
Text -- Exodus 32:7 (NET)




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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
JFB -> Exo 32:7-14
JFB: Exo 32:7-14 - -- Intelligence of the idolatrous scene enacted at the foot of the mount was communicated to Moses in language borrowed from human passions and feelings,...
Intelligence of the idolatrous scene enacted at the foot of the mount was communicated to Moses in language borrowed from human passions and feelings, and the judgment of a justly offended God was pronounced in terms of just indignation against the gross violation of the so recently promulgated laws.
Clarke -> Exo 32:7
Clarke: Exo 32:7 - -- Thy people - have corrupted themselves - They had not only got into the spirit of idolatry, but they had become abominable in their conduct, so that...
Thy people - have corrupted themselves - They had not only got into the spirit of idolatry, but they had become abominable in their conduct, so that God disowns them to be his: Thy people have broken the covenant, and are no longer entitled to my protection and love
This is one pretense that the Roman Catholics have for the idolatry in their image worship. Their high priest, the pope, collects the ornaments of the people, and makes an image, a crucifix, a madonna, etc. The people worship it; but the pope says it is only to keep God in remembrance. But of the whole God says, Thy people have corrupted themselves; and thus as they continue in their idolatry, they have forfeited the blessings of the Lord’ s covenant. They are not God’ s people, they are the pope’ s people, and he is called "our holy father the pope."
Calvin -> Exo 32:7
Calvin: Exo 32:7 - -- 7.And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down. This was a violent temptation to shake the faith of Moses. He thought that his own and the peopleâ...
7.And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down. This was a violent temptation to shake the faith of Moses. He thought that his own and the people’s happiness was absolutely complete, when God’s covenant was engraven on the tables to secure its perpetuity; whereas now he hears that this covenant was violated, and almost annihilated by the perfidy and rebellion of the people, whilst its abolition involved the loss of salvation and all other blessings. Moreover, that God might more sorely wound the mind of the holy man, He addresses him exactly as if part of the ignominy fell upon himself; for there is an indirect reproach implied in the words, “thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt.” Yet Moses had only taken this charge upon him by God’s command, and, indeed, unwillingly; how, then, is this deliverance thrown in his teeth, wherein he had only obeyed God? and why is his devotedness spoken of in mockery, as if he had bestowed his labor amiss, when no part of the blame attaches to him? I have already said that God sometimes thus pierces the hearts of the godly to the quick, in order to prove their patience, as if their well-directed zeal had been the cause of the evils which occur. Some 335 give too subtle an exposition to this, viz., that they are called the people of Moses, because they had ceased to be the people of God; and suppose that there is an antithesis here, as if it were said, — your people, and not mine; but I fear this is not well founded; for, since they had broken the covenant, they were not more alienated from God than from Moses the minister of the Law. I do not deny that it is an implied renunciation of them; but we must bear in mind that design of God, to which I have already adverted, that Moses was in a manner implicated in their crime, in order that his patience might be tried, and also that he might be more grieved at its enormity. Meanwhile, it is obvious that God refers to His recent grace, because it was a monstrous and incredible thing that those who had been lately delivered by this amazing power, and with whom He had just renewed His covenant, should be so suddenly drawn away into rebellion. He adds also, in aggravation of their crime, that they had immediately turned aside from the way which was pointed out to them. Forty days had not yet elapsed since Moses left them, when they were impelled by their depravity to such madness as this. A little time ago they had manifested a wonderful zeal for God’s service, by abundantly contributing what was required; the glory of the tabernacle was presented to their eyes to restrain them; and yet they burst through all these barriers, and rush impetuously after their own lust, when scarcely six months had passed since the promulgation of the Law. The verb
TSK -> Exo 32:7
TSK: Exo 32:7 - -- Go : Exo 19:24, Exo 33:1; Deu 9:12; Dan 9:24
thy people : Exo 32:1, Exo 32:11
corrupted : Gen 6:11, Gen 6:12; Deu 4:16, Deu 32:5; Jdg 2:19; Hos 9:9

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Exo 32:7-35
Barnes: Exo 32:7-35 - -- The faithfulness of Moses in the office that had been entrusted to him was now to be put to the test. It was to be made manifest whether he loved hi...
