Chapter XXXVII.
THE GOLDEN CALF.
[Ex. 32.]
MOSES again ascended the mountain, and remained there forty days [1] and forty nights conversing with God. And when God had finished speaking with Moses, He gave him two tables[2] of stone, on which were written the Ten Commandments. Now the people, seeing that Moses tarried [3] in coming down from the mountain, rose up against Aaron and besought him, saying: “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.”
Hoping to dissuade them from their impious project, Aaron replied: “Take the golden ear-rings from the ears of your wives, and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” Contrary to his expectation [4], they brought their rings to Aaron who, fearing to offer resistance, accepted them, and made a molten calf[5], and built an altar. And the people exclaimed: “These are thy gods, O Israel, that have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” Next morning they offered holocausts and peace-victims, and began to eat and drink and to dance, after the manner of the Egyptians.
Meanwhile Moses came down from the mountain with the two tables of stone, whereon God Himself had written His Command-
- ↑ Forty days. Moses passed the forty days and forty nights without food, and in prayer and contemplation, and was instructed by God about the making of the TabernacTe and the worship of God.
- ↑ Two tables. The tables of the Commandments wrere the document of the Covenant. On the first table wrere written the first three Commandments, which teach us our duty towards God. On the second were the seven others which relate to our duty towards our neighbour.
- ↑ Tarried. They believed that some misfortune had befallen Moses, and that God would now no longer be with them. This, however, was not the real cause of their idolatry, the plea of his absence was only an excuse. The real causes were the weakness of their faith and their sensuality, which made them crave for the lowr and dissolute pleasures of idolatry.
- ↑ Contrary to his expectation. Aaron had reckoned that they would rather give up their project than sacrifice their ornaments and treasures. However, their craving for idolatry proved stronger than their vanity or avarice.
- ↑ A molten calf. They insisted on a calf being made in imitation of the Egyptian worship of Apis (Fig. 26). The gold was melted on the fire, and then cast into a mould.
