They lavish gold out of the bag
As if it was of no value and account; that is, the Heathen
idolaters, some of them, who are excessively devoted to idolatry;
these, being rich, take out their bags of gold, and give it in a
very profuse manner to a workman to make a golden image for them,
not caring what it cost them; such an one was that which
Nebuchadnezzar made, sixty cubits high, and six broad, ( Daniel 3:1 ) see an
instance of profuseness this way in the Israelites themselves, (
Exodus
32:2-4 ) . And weigh silver in the balance;
or "with a reed" F15. Others, though idolaters, yet less
devoted to idolatry, and more tenacious of their money, make
silver do for a god, and weigh it out to the workman, that it be
made of such a weight, and no more, and that they might not be
cheated of their silver; or they weighed it to pay the workman
for his workmanship. Money formerly was not coined and stamped,
so not numbered by pieces, but weighed. And hire a
goldsmith, and he maketh it a god;
a "finer" or "founder", with whom they agree for such a sum of
money, and he, of the gold or silver that is put into his hands,
makes a god: he casts and moulds it into such a form or shape
that is agreed upon, and this is called a god; though nothing but
a piece of gold or silver fashioned by art and man's device, and
the work of his hands: they fall down, yea, they
worship;
the god they made; both the artificer, and he that employed him,
fall down upon their knees, or their faces, and pay divine
worship add adoration to the idol; though the one knew it was
made of his own gold or silver, and the other knew it to be the
workmanship of his hands. Worshipping is more than falling down,
as Ben Melech observes, and therefore it is said, yea, they
worship.
F15 (hnqb) "in calamo", Pagninus, Montanus. The bar of the balance on which they hang the scales with threads, Ben Meleck says is called (hnq) , the "reed". So Vatablus.