The faithfulness of Moses in the office that had been entrusted to him was now to be put to the test. It was to be made manifest whether he loved his own glory better than he loved the brethren who were under his charge; whether he would prefer that he should himself become the founder of a "great nation,"or that the Lord’ s promise should be fulfilled in the whole people of Israel. This may have been especially needful for Moses, in consequence of his natural disposition. See Num 12:3; and compare Exo 3:11. With this trial of Moses repeated in a very similar manner Num 14:11-23, may be compared the trial of Abraham Gen. 22 and of our Saviour Mat 4:8-10.
These be thy gods ... have brought - This is thy god, O Israel, who has brought ...
Let me alone - But Moses did not let the Lord alone; he wrestled, as Jacob had done, until, like Jacob, he obtained the blessing Gen 32:24-29.
This states a fact which was not revealed to Moses until after his second intercession when he had come down from the mountain and witnessed the sin of the people Exo 32:30-34. He was then assured that the Lord’ s love to His ancient people would prevail God is said, in the language of Scripture, to "repent,"when His forgiving love is seen by man to blot out the letter of His judgments against sin (2Sa 24:16; Joe 2:13; Jon 3:10, etc.); or when the sin of man seems to human sight to have disappointed the purposes of grace (Gen 6:6; 1Sa 15:35, etc.). The awakened conscience is said to "repent,"when, having felt its sin, it feels also the divine forgiveness: it is at this crisis that God, according to the language of Scripture, repents toward the sinner. Thus, the repentance of God made known in and through the One true Mediator reciprocates the repentance of the returning sinner, and reveals to him atonement.
Moses does not tell Joshua of the divine communication that had been made to him respecting the apostasy of the people, but only corrects his impression by calling his attention to the kind of noise which they are making.
Though Moses had been prepared by the revelation on the Mount, his righteous indignation was stirred up beyond control when the abomination was before his eyes.
See Deu 9:21. What is related in this verse must have occupied some time and may have followed the rebuke of Aaron. The act was symbolic, of course. The idol was brought to nothing and the people were made to swallow their own sin (compare Mic 7:13-14).
Aaron’ s reference to the character of the people, and his manner of stating what he had done Exo. 5:24, are very characteristic of the deprecating language of a weak mind.
Make us gods - Make us a god.
Naked - Rather unruly, or "licentious".
Shame among their enemies - Compare Psa 44:13; Psa 79:4; Deu 28:37.
The tribe of Levi, Moses’ own tribe, now distinguished itself by immediately returning to its allegiance and obeying the call to fight on the side of Yahweh. We need not doubt that the 3,000 who were slain were those who persisted in resisting Moses. The spirit of the narrative forbids us to conceive that the act of the Levites was anything like an indiscriminate massacre. An amnesty had first been offered to all by the words: "Who is on the Lord’ s side?"Those who were forward to draw the sword were directed not to spare their closest relations or friends; but this must plainly have been with an understood qualification as regards the conduct of those who were to be slain. Had it not been so, they who were on the Lord’ s side would have had to destroy each other. We need not stumble at the bold, simple way in which the statement is made.
Consecrate yourselves to day to the Lord ... - The margin contains the literal rendering. Our version gives the most probable meaning of the Hebrew, and is supported by the best authority. The Levites were to prove themselves in a special way the servants of Yahweh, in anticipation of their formal consecration as ministers of the sanctuary (compare Deu 10:8), by manifesting a self-sacrificing zeal in carrying out the divine command, even upon their nearest relatives.
Returned unto the Lord - i. e. again he ascended the mountain.
Gods of gold - a god of gold.
For a similar form of expression, in which the conclusion is left to be supplied by the mind of the reader, see Dan 3:15; Luk 13:9; Luk 19:42; Joh 6:62; Rom 9:22. For the same thought, see Rom 9:3. It is for such as Moses and Paul to realize, and to dare to utter, their readiness to be wholly sacrificed for the sake of those whom God has entrusted to their love. This expresses the perfected idea of the whole burnt-offering.
Thy book - The figure is taken from the enrolment of the names of citizens. This is its first occurrence in the Scriptures. See the marginal references. and Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Luk 10:20; Phi 4:3; Rev 3:5, etc.
Each offender was to suffer for his own sin. Compare Exo 20:5; Eze 18:4, Eze 18:20. Moses was not to be taken at his word. He was to fulfill his appointed mission of leading on the people toward the land of promise.
