Exodus 33:5

5 And the Lord said to Moses, Speak thou to the sons of Israel, (and say,) Thou art a people of hard noll; (at) once I shall go up in the midst of thee, and I shall do away thee; right now put thou away thine adorning, that is, crowns which they made in(to) receiving of the law, that I know, what I shall do to thee. (For the Lord had said to Moses, Speak thou to the Israelites, and say, Thou art a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people; and at once I shall go up into the midst of thee, and I shall do thee away; so right now, put away thy adornment, that is, the crowns which they had made to wear when they received the Law, and then I shall decide what I shall do to thee.)

Exodus 33:5 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 33:5

For the Lord had said to Moses
At the same time he had told it to the people:

say unto the children of Israel:
Menachem, as quoted by Ainsworth, observes, that this is said in a way of mercy; for since their idolatry he had only called them the people of Moses, and the people, but now calls them by their beloved name, the children of Israel; but whether this was any hint of mercy and favour, is not very apparent by what follows:

ye [are] a stiffnecked people;
obstinate and untractable, (See Gill on Exodus 32:9):

I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume
thee;
before he threatens them that he would not go up in the midst of them, that is, in a way of grace and mercy, to guide, protect, and defend them himself; and now that he would come up in the midst of them, but in a different manner, in a way of wrath, and to take vengeance on them for their sins; and the meaning is, either that should he do so but one moment it would be all over with them, or they would be utterly consumed; or this is threatened on condition, provided they did not repent of their sins, and humble themselves:

therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee;
not their armour, as some, nor the clothes they wore at the festival for the golden calf, for this was long after that; but the clothes they usually wore, the best they had, with all their decorations and ornaments, and put on mournful habits as an outward token of their repentance and mourning for their sins, if they had any real concern: this shows that these words must have been said before; since the people on hearing the evil tidings had clothed themselves in a mournful habit, and did not put on their ornaments, ( Exodus 33:4 ) :

that I may know what to do unto thee;
which does not suppose ignorance or irresolution in God, but is said after the manner of men, that he should deal with them in proportion to their conduct and behaviour, and as that should outwardly appear.

Exodus 33:5 In-Context

3 and that thou enter into the land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up with thee, for thou art a people of hard noll, lest peradventure I lose thee in the way. (and thou shalt enter into the land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up with thee, for thou art a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people, and I might destroy thee on the way.)

4 The people heard this worst word, and mourned, and none was clothed with his adorning, that is, (his) precious clothes, (as) by custom.

5 And the Lord said to Moses, Speak thou to the sons of Israel, (and say,) Thou art a people of hard noll; (at) once I shall go up in the midst of thee, and I shall do away thee; right now put thou away thine adorning, that is, crowns which they made in(to) receiving of the law, that I know, what I shall do to thee. (For the Lord had said to Moses, Speak thou to the Israelites, and say, Thou art a hard-headed, or a stubborn, people; and at once I shall go up into the midst of thee, and I shall do thee away; so right now, put away thy adornment, that is, the crowns which they had made to wear when they received the Law, and then I shall decide what I shall do to thee.)

6 Therefore the sons of Israel putted away their adorning, from the hill of Horeb (onwards). (And so, the Israelites put away their adornment, from that day at Mount Sinai, and forevermore.)

7 And Moses took the tabernacle, and set it far without the tents, and he called the name thereof the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace. And all the people that had any question, went out to the tabernacle of the bond of peace, without the tents. (And Moses took the Tabernacle, and set it up far away from the tents, and he called it the Tabernacle of the Covenant, that is, the Tabernacle of the Witnessing. And all the people, who had any question, went out to the Tabernacle of the Covenant, which was pitched far away from the camp.)