1Und das Volk sah, daß Mose verzog, vom Berge herabzukommen; und das Volk kam zusammen zu Aharon und sprachen zu ihm: Mache dich auf! mach uns Götter, die vor uns gehen; denn dieser Mose, der Mann, der uns aus Ägyptenland heraufgebracht: wir wissen nicht, was mit ihm geschehen ist. 2Und Aharon sprach zu ihnen: Reißet ab die goldenen Reife in den Ohren eurer Weiber, eurer Söhne und eurer Töchter und bringt sie mir. 3Und das ganze Volk riß sich die goldenen Reife, die in ihren Ohren waren, ab, und brachten sie zu Aharon. 4Und er nahm sie von ihrer Hand und bildete es mit dem Meißel und machte es zu einem gegossenen Kalb. Und sie sprachen: Dies sind deine Götter, Israel, die dich aus Ägyptenland heraufgebracht. 5Und Aharon sah es, und baute einen Altar vor ihm, und Aharon rief aus und sprach: Morgen ist ein Fest für Jehovah! 6Und früh am morgenden Tag standen sie auf und opferten Brandopfer auf und brachten Friedensopfer herbei, und das Volk setzte sich zu essen und zu trinken, und standen auf zum Spiel. 7Und Jehovah redete zu Mose: Geh, steig hinab; denn verderblich handelt dein Volk, das du aus Ägyptenland heraufgebracht. 8Eilends sind sie von dem Wege gewichen, den Ich ihnen geboten hatte. Sie haben sich ein gegossen Kalb gemacht und haben es angebetet und ihm geopfert, und gesagt: Dies sind deine Götter, Israel, die dich aus Ägyptenland heraufgebracht. 9Und Jehovah sprach zu Mose: Ich habe dieses Volk gesehen, und siehe, es ist ein hartnäckiges Volk. 10Und nun laß Mich bleiben, daß Mein Zorn gegen sie entbrenne, und Ich sie verzehre. Dich aber will Ich zu einer großen Völkerschaft machen. 11Und Mose flehte vor dem Angesicht Jehovahs, seines Gottes, und sprach: Warum soll Dein Zorn entbrennen, Jehovah, wider Dein Volk, das Du mit großer Kraft und starker Hand aus Ägyptenland heraufgebracht? 12Warum sollen die Ägypter sprechen und sagen: Zum Übel hat Er sie herausgebracht, um sie auf den Bergen zu erwürgen und vom Boden sie wegzutilgen? Kehre zurück vom Entbrennen Deines Zorns, und laß Dich des Bösen über Dein Volk gereuen! 13Gedenke Abrahams, Isaaks und Israels, Deiner Knechte, denen Du geschworen bei Dir selbst, und zu denen Du geredet hast: Euren Samen will Ich mehren wie die Sterne des Himmels, und all dieses Land, davon Ich sagte, will Ich eurem Samen geben, und sie sollen es ewiglich erben. 14Und Jehovah ließ Sich gereuen des Bösen, wovon Er geredet hatte, Seinem Volke anzutun. 15Und Mose wandte sich und ging vom Berg hinab, und die zwei Tafeln des Zeugnisses waren in seiner Hand, Tafeln von beiden Seiten her beschrieben. Von dieser und von der anderen Seite waren sie geschrieben. 16Und die Tafeln waren von Gott gemacht. Und das Geschriebene war von Gott geschrieben und auf die Tafeln eingegraben. 17Und Jehoschuah hörte die Stimme des Volkes in seinem Jubeln und sprach zu Mose: Die Stimme des Kriegs ist im Lager. 18Und er sprach: Das ist nicht Stimme des Geschreis des Obsiegens, noch die Stimme des Geschreis des Unterliegens; solches ist wie die Stimme des Elends, was ich höre. 19Und es geschah, als er dem Lager nahte und das Kalb und die Reigentänze sah, da entbrannte Moses Zorn, und er warf die Tafeln aus seinen Händen und zerbrach sie unten am Berg. 20Und er nahm das Kalb, das sie gemacht hatten und verbrannte es im Feuer, und zermahlte es, bis daß es fein war, und sprengte es auf das Wasser und ließ die Söhne Israels es trinken. 21Und Mose sprach zu Aharon: Was hat dir dieses Volk getan, daß du eine so große Sünde über dasselbe gebracht hast? 22Und Aharon sprach: Es entbrenne nicht der Zorn meines Herrn; du weißt, daß dieses Volk im Bösen ist. 23Und sie sprachen zu mir: Mache uns Götter, daß sie vor uns hergehen; denn der Mose da, der Mann, der uns von Ägyptenland heraufgebracht: wir wissen nicht, was ihm geschehen ist. 24Und ich sprach zu ihnen: Wer Gold hat, der reiße es sich ab. Und sie gaben es mir, und ich warf es ins Feuer, und dieses Kalb kam heraus. 