 Mt 24:48 2Pe 3:4

2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

Ex 12:35,36 Ge 24:22,47 Jud 8:24-27 Eze 16:11,12,17 Ho 2:8

3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Jud 17:3,4 Isa 40:19,20 46:6 Jer 10:9

4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

fashioned Ex 20:23 De 9:16 Ps 106:19-21 Isa 44:9,10 46:6 Ac 7:41 17:29

a graving Ex 28:9,11

calf 1Ki 12:28,32 2Ki 10:29 2Ch 11:15 13:8 Ho 8:4,5 10:5 13:2

these Ex 32:8 Jud 17:3,4 Ne 9:18 Isa 40:18,19 Ro 1:21-23

which brought Ex 32:1,8 20:2

5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

Aaron 1Sa 14:35 2Ki 16:11 Ho 8:11,14

made proclamation Le 23:2,4,21,37 1Ki 21:9 2Ki 10:20 2Ch 30:5

a feast Ex 32:4 10:9 12:14 1Ki 12:32,33 1Co 5:8

6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

offered Ex 24:4,5

sat down. No doubt at this feast they sacrificed after the manner of the Egyptians Nu 25:2 Jud 16:23-25 Am 2:8 8:10 Ac 7:41,42 1Co 10:7 Re 11:10

7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

go Ex 19:24 33:1 De 9:12 Da 9:24

thy people Ex 32:1,11

corrupted Ge 6:11,12 De 4:16 32:5 Jud 2:19 Ho 9:9

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

have turned De 9:16 Jud 2:17

which I Ex 20:3,4,23

these be Ex 32:4 1Ki 12:28

9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

I have seen De 9:13 Jer 13:27 Ho 6:10

a stiff-necked Ex 33:3,5 34:9 De 9:6,13 10:16 31:27 2Ch 30:8 Ne 9:17 Ps 78:8 Pr 29:1 Isa 48:4 Zec 7:11,12 Ac 7:51

10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

let me alone Ge 18:32,33 32:26-28 Nu 14:19,20 16:22,45-48 De 9:14,19 Jer 14:11 15:1 Jas 5:16

my wrath Ex 32:11,19 22:24

and I will Nu 14:12 De 9:14,19

11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

besought De 9:18-20,26-29 Ps 106:23

the Lord his God. Heb. the face of the Lord. why doth Nu 11:11 16:22 De 9:18-20 Ps 74:1,2 Isa 63:17 Jer 12:1,2

which thou Ex 32:7

12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

should Nu 14:13-16 De 9:28 32:26,27 Jos 7:9 Ps 74:18 79:9,10 Eze 20:9,14,22

turn from De 13:17 Jos 7:26 Ezr 10:14 Ps 78:38 85:3

repent Ex 32:14 Ge 6:6 De 32:36 Ps 90:13 106:45 Am 7:3,6 Jon 3:9 Zec 8:14

13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.

remember Le 26:42 De 7:8 9:27 Lu 1:54,55

to whom Ge 22:16 26:3,4 Heb 6:13

I will multiply Ge 12:2,7 13:15,16 15:5,7,18 26:4 28:13,14 35:11,12 48:16

14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

De 32:26 2Sa 24:16 1Ch 21:15 Ps 106:45 Jer 18:8 26:13,19 Joe 2:13 Jon 3:10 4:2

15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

turned Ex 24:18 De 9:15

the testimony Ex 16:34 40:20 De 5:22 Ps 19:7

written Re 5:1

16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

Ex 31:18 34:1,4 De 9:9-11,15 10:1 2Co 3:3,7 Heb 8:10

17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

Joshua had waited patiently during all the forty days, in the place where Moses had left him--below the summit of the mount, at a distance from the people, and out of the way of temptation. Joshua Ex 17:9 24:13

they shouted Ex 32:18 Ezr 3:11-13 Ps 47:1

there is a noise Jos 6:5,10,16,20 Jud 15:14 1Sa 4:5,6 17:20,52 Job 39:25 Jer 51:14 Am 1:14 2:2

