Exodus 32:3

32:3 So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Exodus 32:24

32:24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”


tn This “all” is a natural hyperbole in the narrative, for it means the large majority of the people.

tn Here “it” has been supplied.

sn Aaron first tried to blame the people, and then he tried to make it sound like a miracle – was it to sound like one of the plagues where out of the furnace came life? This text does not mention it, but Deut 9:20 tells how angry God was with Aaron. Only intercession saved his life.