25Und Mose sah, daß das Volk losgelassen war, da es Aharon losgelassen, so daß sie zum Gespötte würden denen, die wider sie aufständen; 26Und Mose stand am Tor des Lagers und sprach: Her zu mir, wer Jehovahs ist! Und es versammelten sich alle Söhne Levis zu ihm. 27Und er sprach zu ihnen: So spricht Jehovah, der Gott Israels: Jeder von euch lege sein Schwert an seine Hüfte und gehe hin durch das Lager und kehre wieder von Tor zu Tor und erwürge jeder Mann seinen Bruder, und jeder Mann seinen Genossen, und jeder Mann seinen Nächsten. 28Und die Söhne Levis taten nach dem Worte des Mose, und es fielen von dem Volk an selbigem Tag bei dreitausend Mann. 29Und Mose sprach: Füllet heute eure Hand dem Jehovah, weil jeder wider seinen Sohn und wider seinen Bruder war, auf daß heute ein Segen über euch gegeben werde. 30Und es geschah am morgenden Tag, daß Mose zu dem Volke sprach: Ihr habt eine große Sünde gesündigt, und nun will ich zu Jehovah hinaufgehen. Vielleicht daß ich eure Sünde versöhne. 31Und Mose kehrte zu Jehovah zurück und sprach: Ach, dieses Volk hat eine große Sünde gesündigt, und sich Götter aus Gold gemacht. 32Und nun, möchtest Du doch ihnen ihre Sünde vergeben, wo nicht, so wische mich doch aus Deinem Buche, das Du geschrieben hast. 33Und Jehovah sprach zu Mose: Wer gegen Mich gesündigt hat, den werde Ich von Meinem Buche wischen. 34Und nun geh, führe das Volk, wohin Ich dir gesagt habe, siehe, Mein Engel wird vor dir hergehen; aber am Tage Meiner Heimsuchung werde Ich ihre Sünde an ihnen heimsuchen. 35Und Jehovah schlug das Volk darüber, daß sie das Kalb machten, das Aharon gemacht hatte.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE GOLDEN CALF. (Exo. 32:1-35)
when the people saw that Moses delayed--They supposed that he had lost his way in the darkness or perished in the fire.
the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron--rather, "against" Aaron in a tumultuous manner, to compel him to do what they wished. The incidents related in this chapter disclose a state of popular sentiment and feeling among the Israelites that stands in singular contrast to the tone of profound and humble reverence they displayed at the giving of the law. Within a space of little more than thirty days, their impressions were dissipated. Although they were still encamped upon ground which they had every reason to regard as holy; although the cloud of glory that capped the summit of Sinai was still before their eyes, affording a visible demonstration of their being in close contact, or rather in the immediate presence, of God, they acted as if they had entirely forgotten the impressive scenes of which they had been so recently the witnesses.
said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us--The Hebrew word rendered "gods" is simply the name of God in its plural form. The image made was single, and therefore it would be imputing to the Israelites a greater sin than they were guilty of, to charge them with renouncing the worship of the true God for idols. The fact is, that they required, like children, to have something to strike their senses, and as the Shekinah, "the glory of God," of which they had hitherto enjoyed the sight, was now veiled, they wished for some visible material object as the symbol of the divine presence, which should go before them as the pillar of fire had done.
2 Aaron said, . . . Break off . . . earrings--It was not an Egyptian custom for young men to wear earrings, and the circumstance, therefore, seems to point out "the mixed rabble," who were chiefly foreign slaves, as the ringleaders in this insurrection. In giving direction to break their earrings, Aaron probably calculated on gaining time; or, perhaps, on their covetousness and love of finery proving stronger than their idolatrous propensity. If such were his expectations, they were doomed to signal disappointment. Better to have calmly and earnestly remonstrated with them, or to have preferred duty to expediency, leaving the issue in the hands of Providence.
3 all the people brake off the golden earrings--The Egyptian rings, as seen on the monuments, were round massy plates of metal; and as they were rings of this sort the Israelites wore, their size and number must, in the general collection, have produced a large store of the precious metal.
