Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 32:34
Therefore now go, lead the people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
34. He yields, however, so far to Moses’ entreaty as to put off the punishment of the people to an indefinite future, and to bid Moses lead Israel on to Canaan, under the guidance not indeed of Himself personally, but of His angel. It is true, the angel usually (see on Exo 3:1, Exo 23:20) represents Jehovah so fully as not to be exclusive of Him: but Exo 33:2 (see the note), 3, shew that (unless the clause is a later insertion) it must be exclusive of Him here.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 34. Lead the people unto the place] The word place is not in the text, and is with great propriety omitted. For Moses never led this people into that place, they all died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb; but Moses led them towards the place, and thus the particle el here should be understood, unless we suppose that God designed to lead them to the borders of the land, but not to take them into it.
I will visit their sin] I will not destroy them, but they shall not enter into the promised land. They shall wander in the wilderness till the present generation become extinct.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Behold, mine angel; not Christ, the Angel of the covenant, who had hitherto gone before them; but a created angel, as appears by comparing this with Exo 33:2,3,12; though Moses obtained the revocation of this threatening, Exo 33:14,17. I will visit their sin upon them; when I shall punish them for their other sins, which I foresee they will commit, I will remember and punish this also.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
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 Ex 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, Ex 33:2:
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 t, that
“there is not a generation in which there is not an ounce of the sin of the calf.”
t T. Hieros. Taanith, fol. 68. 3.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
34. Therefore now go, lead the people In these words God shews that He is appeased, for it was a sure sign of His reconciliation that His angel is appointed to guide them during the rest of their way. The exposition which some give, that an angel is now promised to take care of them, such as Daniel testifies to have been sometimes assigned even to heathen nations, and an instance of which we shall see in the next chapter, is but a poor conjecture; besides, God declares that though the people have departed from the faith, still He stood firm to His agreement as to their enjoyment of the promised inheritance.
His postponement of their punishment is an indirect reproof of the people’s wickedness, as though He had said that they were of so perverse a nature that they would hereafter give many fresh occasions for it. If any object that, whenever God afterwards punished other sins, He did not then take into account this act of idolatry, I reply that it is no new thing with God, when men contract again fresh guilt, to accumulate their punishments, and also to call to judgment many sins together under one general punishment. Besides, we know that God casts the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation. Lastly, there is nothing to prevent Him from visiting at another time with temporal punishments the iniquity which He has once pardoned; for wherefore did He then forgive them? Was it not lest the truth of His covenant, should perish? Those, then, whom He thus was unwilling to destroy, He might at His own time call up again for punishment, provided the chastisement were but moderate. Hence let us learn not to flatter ourselves, if ever God suspends His judgment, (359) nor to abuse His long-suffering, as if we had escaped with impunity.
(359) “L’execution de son jugement;” the execution of His judgment. — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(34) Lead the people unto the place of which I have spokeni.e., continue their leader until Palestine is reached. (See Exo. 3:8; Exo. 3:17; Exo. 6:4-8, &c.)
Mine Angel shall go before thee.So far as the form of the expression goes, the promise is, as nearly as possible, a repetition of the original one, Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared (Exo. 23:20). But the meaning of the promise is wholly changed, as we learn from the opening paragraph of the ensuing chapter (Exo. 33:1-3). The angel now promised as a guide is not to be God Himself (I will not go up in the midst of thee ), but a creature, between whom and God the distance is immeasurable.
In the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.All sin is followed by suffering; the sequence is inevitable. God had now consented to spare His people, and to take them back into favour; but they were not to expect that matters would be with them as if their sin had not taken place. It would still be visited upon themnot, indeed, by instant death, but still in some way or other. The weary waiting in the wilderness for forty years may have been a part of the punishment (Num. 14:33); but it may also have been inflicted on different persons in many different ways.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
34. Now go, lead the people The people having broken the covenant, Jehovah speaks as though he would have Moses depart from Sinai without having the tables renewed, or proceeding with the erection of the tabernacle, whose pattern had been shown him in the mount . He assures him of the presence of his Angel, as in Exo 23:20, but declares that the sin of the people cannot go unpunished . But Moses’s persistent intercession and mediation, as shown in the following chapter, led to a renewal of the covenant .
