Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 33:4
And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
4. these evil tidings ] that Jehovah would not accompany them to Canaan.
and no man, &c.] The removal of ornaments was a mark of mourning and grief: Eze 24:17; Eze 26:16, Jdt 10:3 f. (Kn.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
4 6. The people strip themselves of their ornaments.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Exo 33:4-8
Put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.
The work of Lent
Lent is a season with a likeness to Jewish ordinances, because man in his nature and wants is ever the same; it is a Christian season, because its one object is to make us know more of the nearness of God to man, which is the great fact of Christianity. In the text we have one of Gods most explicit statements of the need of such observance; and we ask the meaning of that reason which He assigns for a season of special penitence and humiliation.
1. God wishes to know what to do with us. If the putting aside of ornaments, no matter how valuable or brilliant, is the condition of that process, it ought to be done; for Gods action must be full of power and love; and to be told that His hand is to be felt in our life, must imply that a blessing is to be bestowed upon us far beyond anything that can come from any other addition.
2. Never at any stage of His revelation has God ceased, in one form or other, to prescribe temporary and voluntary relinquishments, in order that He may enter. The ornaments, or Gods voice–that is the simple form of choice.
3. The object of Gods dealings with men is, that He may destroy their sin. And there is no more fruitful source of sin than those ornaments which He tells us to put away. The things which gather about our lives are causes of separation from our brother. The innocence or the desirability of the ornament may make no difference in the result. Learning, applause, and culture may make us just as forgetful, or unsympathetic, or even cruel towards others, as the more material possessions of life.
4. We can see, therefore, that this command is like the call of a John Baptist: Make the way plain, the path straight and level, for the coming of the Lord; remove the stumbling-block which has been in thy own or thy brothers path. Men must learn to see their oneness as brothers, before sin can be done away; lives very different from each other must be placed side by side, and then new modes of thought and comparison will at once enter. How often one word, which gives us a glimpse into the real condition of anothers heart, makes us ashamed of some feeling which we have been cherishing toward him!
5. But the sins against our brethren are not the only evil that our ornaments work, and do not constitute the only reason why they must be abandoned before God can do His work for us. Those very sins spring from a deeper injury which has been done to our souls. These things that have attached themselves to life come to be regarded as its substance, and to regulate its whole movement. What the text says to us, then, is this: Cease to depend upon the present condition and surroundings of life. Think of yourself as an immortal soul. Try to imagine yourself as cut off from all these pursuits and surroundings, for so, in fact, you must be at some time; then count over the treasures of your life, and see whether there is enough to support an immortal soul.
6. The Lenten call is a call to greater moderation in the use of the things of this life, so that they shall not become our masters; it is a call to exalt the true Master of our life, so that every ornament of our being shall be discarded for ever, which is got worthy to minister to His glory, or which attempts to fight against His supremacy, so that all which remains shall be used in obedience to His commands, and in subservience to His purposes. It is by this test that innocent and sinful indulgence in the things of this life is to be discriminated, that the line of the too much and the too little is to be drawn, and that we are to be made men and women worthy and fit to use the world rightly.
7. But why does God need that the ornaments of mens lives should be put off before He shall know what to do unto them? Is it not limiting His power to say that He cannot deal with us as we are, with all our ornaments upon us? The work which God is to do for us has for its greatest mark that it is dependent upon what we are. It is the work of overcoming sin. God, when He made man, gave him all he needed for full development and growth. His course was forward and upward, ever increasing in power and glory, while obedience and dependence upon God ruled his action. No redemption would be necessary for such a being. Mans sin, his desire after the things of this world, his willingness to build up his life with those, created the great necessity. The self-will of man called upon God for new action–action which His Divine wisdom could alone create, and which His Divine power could alone execute. That He may know what it shall be, He asks some indication of mans desire. There is nothing to do but to punish, to let the life which persistently holds to what has been its destruction, go its own sad way of separation from God, if there is no relaxing of the nervous grasp on earthly good and ornament. But at the very first sign of a willingness to put such things away, to bridle lifes passion, and to restrain lifes desire, the way of redeeming love is open. Man is ready; and God knows what to do, and He is able to make him His child once more.