4 fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf--The words are transposed, and the rendering should be, "he framed with a graving tool the image to be made, and having poured the liquid gold into the mould, he made it a molten calf." It is not said whether it was of life size, whether it was of solid gold or merely a wooden frame covered with plates of gold. This idol seems to have been the god Apis, the chief deity of the Egyptians, worshipped at Memphis under the form of a live ox, three years old. It was distinguished by a triangular white spot on its forehead and other peculiar marks. Images of it in the form of a whole ox, or of a calf's head on the end of a pole, were very common; and it makes a great figure on the monuments where it is represented in the van of all processions, as borne aloft on men's shoulders.
they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt--It is inconceivable that they, who but a few weeks before had witnessed such amazing demonstrations of the true God, could have suddenly sunk to such a pitch of infatuation and brutish stupidity, as to imagine that human art or hands could make a god that should go before them. But it must be borne in mind, that though by election and in name they were the people of God, they were as yet, in feelings and associations, in habits and tastes, little, if at all different, from Egyptians. They meant the calf to be an image, a visible sign or symbol of Jehovah, so that their sin consisted not in a breach of the FIRST [
Exod 20:3], but of the SECOND commandment [
Exod 20:4-
Exod 20:6].
5 Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to the Lord--a remarkable circumstance, strongly confirmatory of the view that they had not renounced the worship of Jehovah, but in accordance with Egyptian notions, had formed an image with which they had been familiar, to be the visible symbol of the divine presence. But there seems to have been much of the revelry that marked the feasts of the heathen.
7 the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down--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.
10 make of thee a great nation--Care must be taken not to suppose this language as betokening any change or vacillation in the divine purpose. The covenant made with the patriarchs had been ratified in the most solemn manner; it could not and never was intended that it should be broken. But the manner in which God spoke to Moses served two important purposes--it tended to develop the faith and intercessory patriotism of the Hebrew leader, and to excite the serious alarm of the people, that God would reject them and deprive them of the privileges they had fondly fancied were so secure.
15 Moses turned, and went down from the mount--The plain, Er-Raheh, is not visible from the top of Jebel Musa, nor can the mount be descended on the side towards that valley; hence Moses and his companion, who on duty had patiently waited his return in the hollow of the mountain's brow, heard the shouting some time before they actually saw the camp.
19 Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands--The arrival of the leader, like the appearance of a specter, arrested the revellers in the midst of their carnival, and his act of righteous indignation when he dashed on the ground the tables of the law, in token that as they had so soon departed from their covenant relation, so God could withdraw the peculiar privileges that He had promised them--that act, together with the rigorous measures that followed, forms one of the most striking scenes recorded in sacred history.
20 he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, &c.--It has been supposed that the gold was dissolved by natron or some chemical substance. But there is no mention of solubility here, or in
Deut 9:21; it was "burned in the fire," to cast it into ingots of suitable size for the operations which follow--"grounded to powder"; the powder of malleable metals can be ground so fine as to resemble dust from the wings of a moth or butterfly; and these dust particles will float in water for hours, and in a running stream for days. These operations of grinding were intended to show contempt for such worthless gods, and the Israelites would be made to remember the humiliating lesson by the state of the water they had drunk for a time [NAPIER]. Others think that as the idolatrous festivals were usually ended with great use of sweet wine, the nauseous draught of the gold dust would be a severe punishment (compare
2Kgs 23:6,
2Kgs 23:15;
2Chr 15:16;
2Chr 34:7).
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot--Aaron cuts a poor figure, making a shuffling excuse and betraying more dread of the anger of Moses than of the Lord (compare
Deut 9:20).
25 naked--either unarmed and defenseless, or ashamed from a sense of guilt. Some think they were literally naked, as the Egyptians performed some of their rites in that indecent manner.
26 Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said--The camp is supposed to have been protected by a rampart after the attack of the Amalekites.
Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me--The zeal and courage of Moses was astonishing, considering he opposed an intoxicated mob. The people were separated into two divisions, and those who were the boldest and most obstinate in vindicating their idolatry were put to death, while the rest, who withdrew in shame or sorrow, were spared.
29 Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord--or, "Ye have consecrated yourselves to-day." The Levites, notwithstanding the dejection of Aaron, distinguished themselves by their zeal for the honor of God and their conduct in doing the office of executioners on this occasion; and this was one reason that they were appointed to a high and honorable office in the service of the sanctuary.
30 Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin--Moses labored to show the people the heinous nature of their sin, and to bring them to repentance. But not content with that, he hastened more earnestly to intercede for them.
32 blot me . . . out of thy book--an allusion to the registering of the living, and erasing the names of those who die. What warmth of affection did he evince for his brethren! How fully was he animated with the true spirit of a patriot, when he professed his willingness to die for them. But Christ actually died for His people (
Rom 5:8).
35 the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf--No immediate judgments were inflicted, but this early lapse into idolatry was always mentioned as an aggravation of their subsequent apostasies.