Exodus 32:34

34 forsooth go thou, and lead this people, whither I spake to thee; mine angel shall go before thee; forsooth in the day of vengeance I shall visit also this sin of them (but on the day of vengeance, I shall punish them for their sin).

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.''

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FOOTNOTES:

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

Exodus 32:34 In-Context

32 either forgive thou this guilt to them, either if thou doest not, do away me from thy book, which thou hast written. (and so either forgive thou them this guilt, or if thou shalt not, then do me away from thy book, which thou hast written.)

33 To whom the Lord answered, I shall do away from my book him that sinneth against me;

34 forsooth go thou, and lead this people, whither I spake to thee; mine angel shall go before thee; forsooth in the day of vengeance I shall visit also this sin of them (but on the day of vengeance, I shall punish them for their sin).

35 Therefore the Lord smote the people (And so the Lord struck the people with a plague), for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron (had) made.