Exodus 32:28

28 And the sons of Levi did as Moses spoke to them, and there fell of the people in that day to the three thousand men.

Exodus 32:28 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 32:28

And the children of Levi did according to the word of
Moses
They girded their swords by their sides, went through the camp, and slew their brethren, companions and neighbours, who were keeping holy day in honour of the idol:

and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men;
the Vulgate Latin version reads 23,000, very wrongly; now these being chiefly, if not altogether, of the tribe of Levi, the brethren, companions, and neighbours of the Levites, that were the slayers, together with the after plagues that came upon them, ( Exodus 32:35 ) account for the deficiency of males in this tribe, some few months after, when it was numbered; and the number of them from one month old and upwards amounted but to 22,000, which was but a very small one in proportion to the other tribes, who generally, one with another, numbered 40,000 each, and none so few as 30,000 ^F18; of this tribe Aaron was, and therefore used with severity, because of his concern in this sin; and even though it was the tribe of Moses, it was not spared.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 See the Bishop of Clogber's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible, p. 360, 362.

Exodus 32:28 In-Context

26 then stood Moses at the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come to me. Then all the sons of Levi came to him.

27 And he says to them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every one his sword on his thigh, and go through and return from gate to gate through the camp, and slay every one his brother, and every one his neighbour, and every one him that is nearest to him.

28 And the sons of Levi did as Moses spoke to them, and there fell of the people in that day to the three thousand men.

29 And Moses said to them, Ye have filled your hands this day to the Lord each one on his son or on his brother, so that blessing should be given to you.

30 And it came to pass after the morrow , that Moses said to the people, Ye have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up to God, that I may make atonement for your sin.