And Moses returned unto the Lord ,.... On the mount where he was in the cloud: and said, oh, this people have sinned a great sin ; which to following words explain; he confesses the same to God he had charged the people with in Exodus 32:30 , and have made them gods of gold ; the golden calf, which they themselves called "Elohim", gods. read more
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
Moses returned unto the Lord - Before he went down from the mountain God had acquainted him with the general defection of the people, whereupon he immediately, without knowing the extent of their crime, began to make intercession for them; and God, having given him a general assurance that they should not be cut off, hastened him to go down, and bring them off from their idolatry. Having descended, he finds matters much worse than he expected, and ordered three thousand of the principal... read more
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
Verse 31 31.And Moses returned unto the Lord This relation does not stand in its proper place, since, as we have already said, Moses does not exactly preserve the order of time. For we shall see in the next chapter that God refuses with respect to His angel what he here accords; since it is (354) a mere quibble to say that a mere ordinary angel is here promised, in whom God will not so manifest His presence as He has done before. Therefore now Moses briefly records what he will afterwards more... read more
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
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
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
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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