Exodus 32:34

34 Therefore now go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to thee: Behold, my angel shall go before thee: Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.

Exodus 32:34 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 32:34

Therefore now go, lead the people [unto the] place of
which I have spoken unto thee
That is, to the land of Canaan, which he had promised to their fathers and to them, and had directed Moses to bring them to:

behold, mine angel shall go before thee:
and not I, as Jarchi interprets it; not the Angel of the covenant, and of his presence, as in ( Exodus 23:20 ) but a created angel, which, though a favour, was a lessening of the mercy before promised and granted; and which gave the people a great deal of concern, though Moses by his supplications got the former blessing restored, ( Exodus 33:2 Exodus 33:4 Exodus 33:14 Exodus 33:17 ) :

nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon
them;
that is, when he should visit them in a way of correction for other sins, he would visit them in like manner for this sin, the worship of the golden calf; and so Jarchi well explains it,

``when I visit upon them their iniquities, I will visit upon them a little of this iniquity, with the rest of iniquities; and there is no punishment (adds he) comes upon Israel, in which there is not something of the punishment of the sin of the calf;''

and the Jews have a saying F20, that

``there is not a generation in which there is not an ounce of the sin of the calf.''


FOOTNOTES:

F20 T. Hieros. Taanith, fol. 68. 3.

Exodus 32:34 In-Context

32 Yet now, if thou wilt, forgive their sin: and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 And the LORD said to Moses, Whoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34 Therefore now go, lead the people to [the place] of which I have spoken to thee: Behold, my angel shall go before thee: Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.
35 And the LORD afflicted the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.
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