Exodus 32:3

32:3 So all ¹  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 ²  to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” ³ 

Exodus 32:2

32:2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ⁴ 

[32:3]  ¹ tn This “all” is a natural hyperbole in the narrative, for it means the large majority of the people.

[32:24]  ² tn Here “it” has been supplied.

[32:24]  ³ 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.

[32:2]  ³ sn B. Jacob (Exodus, 937-38) argues that Aaron simply did not have the resolution that Moses did, and wanting to keep peace he gave in to the crowd. He also tries to explain that Aaron was wanting to show their folly through the deed. U. Cassuto also says that Aaron’s request for the gold was a form of procrastination, but that the people quickly did it and so he had no alternative but to go through with it (Exodus, 412). These may be right, since Aaron fully understood what was wrong with this, and what the program was all about. The text gives no strong indication to support these ideas, but there are enough hints from the way Aaron does things to warrant such a conclusion.