Exodus 32:1

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

When the people saw that Moses delayed, х buwsh (H954), to be ashamed or disappointed;-Piel, to shame or disappoint a person waiting (Judges 3:25), and hence, to delay.] They supposed, as some Jewish writers allege, that he had lost his way in the darkness, or perished in the flames of Sinai.

The people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, х `al (H5921) 'Ahªron (H175)] (cf. Numbers 15:3; Heb. 17:7 , Eng. version, 16:42) - 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; and 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 with, 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. Josephus, from a feeling natural to him as a patriotic Jew, but discreditable to him as a faithful historian, omits this episode as an indelible disgrace to his nation; and the Jews themselves were accustomed to say that never did they suffer any national calamity but there was something of the golden calf in it.

And said unto him, Up, make us gods. The Hebrew word rendered "gods" is simply the name of God in its plural form, which, when applied to the Divine Being, is commonly accompanied with a verb singular, though sometimes (Genesis 20:13; Genesis 35:7; Nehemiah 9:18), as here, with a plural. [Jerome adheres to the idea of plurality; and so also the Septuagint, which has: poieeson heemin theous hoi proporeusontai heemoon.] And the translation might be, 'Make us a god, who shall go before us.' In confirmation of this view, it is to be observed that 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-they could not form, or at least they could not retain, the permanent conception of an unseen spiritual deity; and as the cloud of which they had hitherto enjoyed the sight seemed, as well as Moses, to have withdrawn to the summit of the mount, they wished for some visible material object as the symbol of the divine presence, which should go before them as the mystic pillar had done.

For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. They admit the immense obligations under which they lay to Moses, and yet such was their fickleness or ingratitude, that they could think as well as speak with cold indifference of the loss of the patriotic leader. They knew that Moses had ascended the mount to commune with God, in compliance with their own urgent solicitation that he would act as their mediator; and on his departure he made arrangements in the governmental department which implied a protracted absence, so that they ought not to have been surprised by his non-appearance. But the want of their leader was a privation painfully felt; and while the eyes of the well-disposed Israelites would be often and anxiously directed toward the mount, in the hope of descrying his well-known form descending the heights, the degraded and disorderly portion of the people, losing all patience, broke out into loud murmurs, which ended in open rebellion.