And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, 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.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. "2. Brake off the golden ear-rings.] Hereby he hoped to break their design; but all in vain for they were "mad upon their idols." Jer 5... [ Continue Reading ]
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron. Ver. 3. _Brake off the golden ear-rings._] Which they had got of the Egyptians. Exo 12:35 To make use of heathen authors for ostentation, is to make a calf of the treasure gotten out of Egypt... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 4. _A molten calf._] In imitation of the Egyptian idol Apis, a pied-bull. A man may pass... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 5. _A feast to Jehovah._] Whom these idolators pretended to worship in the golden calf; as did also Jehu, 2 Kings 10:16 _; 2 Kings 10:29_ 2Ch 11:15 and as the Papist... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 6. _Rose up to play._] To dance about the calf. Now, if they were so cheered and strengthened by those baneful bits, those murdering... [ Continue Reading ]
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]: Ver. 7. _For thy people, which thou broughtest._] God will own them no longer; they are now discovenanted. The saints by gross sins may lose their _ius aptit... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 8. _They have turned aside quickly._] Mo... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it [is] a stiffnecked people: Ver. 9. _A stiffnecked people._] And so they are still to this very day. Jerome _a_ complains that in his time they thrice a day curse _a_ Christ in their synagogue, and closed up their prayers with _M... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 10. _Let me alone._] God is fain to bespeak his own freedom: as if Moses's devotion were stronger than God's indignation. Great is the power of prayer; able,... [ Continue Reading ]
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? Ver. 11. _Lord, why doth thy wrath._] God offered Moses a great fortune. Exo 32:10 He tendering God's... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 12. _Repent of this evil._] God's repenting is _mutatio rei,... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 13. _Remember Abraham._]... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Ver. 14. _And the Lord repented._] See Exodus 32:12. Moses here had a hard pull, but he carried it.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 15. _Written on both their sides._] See the like in other mystical books. Eze 2:10 Rev 5:... [ Continue Reading ]
And the tables [were] the work of God, and the writing [was] the writing of God, graven upon the tables. Ver. 16. _The work of God._] The greater was the people's loss, brought upon them by their sin.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 17. _And when Joshua._] Who had waited, in some part of the mount, the return of his master.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 18. _It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery._] As Joshua, a man of a warlike spirit, was ready to ima... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 19. And Moses's anger waxed hot.] Meekness in this case had been no better than mopishness.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it]. Ver. 20. _And he took the calf._] We may all wish still as Ferus did, that we had some Moses to take away the evils of our... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? Ver. 21. _What did this people unto thee?_] The people sinned by precipitancy; Aaron by popularity.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they [are set] on mischief. Ver. 22. _That they are set on mischief._] The whole world is so. 1 John 2:16 _; _ 1Jn 5:19 _Quomodo Plautus, "In fermento toto iacet uxor."_... [ Continue Reading ]
_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._ Ver. 23. _We wot not what, &c._] See the danger of nonresidency.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 24. _There came out this calf._] A very poor excuse. Something he would have said, if he had known what. Here he "hid his sin as Adam," Job... [ Continue Reading ]
And when Moses saw that the people [were] naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto [their] shame among their enemies:) Ver. 25. _Aaron had made them naked._] As Aaron's engraving instrument writes down his sin: so the confession of other more ingenuous Jews proclaims the Israelites, saying that,... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 26. _Let him come._] This word through haste and earnestness Moses omitteth. The Chaldee and Greek version supply it.... [ Continue Reading ]
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 neighbour. Ver. 27. _Slay every man his brother._] Not all that th... [ Continue Reading ]
And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. Ver. 28. _About three thousand._] Chieftains and ringleaders.... [ Continue Reading ]
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day. Ver. 29. _Consecrate yourselves._] Regain that blessing which your father Levi lost. Genesis 49:5 _; _ Gen 49:7... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 30. _And now I will go up unto the Lord._] As angry as he was, he could pray for them: as when our children,... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Ver. 31. _Made them gods of gold._] Sin must not be confessed in the lump only, and by wholesale, but we must instance the particulars.... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. Ver. 32. _Blot me, I pray thee._] God never revealed his love to Moses more than when he thus earnestly prayed for God's people. Joab never pleased David better than when he made in... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Ver. 33. _Blot out._] Cut him out of the roll of the living.... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 34. _I will visit._] I will pay them home for the new and the old.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. Ver. 35. _They made._] _See Trapp on "_ Exo 32:1 _"_... [ Continue Reading ]