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“And now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold my angel will go before you. Nevertheless in the day that I visit I will visit their sin on them.” And Yahweh smote the people because they made the calf which Aaron made.’
Now Yahweh makes clear that the people as a whole will not be destroyed, for He commands Moses to go forward with the people to the land He had promised them, and assures him that as He had previously promised His angel would go before them (compare 23:20-23; 3:2; 33:2-3; Jos 5:13-15; Jdg 2:1-5). This was a gracious promise in view of the fact that the people had themselves wanted the molten calf to go before them (Exo 32:1). But what they would enjoy would now only be second best (Exo 33:3). Yahweh would no longer be with them in person.
However, the matter is not totally settled. Yahweh may have restrained from destroying the people because of Moses’ intercession, but punishment there must be. He would visit the camp, and at that point He would ‘visit’ them. And this was clearly followed by some dreadful judgment which smote many of the people. It was probably some plague or illness. We may surmise what as much as we like, for we will never know. Others, however, consider it refers to the day when God smote them (Num 14:45) and sentenced them to a further 38 years in the wilderness (Num 14:27-35).
Note for Christians.
We are certainly justified in comparing Israel here with ourselves and seeing their behaviour as a warning to us not to go after idols Not possibly golden idols in a literal sense, but the idols of pop stars, sporting heroes, football teams, actors and actresses, TV personalities and so on. Once any of these become too important to us they have become an idol. Once they keep us from reading the word of God or from prayer they have become an idol. Once they cause us to behave in an unseemly way they have become an idol. Once they take up too much of our thoughts or of our time, they have become an idol.
We should also recognise that the way God is revealed here has not changed. We must not be deceived. God is not mocked. And what men sow they will reap, and no misconceptions about ‘the love of God will prevent it (Gal 6:7-8).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Exo 32:34. Lead the people unto the place, &c. For an exposition of this verse, we refer to the 1st verse of the next chapter. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, &c. seems to refer to some future and great visitation, when this sin of their fathers should be remembered upon Israel. See Amo 5:25. Act 7:42.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I venture to believe that this angel was not the Almighty angel of the covenant, but only some ordinary servant in token of God’s displeasure. See Exo 33:2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Exo 32:34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
Ver. 34. I will visit. ] I will pay them home for the new and the old.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
behold. A special reading (Severna Codex, App-34) has “and behold”. See App-34.
Mine angel. Probably an inferior angel, not that of Exo 23:20, Exo 23:21.
when I visit. Figure of speech Polyptoton (App-6). Literally “when I visit I will visit”. See note on Gen 26:28 with Gen 60:24, Gen 60:25. This is to emphasise the fact that there is such a thing as postponed judgment. Compare Exo 34:7. Num 14:33. Eze 18:1-3. Mat 23:32-36.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Angel
(See Scofield “Heb 1:4”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
mine Angel: Exo 23:20, Exo 33:2, Exo 33:14, Exo 33:15, Num 20:16, Isa 63:9
the day: Exo 20:5, Num 14:27-30, Deu 32:35, Jer 5:9, Jer 5:29, Amo 3:14, Mat 23:35, Rom 2:4-6
Reciprocal: Exo 14:19 – the angel Exo 23:21 – he will not Exo 33:12 – See Num 16:29 – visited Deu 10:10 – the Lord hearkened Deu 10:11 – Arise 2Ki 22:17 – have forsaken Job 7:18 – visit Psa 79:8 – remember Psa 89:32 – General Psa 99:8 – though Jer 6:15 – at the time Jer 23:2 – I Jer 23:12 – the year Hos 2:13 – I will visit Hos 8:13 – now Act 7:35 – by
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 32:34-35. My angel shall go before thee Some created angel that was employed in the common services of his kingdom, which intimated that they were not to expect any thing for the future to be done for them out of the common road of providence. When I visit Hereafter, when I shall see cause to punish them for other sins, I will visit for this among the rest. From hence the Jews have a saying, that from henceforward no judgment fell upon Israel, but there was in it an ounce of the powder of the golden calf. And the Lord plagued the people Probably by the pestilence, or some other infectious disease. Thus Moses prevailed for a mitigation of the punishment, but could not wholly turn away the wrath of God.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
32:34 {p} Therefore now go, lead the people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
(p) This demonstrates how grievous a sin idolatry is, seeing that at Moses prayer God would not fully remit it.