Exodus 32:29

29 Moshe said, "You have consecrated yourselves today to ADONAI, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today."

Exodus 32:29 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 32:29

For Moses had said
To the Levites, when he first gave them their orders:

consecrate yourselves today to the Lord;
devote yourselves to his service, by obeying his orders, slaying those, or the heads of them, who have cast so much contempt upon him as to worship the golden calf in his room; and which would be as acceptable to him as the offerings were, by which Aaron and his sons were consecrated to the Lord; and as these Levites were consecrated to his service this day, on this account:

[even] every man upon his son, and upon his brother;
not sparing the nearest relation found in this idolatry, and for which the tribe of Levi is commended and blessed in the blessing of Moses, ( Deuteronomy 33:8 Deuteronomy 33:9 ) and as it follows,

that he may bestow a blessing upon you this day;
which was their being taken into the service of God to minister to the priests in the sanctuary, to bear the vessels of the Lord, and for their maintenance to have the tithes of the people: this day was, according to the Jewish writers ^F19, the seventeenth of Tammuz, or June, on which day the Jews keep a fast upon this account.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 Sedar Olam Rabba, c. 6. p. 18. Pirke Eliezer, c. 46.

Exodus 32:29 In-Context

27 He told them, "Here is what ADONAI, the God of Isra'el, says: 'Each of you, put his sword on his side; and go up and down the camp, from gate to gate; and every man is to kill his own kinsman, his own friend and his own neighbor!"

28 The sons of Levi did what Moshe said, and that day three thousand of the people died.

29 Moshe said, "You have consecrated yourselves today to ADONAI, because every one of you has been against his own son and against his own kinsman, in order to bring a blessing on yourselves today."

30 The next day Moshe said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to ADONAI ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin."

31 Moshe went back to ADONAI and said, "Please! These people have committed a terrible sin: they have made themselves a god out of gold.