8. Let us, then, rejoice at this season for putting away the mere ornaments of life, and in it open our ear anxiously, constantly, eagerly, to hear the word of His gracious intention. Gods treasury is full of the true ornaments of life. He readily offers them to us. Receive them as readily, and the worlds ornaments will lose their false glitter; our hearts will cease to desire them with that eager covetousness which conceals all the better impulses of the soul, and God will be able to do for us all the deep purposes of His wisdom and His love. (Arthur Brooks.)
Repentance of the Israelites
I. God is not able to exercise mercy towards an impenitent transgressor. He cannot do this, because it would–
1. Be inconsistent with His own perfections.
2. Be ineffectual for the happiness of the persons themselves.
3. Introduce disorder into the whole universe.
II. Where humiliation is manifested, mercy may be expected. This appears from–
1. The very mode in which repentance is here enjoined.
2. The experience of penitents in all ages.
Application:
1. Consider what obstructions you have laid in the way of your own happiness.
2. Endeavour instantly to remove them. (C. Simon, M. A.)
A fashionable sin
The house of prayer is a poor place to exhibit beads, ribbons, ruffles, gewgaws, and trinkets. The evils of such extravagance are many. It keeps people from worship, when they have not apparel as gorgeous as their neighbours. It loads the poor with burdens too heavy to be borne to procure fashionable clothing. It leads many into temptations, debt, dishonesty, and sin. It causes many a poor shop girl to work nearly all Saturday night, that some customers fine clothes may be ready for the Sunday show. It keeps people at home in cloudy or stormy weather, when, if they wore plain clothing, they could defy clouds and storms. It consumes the hours in dressing, crimping, and fussing, keeping people from church, and wasting time, hindering the reading of the Scripture, and making Sunday a day of folly. It makes the poor emulous, malicious, and envious, and plants many a bitter thought in the minds of children and others, when they see their neighbours decked in finery–often unpaid for–and feel that people are respected, not for their integrity of character, but for the fashion of their clothes. It is forbidden in Gods Word. And yet we seldom find a minister that dare open his mouth against this fashionable sin. Christian people should dress plainly before the Lord, for examples sake at home and abroad, for decencys sake, and for the sake of Christ. (Christian Age.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Their precious garments or jewels, which the women reserved, as we saw, Exo 33:3. This was a visible sign and profession of their inward humiliation and repentance for their sin, and of their deep sense of Gods displeasure.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
4. when the people heard these eviltidingsfrom Moses on his descent from the mount.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And when the people heard these evil tidings,…. That God would withdraw his gracious presence, and go not up with them himself, only send an angel with them; and especially this may respect what is threatened, Ex 33:5 and had been said at this time:
they mourned; were inwardly and heartily grieved for their sin, whereby they had provoked the Lord to depart from them, and gave some outward and open tokens of it:
and no man did put on his ornaments; they used to wear at other times, their rings and jewels, which the princes and the chief among the people especially were wont to wear; and in common the people did not put on their best clothes, or what they usually wore, but clothed themselves in mournful habits, in sackcloth and ashes, or in some such like manner.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The people were so overwhelmed with sorrow by this evil word, that they all put off their ornaments, and showed by this outward sign the trouble of their heart,
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Verses 4-6:
When Israel heard what Jehovah had told them through Moses, they considered it to be “evil tidings.” They awoke to the great value of what they had taken so lightly: that Jehovah was indeed with them. They dreaded the loss of this Presence.
The people “mourned,” abal, “show self a mourner,” indicating an outward expression of genuine sorrow. This denotes true repentance.
“Ornaments,” adi, “desirable thing,” includes bracelets, armlets, anklets, and other such jewelry. These were often worn by the men of Egypt of that time. As an outward expression of their mourning, the people left off wearing their ornaments.
“For the Lord had said. . .” lit., “Jehovah said. . . ” in response to the repentance of the people. This was not a threat of destruction, but a repetition and expansion of verse 2.
“Put off thy ornaments,” is, “lay aside altogether.” A test of their penitence was that they would continue to lay aside their ornaments.
This does not teach that it is a sin for a child of God to wear jewelry. One may voluntarily lay aside rings, bracelets, etc. as an outward sign of repentance or dedication. But nothing in Scripture forbids the wearing of such ornaments. Modesty is the standard of dress for God’s child, 1Ti 2:9. It would be in keeping with Christian principles to use the money spent on expensive jewelry to help those in need and to further the Gospel of Christ.
