Exodus 33:4

4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and no one put on their ornaments.

Exodus 33:4 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 33:4

And when the people heard these evil tidings
That God would withdraw his gracious presence, and go not up with them himself, only send an angel with them; and especially this may respect what is threatened, ( Exodus 33:5 ) and had been said at this time:

they mourned;
were inwardly and heartily grieved for their sin, whereby they had provoked the Lord to depart from them, and gave some outward and open tokens of it:

and no man did put on his ornaments;
they used to wear at other times, their rings and jewels, which the princes and the chief among the people especially were wont to wear; and in common the people did not put on their best clothes, or what they usually wore, but clothed themselves in mournful habits, in sackcloth and ashes, or in some such like manner.

Exodus 33:4 In-Context

2 (And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.)

3 Unto the land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people lest I consume thee in the way.

4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned, and no one put on their ornaments.

5 For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people; I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment and consume thee; therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee that I may know what to do unto thee.

6 Then the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb on.