How does Moses plead for Israel after the calf, and what consequences remain?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Moses appeals to the Lord’s deliverance from Egypt, what the Egyptians might say and his sworn promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. The Lord is appeased from the threatened destruction. Yet Moses destroys the calf, the sons of Levi carry out the sword command, and the Lord says he will strike the sinner from his book and visit this sin in the day of revenge.

Chapter breakdown

How does Moses plead for Israel after the calf, and what consequences remain? Moses appeals to the Lord’s deliverance from Egypt, what the Egyptians might say and his sworn promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. The Lord is appeased from the threatened destruction. Yet Moses destroys the calf, the sons of Levi carry out the sword command, and the Lord says he will strike the sinner from his book and visit this sin in the day of revenge.

Seeing Moses delay coming down, the people gather against Aaron and ask him to make gods to go before them. They say they do not know what has happened to Moses, who brought them from Egypt. Aaron tells them to bring the gold earrings of their wives, sons and daughters. They do so; he fashions the gold by founders’ work into a molten calf. They call these their gods who brought Israel from Egypt. Aaron builds an altar before it and proclaims by a crier that tomorrow is the Lord’s solemnity. In the morning they offer whole burnt offerings and peace victims, sit to eat and drink, and rise to play.

The Lord tells Moses to go down because his people, whom he brought from Egypt, have sinned. They quickly strayed from the shown way, made and adored a molten calf, sacrificed to it and called it their gods who brought them from Egypt. The Lord calls them stiffnecked and tells Moses to leave him alone so his wrath may be kindled to destroy them; he will make Moses a great nation.

Moses begs the Lord his God to turn from anger against the people he brought from Egypt with great power and a mighty hand. He asks that the Egyptians not say God craftily brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the earth. He asks for anger to cease and for the Lord to be appeased over their wickedness. He appeals to Abraham, Isaac and Israel, God’s servants, and the oath God swore by himself to multiply their descendants like heaven’s stars and give them the whole promised land to possess forever. The Lord is appeased from doing the evil he had spoken against his people.

Moses returns from the mountain with the two tables of testimony in his hand, written on both sides. The tables and their engraved writing are God’s work. Josue hears the shouting and tells Moses there is battle noise in the camp. Moses answers that it is neither the cry encouraging men to fight nor the shout compelling them to flee: he hears singers.

Near the camp, Moses sees the calf and dances. Very angry, he throws the tables from his hand and breaks them at the mountain’s foot. He takes the calf, burns it, beats it to powder, scatters it into water and gives the children of Israel some to drink.

Moses asks Aaron what the people did to him that he brought such a grievous sin upon them. Aaron asks his lord not to be offended and says Moses knows the people are prone to evil. He repeats their request for gods to go before them and their uncertainty about Moses, who brought them from Egypt. Aaron says he asked who had gold, received what they brought, cast it into the fire, and the calf came out. This is Aaron’s answer; the earlier account says he fashioned the calf by founders’ work.

Moses sees the people are naked: Aaron has stripped them on occasion of the shame of the filth and set them naked among their enemies.

Challoner’s note explains their nakedness as loss of gold and honour and, worst of all, loss of God’s grace and of God. It explains “the shame of the filth” as the idol they took for their god, noting that Scripture commonly calls idols filth and abominations.

Standing at the camp gate, Moses calls anyone on the Lord’s side to join him. All the sons of Levi gather to him. In the name of the Lord God of Israel, he tells each to put his sword on his thigh, go back and forth from gate to gate through the camp, and kill brother, friend and neighbour. The sons of Levi do as Moses says, and about twenty-three thousand men are killed that day. Moses says they have consecrated their hands that day to the Lord, “every man in his son and in his brother,” so a blessing may be given to them.

The next day Moses tells the people they have committed a very great sin. He will go up to the Lord, if by any means he can entreat him for their crime. Returning to the Lord, he confesses their grievous sin of making gold gods. He asks the Lord either to forgive their trespass or, if he will not, to strike Moses out of the book he has written.

The Lord answers that the one who sinned against him is the one he will strike from his book. Moses is to lead the people where the Lord has told him; his angel will go before Moses. In the day of revenge, the Lord will visit this sin of theirs also. The Lord strikes the people for the guilt, on occasion of the calf Aaron made.

The story inside

The people’s demand begins with Moses’ delay and their stated uncertainty about him. Aaron receives their earrings, makes the calf, builds its altar and announces the solemnity, followed by offerings, eating, drinking and play. On the mountain the Lord reports their sin and threatens destruction. Moses’ plea recalls deliverance, the Egyptians’ possible accusation and the oath to the patriarchs; the Lord is appeased from the threatened evil. Moses returns with God’s written tables, distinguishes singing from battle cries, sees the calf and dances, and in anger breaks the tables and destroys the calf. Aaron’s account of the calf coming out of the fire is kept as his answer, distinct from the earlier description of his workmanship. The edition’s explanation of nakedness is separately attributed. The sons of Levi answer Moses’ call and carry out the sword command, with about twenty-three thousand killed. The next day Moses confesses the sin and asks forgiveness or removal from God’s book. The answer names the sinner, directs continued leadership with the angel and reserves a visitation of the sin; the final verse says the Lord struck the people. (Exodus 32:1–35.)