The text implies that from Mount Horeb on, the people of Israel wore no ornaments as a token of their continued penitence.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
4. And when the people heard these evil tidings Hence it more clearly appears that, as I have said, it was like a thunderbolt to them when God withdrew Himself from the people; for this divorce is more fatal than innumerable deaths. It might indeed at first sight seem delightful to be the masters of a rich and fertile land; but dull as the people generally were, God smote them suddenly, so that all its delights became insipid, and its fruitfulness like famine itself, when they perceived that they would be but fatted unto the day of slaughter. A useful piece of instruction is to be gained from hence, viz., that if we neglect God’s favor and are captivated by the sweetness of His blessings, we are ensnared like fishes on a hook. God promised the Israelites what might attract them for a little season: He denied them what they should have alone desired, that He would be their God. The evil tidings affected them with sorrow, for they felt that men cannot be happy unless God be propitious; nay, that nothing can be more wretched than to be alienated from Him. “It is good for me to draw near to God,” (Psa 73:28,) says David; and elsewhere, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” (Psa 33:12, and Psa 144:15😉 again, “the Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, my lot is fallen in pleasant places.” (Psa 16:5.) This, therefore, is the climax of all miseries to have God against us, whilst we are fed by His bounty; and consequently the Israelites began to shew some wisdom, when, awaking from their lethargy, they counted all other things as naught, unless God should pursue them with His paternal favor. We infer from the grossness of their stupidity, that it was brought to pass by a special gift of God, that they were affected with such sorrow as to conduct them to a solemn mourning. First, Moses says that they did not put on their ornaments, and then that they were commanded by God to put them off; but this will be perfectly consistent if we take the latter as explanatory, as if he had said that they did not wear their ornaments because God had forbidden it, by enjoining them to mourn.
God here assumes the character of an angry judge, preparing to inflict vengeance in His wrath, in the words, “I will come up into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee;” in order that their alarm may humble them the more, and stir them up to earnest prayer. It was avisible sign of mourning to He in squalidhess and uncleanness, that thus their penitence might be openly testified; for there was no efficacy in the rite and ceremony to propitiate God, except in so far as the inward affection of the mind manifested itself by a true and genuine confession. For we must bear in mind what God requires by Joel, (Joe 2:13,) that we should “rend our heart, and not our garments;” nevertheless, whilst He cares not for the outward appearance, nay, whilst He abominates hypocrisy, still, if the sinner has truly repented, it cannot be but that, humbly acknowledging his guilt, he will add the outward profession of it. For if Paul, who was guiltless of any offense, deemed that the Corinthians were to be mourned for by him when they had not “repented of their uncleanness, and fornication, and lasciviousness,” because God humbled him in their sin, (2Co 12:21😉 how should not those mourn publicly who are conscious of their own guilt, especially when, being convicted by the judgment of men, they are summoned to the tribunal of God? And therefore it is not without reason that he elsewhere teaches, that the sorrow which worketh repentance should also bring forth these other fruits, viz., carefulness, clearing of themselves, indignation, fear, vehement desire, zeal, revenge. (2Co 7:10.) For the sake of example also, sinners should not only grieve in silence before God, but willingly undergo the penalty of ignominy before men, so as by self-condenmation to confess that God is a just Judge, to provoke others to imitate them, and, by this warning of human frailty to prevent them from a similar fall.
After, however, God has inspired them with fear, He allays His anger as it were, and declares that He will consider what He will do with them, in order that they may gather courage to ask for pardon; for, although he does not actually pardon them, He sufficiently arouses them to hope, by giving them some taste of His mercy; for, by seeming to leave them in suspense, it is not with the intention that they should approach Him hesitatingly to ask forgiveness, but that their anxiety may urge them more and more to earnest prayer, and keep them in a state of humility.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(4) When the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned.It was something that the people felt the tidings to be evil. It is natural for sinful men to shrink from the near presence of God (Mat. 8:34; Luk. 5:8); and so the Israelites had shrunk from it a short time previously (Exo. 20:19). Even now they would probably have feared a too near contact; but still, they were unwilling that God should cease to be the leader and guide of the host: they set a value on His presence and protection, which they felt that that of an angel would ill replace. Accordingly, when Moses communicated to them what God had said (Exo. 33:1-3), they mourned, i.e., not only grieved inwardly, but showed the outward tokens of griefmade a public and, as it were, national lamentation.