18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

being overcome. Heb. weakness. but the Ex 15:1 Da 5:4,23

19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

he saw Ex 32:4-6 De 9:16,17

the dancing Ex 15:20 2Sa 6:14 La 5:15

anger Ex 32:11 Nu 12:3 Mt 5:22 Mr 3:5 10:14 Eph 4:26

brake them De 9:17 27:26 Jer 31:32 Zec 11:10,11,14

20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

took the calf. How truly contemptible must the object of their idolatry appear, when they were obliged to drink their god, reduced to powder, and strewed on the water! Some have asked, how gold, the most ductile and ponderous of all metals, could have been stamped into dust, and strewed on the water. In De. 9:21, this is fully explained. I took, says Moses, your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire; that is, melted it down, probably into ingots or gross plates, and stamped it, beat it into thin laminae, something like our gold leaf, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust, which might be very easily done by the action of the hands, when beat into thin plates or leaves as the original words ekkoth, and dak, imply. De 7:5,25 9:21 2Ki 23:6,15

made the Pr 1:31 14:14

21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

Ge 20:9 26:10 De 13:6-8 1Sa 26:19 Jos 7:19-26 1Ki 14:16 21:22 2Ki 21:9-11

22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.

knowest Ex 14:11 15:24 16:2-4,20,28 17:2-4 De 9:7,24

that they are De 31:27 1Sa 15:24 Ps 36:4 Pr 4:16

23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Ex 32:1-4,8

24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

so they Ex 32:4 Ge 3:12,13 Lu 10:29 Ro 3:10

25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

naked. The term naked may mean either that they were unarmed and defenceless, or ashamed from the consciousness of guilt Ex 33:4-6 Ge 3:10 Isa 47:3 Ho 2:3 Mic 1:11 Re 3:17,18 16:15

Aaron De 9:20 2Ch 28:19

shame Eze 16:63 Da 12:2 Ro 6:21

their enemies. Heb. those that rose up against them

26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

who is on Jos 5:13 2Sa 20:11 2Ki 9:32 Mt 12:30

27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.

slay every man Ex 32:26,29 Nu 25:5,7-12 De 33:8,9 Lu 14:26 2Co 5:16

28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.

children De 33:9 Mal 2:4-6

there fell Nu 16:32-35,41 1Co 10:8 Heb 2:2,3

29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

or, another reading of this verse is: And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord; because every man hath been against his son and against his brother. Moses Nu 25:11-13 De 13:6-11 33:9,10 1Sa 15:18-22 Pr 21:3 Joe 2:12 Zec 13:3 Mt 10:37

consecrate. Heb. fill your hands

30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

ye have Ex 32:31 1Sa 2:17 12:20,23 2Sa 12:9 2Ki 17:21 Lu 7:47 15:18

peradventure 2Sa 16:12 Am 5:15 Jon 3:9 2Ti 2:25

an atonement Ex 32:32 Nu 16:47 25:13 Job 42:7,8 Ro 9:3 Ga 3:13 Jas 5:16

31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

returned Ex 34:28 De 9:18,19

sinned Ex 32:30 Ezr 9:6,7,15 Ne 9:33 Da 9:5,8,11

made Ex 20:4,23

32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

if thou Nu 14:19 Da 9:18,19 Am 7:2 Lu 23:34

blot me. Allusion may be made to the registry of births, in which those born of a particular tribe were entered in the list of their respective families under that tribe. This was the book of life; and when any died, his name might be considered as blotted out of this list. But as Moses addressed the Lord, he undoubtedly referred, by faith, to the book of God's remembrance. Ex 32:10 De 9:14 25:19 29:20 Ps 56:8 69:28 139:16 Eze 13:9 Da 12:1 Ro 9:3 Php 4:3 Re 3:5 17:8 21:27 22:19

33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

sinned Le 23:30 Ps 69:28 Eze 18:4

my book Ps 109:13,14 Php 4:3 Re 13:8 20:12

34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

mine Angel Ex 23:20 33:2,14,15 Nu 20:16 Isa 63:9

the day Ex 20:5 Nu 14:27-30 De 32:35 Jer 5:9,29 Am 3:14 Mt 23:35 Ro 2:4-6

35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Ex 32:25 2Sa 12:9,10 Mt 27:3-7 Ac 1:18 7:41