Exodus 32:3

3 And all the people took off the rings of gold that [were] on their ears and brought [it] to Aaron.

Exodus 32:3 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 32:3

And all the people brake off the golden earrings, which
were in their ears
The men took off their earrings, and persuaded their wives and children, or obliged them to part with theirs; though the Targum of Jonathan says the women refused to give their ornaments to their husbands, therefore all the people immediately broke off all the golden ornaments which were in their ears {x}, so intent were they upon idolatry. This is to be understood not of every individual, but of the greatest part of the people; so apostle explains it of some of them, ( 1 Corinthians 10:7 ) . Idolaters spare no cost nor pains to support their worship, and will strip themselves, their wives, and children, of their ornaments, to deck their idols; which may shame the worshippers of the true God, who are oftentimes too backward to contribute towards the maintenance of his worship and service:

and brought [them] unto Aaron:
presently, the selfsame day; they soon forgot the commands enjoined them to have no other gods, save one, and to make no graven image to bow down to it, and their own words, ( Exodus 24:7 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 So Pirke Eliezer, c. 45.

Exodus 32:3 In-Context

1 And the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, and the people gathered opposite Aaron, and they said to him, "Come, make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

2 And Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that [are] on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring [it] to me."

3 And all the people took off the rings of gold that [were] on their ears and brought [it] to Aaron.

4 And he took from their hand, and he shaped it with a tool, and he made it a cast-image bull calf, and they said, "These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."

5 And Aaron saw, and he built an altar before it, and Aaron called, and he said, "A feast for Yahweh tomorrow."