No man did put on him his ornaments.The Orientals, both men and women, have always affected ornament, and taken an extreme delight in it. Herodotus tells us that the Persians who accompanied Xerxes into Greece wore generally collars and bracelets of gold (Hist. ix. 80). Xenophon says that the Medes indulged a similar taste (Cyropd. i. 3, 2). In Egypt, at the time of the exodus, men of station wore generally collars, armlets, and bracelets, occasionally anklets. The Assyrians wore armlets, bracelets, and ear-rings. To strip himself of his ornaments was a great act of self-denial on the part of an Oriental; but it was done commonly in the case of mourning on account of a family bereavement, and sometimes in the case of national misfortunes. (See Note on Exo. 33:1-6.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
4. The people heard mourned The withdrawal of the divine presence seemed to them to be ominous of evil . Though God’s voice out of Sinai filled them with terror, (see Exo 20:19,) and they could not endure the nearness of such excessive majesty, the thought that the Holy One is about to forsake them in wrath excites even deeper fear .
Ornaments See also in Exo 33:5-6. The putting off of these was a sign of humiliation and penitence. In a time of sorrow and guilt the adornments of the person were strikingly out of place.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 33:4. And no man did put on him his ornaments The ornaments of dress have always been esteemed marks of cheerfulness and festivity. The laying aside these, and putting on sackcloth or other melancholy robes, has always been usual in times of trouble and sorrow, especially in the East; see Isa 32:11. Neh 9:1. The children of Israel, deprived of their greatest blessing, the presence and protection of the God whom they had grossly offended, were commanded to appear before him in the habit of mourners, confessing their sorrow for their offence, and deprecating his just indignation. The 5th verse is explanatory of the 4th. That I may know, Houbigant renders, that I may declare, or make known. By the mount Horeb, Exo 33:6 is in the Hebrew from mount Horeb; specifying that distance from the mount to which the people retired, as afraid and ashamed to appear before the presence of God. See Houbigant.
REFLECTIONS.It was a discouraging message that Moses brought them, and bespoke God’s high displeasure against them. For, 1. God refuses to go up with them, and leaves them to Moses and a ministering angel; against whom their provocations, though continued, might not be so aggravated as against himself in the midst of them; for the abuse of greater privileges brings along with it greater guilt. 2. He reproaches them with their stubbornness: he knew what was in them. Note; God sees our hearts, and of all our sins is most offended with the inbred alienation of our affections from him. 3. He threatens to consume them, as justly he might. It becomes us to know and feel the justice of our condemnation, that we may be more affected with the wonders of God’s grace in pardoning. 4. He stands, as it were, to consider how to deal with them, and bids them humble themselves before him: if so be, he may yet have mercy upon them. God delights not in the death of a sinner: he stays his descending arm, and when he sees us in the dust, stripped of every hope, then he will magnify his grace to the uttermost.
The people were justly confounded at the message: to be forsaken of God, was matter of bitter mourning; and therefore they humble their souls, strip off their ornaments, and give strong expression of contrition. Note; (1.) To be forsaken of God, is the heaviest punishment that can fall upon us: if he but withdraw the light of his countenance from his people, they go mourning all the day long. (2.) When sin is committed, sorrow and shame should cover us; and though tears cannot wash away our guilt, yet ’tis in the way of humble abasement that we may expect to hear a message of peace.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
2Co 7:10-11 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 33:4 And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
Ver. 4. They mourned. ] As good cause they had: for “woe be unto thee when I depart from thee.” Hos 9:12
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
heard. This shows Moses had descended again. man. Hebrew ‘ish (App-14).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
they mourned: Num 14:1, Num 14:39, Hos 7:14, Zec 7:3, Zec 7:5
and no: Lev 10:6, 2Sa 19:24, 1Ki 21:27, 2Ki 19:1, Ezr 9:3, Est 4:1-4, Job 1:20, Job 2:12, Isa 32:11, Eze 24:17, Eze 24:23, Eze 26:16, Jon 3:6
Reciprocal: Exo 32:25 – naked Exo 33:6 – General 1Pe 3:3 – that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 33:4. No man did put on his ornaments This was a visible sign and profession of their inward humiliation and repentance for their sin, and of their deep sense of Gods displeasure.