The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 301

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XXXII. to oome down. He had been abs~nt, probably above e. month. It we.s the first day of their Vera. 1-6.-THE IDOLATRY OF THE GOLDEN worship when he descended ; and " week CALF, During the absence of Moses in Mount would suffice for the collection of the orn1L- Sinai, an absence of nearly six weeks, the ments, the formation of the mould, e.nd the Israelites grew impatient, and regarding their ea.sting of the idol. 1Jnto Aaron. It is not clear why no mention is made of Hur, who leader 11B lost to them, and the Divine Presence had been made co-regent with Aaron ( eh. which they had hitherto enjoyed as lost with xxiv. H:); but perhaps Ae.ron we.s known to him, insisted on having e. symbol of that pre- be the wee.ker of the two. Up, make ua goda. sence made for them, which should henceforth Most modems tre.nsle.te " e. god." But the go in front of the host ond so lead them on in word is vague, e.nd the spee.kers did not them- selves perhe.ps ea.re whether one idol we.s made their journeyings. It would seem that the or more. Which shall go before us. The pillar of the cloud, which bad gone before Israelites were apparently tired of their long them from Succotb to Sinai, was now removed delay e.t Sinai, e.nd were anxious to proceed from the camp, and resting upon the " mount" upon their journey. They wanted e. visible where Moses was (eh. xxiv, 15). Under these god e.t their hee.d, to give them confidence e.nd courage. Compare 1 Se.m. iv. 3-8. We circumstances they wanted a visible tangible wot not what is beoome of biJD. He might, something, in which they could regard the they thought, be dead-he might he.ve re- Divine Presence e.s resting, and whereto they turned to Egypt-he might be going to stay might offer worship e.nd sacrilice (ver. 8). always with God in the mount which they did They therefore went to Aaron, whom Moses not de.re to e.pproe.ch. At any rate, he was lost to them, e.nd they might never see him be.d bid them consult in any difficulty ( eh. again. xxiv. 14), e.nd requested him to" make them Ver. 2.-Break off. "Take off" would per- a god." Aaron be.d not the courage to meet haps be e. better translation. The ear-rings this request with a plain negative. AB Augus- would not require e.ny breaking. They were tine e.nd Theodoret conjecture with much penannular, e.nd could be removed by e. smart pull. Your wivea, :,our aou, and :,om probability, be sought to turn them from their dau.ghten. See the comment on eh. iii. 22 purpose by asking them to give up those It is implied the.t the men did not wear ear- possessions which he conceived that they mast rings. At an earlier date the household of valued-viz. the personal ornaments of their Ja.cob, chiefiy men, bad worn them (Gen. wives e.nd children. But he had miscalculated XXXV. 4). Vee. 3.-All the people broke off the golden the strength of their fe.ne.ticism. The people ear-rlnga. Thus, e.s is supposed, dise.ppoinfing immediately complied- the ornaments were Aaron, who had counted on the refusal of the brought in-e.nd Aaron was compelled, either women to fart with their finerv, e.nd the reluctance o the men to compel them. Had to By from his word, or to lend himself to the people's wishes. He did the latter. Either ear-rings been still regarded a.s amulets (Gen. looking to Egypt for e. pattern, or falling back I. s. c.) it is not likely that they would ha,·e been so readily given up. on some old form of Syrian or Cbaldaie.n Ver. 4.-Ancl fashioned it with a graving idolatry (see the comment on ver. 4), he tool Rather, "e.nd bound it (the gold) i11 a melted down the gold e.nd ce.st it into the form bag." Compare 2 Kings v. 23, where the of a calf. The '' god " being thus made, e.n same two Hebrew words occur in the same sense. It is impossible to extract from the altar wea built to it (ver. 5) e.nd sacrifice offered origine.l the sense given in the Authorised (ver 6). Such we.s the condition of affairs Version, since the simple copula. vau C!lllnot when Moses, having just received the two mean" after.• When two verbs in these.me tables of stone, we.s we.rued by God of what bad tense are conjoined by oou "e.nd," the two occurred, and bidden to descend from Sinai. actions n1ust be simultaneous, or the lt1.tter follow the former. But the calf cannot b11.ve Ver. 1.-Tbe people se.w that Mose■ delayed been i:r11.ven rirst, o.nd then molten. It i.s .t:XODU~-11. "  TTIE TlOOK OF EXODUS. [en. n:,:11. 1-0;