Mine Angel shall go before thee - See the marginal references and Gen 12:7.
In the day when I visit ... - Compare Num 14:22-24. But though the Lord chastized the individuals, He did not take His blessing from the nation.
Poole -> Exo 32:7
Poole: Exo 32:7 - -- No longer my people , as God had called them hitherto, Exo 3:7 5:1 , &c.; they have forsaken me, and I do hereby renounce them.
No longer my people , as God had called them hitherto, Exo 3:7 5:1 , &c.; they have forsaken me, and I do hereby renounce them.
Haydock -> Exo 32:7
Haydock: Exo 32:7 - -- Thy people. They are not worthy to be styled my people; and thou didst ratify the covenant with me, in their name, and as their interpreter. They h...
Thy people. They are not worthy to be styled my people; and thou didst ratify the covenant with me, in their name, and as their interpreter. They have sinned, giving way to idolatry in thought, word, and deed.
Gill -> Exo 32:7
Gill: Exo 32:7 - -- And the Lord said unto Moses, go, get thee down,.... In Deu 9:12 it is added, "quickly", and so the Septuagint version here: this was said after the L...
And the Lord said unto Moses, go, get thee down,.... In Deu 9:12 it is added, "quickly", and so the Septuagint version here: this was said after the Lord had finished his discourse with him, and had given him the two tables of stone, and he was about to depart, but the above affair happening he hastens his departure; indeed the idolatry began the day before, and he could have acquainted him with it, if it had been his pleasure, but he suffered the people to go the greatest length before a stop was put to their impiety:
for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves; their works, as the Targum of Jonathan supplies it, their ways and their manners; their minds, the imaginations of their hearts, were first corrupted, and this led on to a corruption of actions, by which they corrupted and defiled themselves yet more and more, and made themselves abominable in the sight of God, as corrupt persons and things must needs be; and what can be a greater corruption and abomination than idolatry? the Lord calls these people not his people, being displeased with them, though they had been, and were, and still continued; for, notwithstanding this idolatry, he did not cast them off from being his people, or write a "Loammi" on them; but he calls them Moses's people, as having broken the law delivered to them by him, they had promised to obey, and so were liable to the condemnation and curse of it; and because they had been committed to his care and charge, and he had been the instrument of their deliverance, and therefore it was great ingratitude to him to act the part they had done, as well as impiety to God; wherefore, though it was the Lord that brought them out of Egypt, it is ascribed to Moses as the instrument, to make the evil appear the greater. Jarchi very wrongly makes these people to be the mixed multitude he supposes Moses had proselyted, and therefore called his people.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Exo 32:1-35
TSK Synopsis: Exo 32:1-35 - --1 The people, in the absence of Moses, cause Aaron to make a calf.7 God informs Moses, who intercedes for Israel, and prevails.15 Moses comes down wit...
Maclaren -> Exo 32:1-8
Maclaren: Exo 32:1-8 - --Exodus 32:1-8; 32:30-35
It was not yet six weeks since the people had sworn, All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and be obedient.' The blood of ...
MHCC -> Exo 32:7-14
MHCC: Exo 32:7-14 - --God says to Moses, that the Israelites had corrupted themselves. Sin is the corruption of the sinner, and it is a self-corruption; every man is tempte...
Matthew Henry -> Exo 32:7-14
Matthew Henry: Exo 32:7-14 - -- Here, I. God acquaints Moses with what was doing in the camp while he was absent, Exo 32:7, Exo 32:8. He could have told him sooner, as soon as the ...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Exo 32:7-14
Keil-Delitzsch: Exo 32:7-14 - --
Before Moses left the mountain, God told him of the apostasy of the people (Exo 32:7, Exo 32:8). " Thy people, which thou hast brought out of Egypt:...
Constable: Exo 15:22--Lev 1:1 - --II. THE ADOPTION OF ISRAEL 15:22--40:38
The second major section of Exodus records the events associated with Go...

Constable: Exo 32:1--34:35 - --D. The breaking and renewal of the covenant chs. 32-34
"If a narrative paradigmatic of what Exodus is re...

Constable: Exo 32:1-35 - --1. The failure of Israel ch. 32
The scene shifts now and we see what was happening in the Israel...
