Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Exodus 32:6
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
6. burnt offerings and peace offerings ] Cf. on Exo 20:24.
to eat and to drink ] i.e. to take part in the sacred meal accompanying the peace-offering; cf. on Exo 18:12.
to play ] to amuse themselves, e.g. by singing and dancing, vv. 18, 19. Comp. the quotation in 1Co 10:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 6. The people sat down to eat and to drink] The burnt-offerings were wholly consumed; the peace-offerings, when the blood bad been poured out, became the food of the priests, c. When therefore the strictly religious part of these ceremonies was finished, the people sat down to eat of the peace-offerings, and this they did merely as the idolaters, eating and drinking to excess. And it appears they went much farther, for it is said they rose up to play, letsachek, a word of ominous import, which seems to imply here fornicating and adulterous intercourse and in some countries the verb to play is still used precisely in this sense. In this sense the original is evidently used, Ge 39:14.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Brought peace-offerings, but no sin-offerings, which they most needed.
The people sat down to eat and to drink; for the sacrifices were accompanied with feasting, both among the worshippers of the true God, and among idolaters. See Exo 18:12; 24:11.
Rose up to play, by shouting, and singing, and dancing, as it appears from Exo 32:17-19
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And they rose up early in the morning,…. Being eager of, and intent upon their idol worship:
and offered burnt offerings; upon the altar Aaron had made, where they were wholly consumed:
and brought peace offerings: which were to make a feast to the Lord, and of which they partook:
and the people sat down to eat and to drink; as at a feast:
and rose up to play; to dance and sing, as was wont to be done by the Egyptians in the worship of their Apis or Ox; and Philo the Jew says f, of the Israelites, that having made a golden ox, in imitation of the Egyptian Typho, he should have said Osiris, for Typho was hated by the Egyptians, being the enemy of Osiris; they sung and danced: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem interpret it of idolatry; some understand this of their lewdness and uncleanness, committing fornication as in the worship of Peor, taking the word in the same sense as used by Potiphar’s wife, Ge 39:14.
f Ut supra, (De Vita Mosis, l. 3. p. 677.) & de Temulentia, p. 254.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. And they rose up early on the morrow. The earnestness of the people in the prosecution of their error is again set forth; for there is no doubt but that it was at their demand that Aaron proclaimed the solemn sacrifice; and now it is not only added that they were ready for it in time, but their extraordinary diligence is declared in that they appeared at the very dawn of day. Now, if, at the instigation of the devil, unbelievers are thus driven headlong to their destruction, alas for our inertness, if at least an equal alacrity does not manifest itself in our zeal! Thus it is said in the Psalm, (Psa 110:3,)
“
Thy (333) people (shall come) with voluntary offerings in the day (of the assembling) of thy army.”
What follows as to the people sitting down “to eat and to drink,” many (334) ignorantly wrest to mean intemperance; as also they wrongly expound their “rising up to play,” as meaning lasciviousness; whereas thus Moses rather designates the sacred banquet and sports engaged in, in honor of the idols; for, as we have seen elsewhere, the faithful feasted before God at their sacrifices, and so also heathen nations celebrated sacred feasts, whilst they worshipped their idols in games. Of this point Paul is the surest interpreter, who quotes this passage in condemnation of the idolatry of the ancient people, and ably accommodates it to the purpose he had in hand; for the Corinthians had not gone to such an excess as to bow their knees to idols, but were boon-companions of unbelievers in their polluted sacrifices. (1Co 10:20.)
(333) C. here quotes his own translation, see Calvin Soc. edit., vol. 4. 301, with the Editor’s note. It will be seen that it nearly agrees with the Prayer-book version of the Church of England.
(334) Willet, in loco, attributes the opinion rejected by C. as to their intemperance to Ambrose, and, after him, to Simler. The latter notion, with respect to the word play, seems to be a very common one with the Commentators. Bushe says it implies “not only such sports as singing, dancing, and merry-making in general, but in some cases also a species of conduct which the epithet wanton as correctly defines as any term which we deem it proper to employ. Compare the use of the same original word rendered mock, Gen 39:14. Compare also Num 25:1.” Corn. A Lapide quotes a striking parallel as to the abuse of sacrifices among the heathen, from Epicharmus, ap Athenoeum, lib. 2, — “Ex sacrificio epulum, ex epulo facta est potatio, ex potatione comus, ex como ludus, ex ludo judicium, ex judicio condemnatio, ex condemnatione compedes, sphacelus, et mulctatio;” and adds, that “drunken-bouts were called μέθας, because they were indulged in μετὰ τὸ θύειν, i e. , after sacrifices.” Dathe appears precisely to represent C. ’ s view: “Postridie igitur mane holocausta et eucharistica sacrificant, atque commessationibus et compotationibus peractis, ad saltationes solennes sese convertunt.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) They rose up early.Impatient to begin the new worship, the people rose with the dawn, and brought offerings, and offered sacrifice. Whether Aaron took part in these actswhich constituted the actual worship of the idolis left doubtful.
