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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 32:30-35

Moses, having executed justice upon the principal offenders, is here dealing both with the people and with God. I. With the people, to bring them to repentance, Exod. 32:30. 1. When some were slain, lest the rest should imagine that, because they were exempt from the capital punishment, they were therefore looked upon as free from guilt, Moses here tells the survivors, You have sinned a great sin, and therefore, though you have escaped this time, except you repent, you shall all likewise... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 32:32

Yet now, if thou will forgive their sin ,.... Of thy free grace, good will, and pleasure; it will redound to thy glory, men will praise thy name on account of it; these people will have great reason to be thankful, and will lie under great obligations to thee, to fear, serve, and glorify thee; and in particular it will be regarded by me as the highest favour that can be asked or granted: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book which thou hast written ; not the book of the law,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 32:32

Forgive their sin - ; and if not, blot me - out of thy book - It is probable that one part of Moses' work during the forty days of his residence on the mount with God, was his regulating the muster-roll of all the tribes and families of Israel, in reference to the parts they were respectively to act in the different transactions in the wilderness, promised land, etc.; and this, being done under the immediate direction of God, is termed God's book which he had written, (such muster-rolls, or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 32:15-35

Judgment and mercy. I. THE DESCENT or MOSES THE EMBLEM OF THE LAW 'S ENTRANCE INTO A WORLD OF SIN ( Exodus 32:15-29 ). 1 . He came with tables written by God's own finger. The Divine origin and claims of the law are still attested by its own nature and by man's conscience. 2 . He was met by the exhibition of gross and defiant sin. The law does not come to a people waiting to receive the knowledge of God's will, but busy with their idolatry and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 32:30-34

Moses as the forerunner of Christ. " A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you like unto me," said the great lawgiver, ere he left the earth ( Deuteronomy 17:15 , Deuteronomy 17:18 ); and the parallelism between Christ and Moses is in many respects most striking. 1 . Both were of obscure birth—"the son of a carpenter"—the son of "a man of the house of Levi." 2 . Both were in great peril in infancy—their life sought by the civil ruler—Herod—Pharaoh. 3 . Both... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 32:30-35

The second intercession. This second intercession of Moses is even more wonderful than the first. The question raised on that former occasion—Is Moses more merciful than God?—will, indeed, no longer occur. Those who might have been disposed to press that question then will probably not be disposed to press it now. They have since had sufficient evidence of Moses' severity. They have found that, whatever elements of character are lacking to him, he is not wanting in energy of indignation at... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 32:31-32

The confession and intercession of Moses. Notice here— I. THE AMPLITUDE OF THIS CONFESSION . It is very necessary to contrast the words of Moses in Exodus 32:31 and Exodus 32:32 with his previous words in Exodus 32:11-13 . What a difference there is in the ground, elements, and tone of the two appeals! and this difference is fully explained by the experience through which he had been in the interval. It was a bitter and humiliating experience—we may almost say an... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 32:32

If thou wilt forgive their sin . The ellipsis which follows, is to be supplied by some such words, as "well and good"—" I am content"—" I have no more to say." Similar eases of ellipses will be found in Danial Exodus 3:5 ; Luke 13:9 ; Luke 19:42 ; John 6:62 ; Romans 9:22 . And if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book . Some interpret this as merely equivalent to, "Blot me out of the book of the living," and explain that phrase as meaning simply—"Take my life—kill me... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 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 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 Numbers 12:3; and... read more

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