Lessons worth keeping

1
The account distinguishes the calf’s making from Aaron’s later explanation. Verse 4 says he fashioned it by founders’ work; verse 24 records his statement that he cast the gold into the fire and the calf came out. Neither statement is replaced with an invented motive. (32:2–5, 21–24.)
2
Moses’ first plea gives specific reasons. He recalls God’s powerful deliverance, asks that Egypt not accuse God of bringing Israel out to destroy it, and appeals to the sworn promise of descendants and land to Abraham, Isaac and Israel. The next verse says the Lord was appeased from the threatened evil. (32:11–14.)
3
The second plea does not end all consequences. Moses asks forgiveness or removal from the written book; the Lord answers that he will strike out the sinner. He orders Moses to lead under the angel and says this sin will be visited in the day of revenge. The final striking is reported without specifying a plague. (32:30–35.)

Test your recall

Why do the people ask Aaron for gods? Moses has delayed, and they say they do not know what happened to him. What reasons does Moses give in his first plea? Deliverance with power, Egypt’s possible accusation and the sworn promise to the patriarchs. What does Moses do after seeing the calf and dances? In anger he breaks the tables, then burns and powders the calf and gives its powder in water to Israel to drink. Who gathers to his call? All the sons of Levi. What follows his request concerning the book?

Show answer

The Lord says he will strike out the sinner and directs Moses to lead with the angel, reserving visitation of this sin. (32:1, 11–14, 19–20, 26, 31–34.)

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 9520–9525
Exodus Chapter 32 The people fall into idolatry. Moses prayeth for them. He breaketh the tables: destroyeth the idol: blameth Aaron, and causeth many of the idolaters to be slain.
Lines 9526–9548
32:1. And the people seeing that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, gathering together against Aaron, said: Arise, make us gods, that may go before us: For as to this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has befallen him. 32:2. And Aaron said to them: Take the golden earrings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me. 32:3. And the people did what he had commanded, bringing the earrings to Aaron. 32:4. And when he had received them, he fashioned them by founders’ work, and made of them a molten calf. And they said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. 32:5. And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it, and made proclamation by a crier’s voice, saying To morrow is the solemnity of the Lord. 32:6. And rising in the morning, they offered holocausts, and peace victims, and the people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.
Lines 9549–9562
32:7. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Go, get thee down: thy people, which thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, hath sinned. 32:8. They have quickly strayed from the way which thou didst shew them: and they have made to themselves a molten calf, and have adored it, and sacrificing victims to it, have said: These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt. 32:9. And again the Lord said to Moses: I see that this people is stiffnecked: 32:10. Let me alone, that my wrath may be kindled against them, and that I may destroy them, and I will make of thee a great nation.
Lines 9563–9579
32:11. But Moses besought the Lord his God, saying: Why, O Lord, is thy indignation enkindled against thy people, whom thou hast brought out of the land of Egypt, with great power, and with a mighty hand? 32:12. Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people. 32:13. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou sworest by thy own self, saying: I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven: and this whole land that I have spoken of, I will give to your seed, and you shall possess it for ever: 32:14. And the Lord was appeased from doing the evil which he had spoken against his people.
Lines 9580–9592
32:15. And Moses returned from the mount, carrying the two tables of the testimony in his hand, written on both sides, 32:16. And made by the work of God; the writing also of God was graven in the tables. 32:17. And Josue hearing the noise of the people shouting, said to Moses: The noise of battle is heard in the camp. 32:18. But he answered: It is not the cry of men encouraging to fight, nor the shout of men compelling to flee: but I hear the voice of singers.
Lines 9593–9600
32:19. And when he came nigh to the camp, he saw the calf, and the dances: and being very angry, he threw the tables out of his hand, and broke them at the foot of the mount: 32:20. And laying hold of the calf which they had made, he burnt it, and beat it to powder, which he strewed into water, and gave thereof to the children of Israel to drink.
Lines 9601–9614
32:21. And he said to Aaron: What has this people done to thee, that thou shouldst bring upon them a most heinous sin? 32:22. And he answered him: Let not my lord be offended; for thou knowest this people, that they are prone to evil. 32:23. They said to me: make us gods, that may go before us; for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him. 32:24. And I said to them: Which of you hath any gold? and they took and brought it to me; and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.
Lines 9615–9618
32:25. And when Moses saw that the people were naked, (for Aaron had stripped them by occasion of the shame of the filth, and had set them naked among their enemies)
Lines 9619–9624
Naked.... Having lost not only their gold, and their honour, but what was worst of all, being stripped also of the grace of God, and having lost him.—The shame of the filth.... That is, of the idol, which they had taken for their god. It is the usual phrase of the scripture to call idols filth and abominations.
Lines 9625–9640
32:26. Then standing in the gate of the camp, he said: If any man be on the Lord’s side, let him join with me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him: 32:27. And he said to them: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: Put every man his sword upon his thigh: go, and return from gate to gate through the midst of the camp, and let every man kill his brother, and friend, and neighbour. 32:28. And the sons of Levi did according to the words of Moses, and there were slain that day about three and twenty thousand men. 32:29. And Moses said: You have consecrated your hands this day to the Lord, every man in his son and in his brother, that a blessing may be given to you.
Lines 9641–9651
32:30. And when the next day was come, Moses spoke to the people: You have sinned a very great sin: I will go up to the Lord, if by any means I may be able to entreat him for your crime. 32:31. And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass, 32:32. Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written.
Lines 9652–9662
32:33. And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book: 32:34. But go thou, and lead this people whither I have told thee: my angel shall go before thee. And I in the day of revenge will visit this sin also of theirs. 32:35. The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt, on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.