Burnt offerings, and . . . peace offerings.Sacrifices of both kinds were pre-Mosaical, not first originated by the Law, though deriving confirmation from it. Offerings of both kinds are noticed in Gen. 4:3-4; Exo. 18:12.
The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.A feast always followed a sacrifice (see Exo. 18:12; Exo. 24:5; Exo. 24:11). In feasting therefore upon what they had offered, the Israelites did no wrong; but probably they indulged themselves in a license of feasting unsuited to a religious act, though common enough in the idol-festivals of the heathen. They fed without fear (Jud. 1:12), transgressed the bounds of moderation, and turned what should have been a religious rite into an orgy. Then, having gratified their appetites and stimulated their passions, they ceased to eat and drink, and rose up to play. The play included dancing of an indecent kind (Exo. 32:19; Exo. 32:25), and would probably have terminated, as the heathen orgies too often did, in the grossest sensualism, had not the descent of Moses from Sinai, and his appearance on the scene, put a stop to the unhallowed doings.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Rose up early It was to be a day of festivity and joy, and they were eager to begin it early .
Burnt offerings, and peace offerings See note on Exo 20:24.
Sat down to eat and to drink Usual words for hilarious feasting . They ate, as was customary, of the flesh of the peace offerings . What they drank is not said, but we most naturally suppose wine, which was so common at jovial feasts .
Rose up to play Comp, Exo 32:19; Exo 32:25. The meaning most probably is, that from feasting they proceeded to lewd forms of dancing . See note on Gen 21:9, and compare Herodotus’s account of the rude sports of the Egyptians at certain religious festivals. (Herod., 2:60.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Exo 32:6. Sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play That is, as St. Paul explains it, 1Co 10:7 they committed idolatry; performing all those ceremonies, feasting, dancing, (Exo 32:19.) and sporting lasciviously, which were usual in the worship of idols.
REFLECTIONS.Aaron, instead of shewing indignation at the proposal, infamously tame, consents to gratify them.
1. He asks for their golden ear-rings, which, however dear to them, they readily part with; for when men are set on sin they stop at nothing, and think they never pay too dear for the gratification. Note; It is a bad sign, if we are less ready to part with our gold to forward God’s cause than they were to part with theirs to dishonour him. These ear-rings were the spoils of the Egyptians, with which God had so lately enriched them; and now they are abused to the vilest idolatry. How often do the gifts of God thus prove a snare to us, and engage our idolatrous affections to them, so as to prove a curse instead of a blessing!
2. An altar is built, and a feast proclaimed to Jehovah: for they designed not to terminate their worship in the calf, but regarded it as the representation of the true God; though this we find was no exculpation of their guilt. Let the Roman Catholics see in their image-worship how exactly conformable is their conduct, and equally abominable their idolatry.
3. The people gladly obey the summons, and rejoice in the work of their own hands. The day is spent in feasting, mirth, and jollity. Such service could not suit Jehovah; but as the calf was the idol, their belly seems to have been their god. Note; Though the calf is no more, his worshippers are still numerous, if such be the service, to sit down to eat and drink, and rise up to play.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Exo 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Ver. 6. Rose up to play. ] To dance about the calf. Now, if they were so cheered and strengthened by those baneful bits, those murdering morsels; should not we much more by God’s spiritual provisions, to dance as David did, to do his work with all our might
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
offered. Hebrew. ‘alah. See App-43.
burnt offerings. Hebrew, plural of ‘alah. See App-43. eat and to drink. Figure of speech Ellipsis (App-6), i.e. to eat [the sacrifices] and to drink [the libations].
to play = to make sport. Compare Exo 32:19. So 1Co 10:7. to dance: i, e. lasciviously. This was part of idolatrous worship.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
offered: Exo 24:4, Exo 24:5
sat down: No doubt at this feast they sacrificed after the manner of the Egyptians. Num 25:2, Jdg 16:23-25, Amo 2:8, Amo 8:10, Act 7:41, Act 7:42, 1Co 10:7, Rev 11:10
Reciprocal: Lev 1:3 – a burnt Deu 31:16 – and go a Jdg 9:27 – the house 1Sa 30:16 – eating Isa 57:5 – Enflaming Eze 16:15 – and playedst Eze 23:42 – a voice Hos 3:1 – love flagons Hos 7:14 – assemble
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Exo 32:6. They rose up early To show their zeal they began betimes in the morning, and seem not to have stayed for Aaron; and offered burnt- offerings, &c. To this new-made image of Deity. And the people sat down to eat and drink Of the remainder of what was sacrificed; and then rose up to play To play the fool, to play the wanton. It was strange that any of the people, especially so great a number of them, should do such a thing. Had they not, but the other day, in this very place, heard the voice of the Lord God speaking to them out of the midst of the fire, Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image? Yet they made a calf in Horeb, the very place where the law was given! It was especially strange that Aaron should be so deeply concerned, should make the calf, and proclaim the feast! Is this Aaron the saint of the Lord? Is this he that had not only seen, but had been employed in summoning the plagues of Egypt, and the judgments executed upon the gods of the Egyptians? What! and yet himself copying out the abandoned idolatries of Egypt? How true is it, that the law made them priests which had infirmity, and needed first to offer for their own sins!