Exodus 32:29

Exo 32:29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Ver. 29. Consecrate yourselves.] Regain that blessing which your father Levi lost. {Gen 49:5; Gen 49:7}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Exo_32:29

Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord.

Immediate devotedness to God

I. The nature of this consecration.

1. We must recognize the claims of Jehovah.

2. We must concur as to the manner of our consecration.

3. We must be deeply anxious respecting this consecration.

4. We must earnestly and believingly give ourselves up to the Lord.

5. This act of consecration must be entire and for ever.

6. This act must be our own individual act.

7. This act must be effected and sustained by Divine grace.

8. This act must be immediate. To-day we have life, means, promises. To-morrow all may be lost, and for ever. Now, let us urge you to this immediate consecration--

II. By several important considerations and motives.

1. It is rational.

2. It is improving.

3. It is felicitous.

4. It is consolatory.

5. It is saving.

Application:

1. Let me urge the text on all classes--the young especially.

2. Let me urge all now.

3. I urge by a countless number of considerations.

By the majesty and glory of the God who seeks your salvation, and not death. By the Spirit within you. By the flight of time. (J. Burns, D. D.)

Consecrate yourselves to the Lord

If you say you are on the Lords side, prove it. If you are His in one thing, be His in all things. There are a great many who call themselves on the Lords side when they want daily bread or daily protection, who hesitate to stand out against brother and neighbour when the time of trying division for conscience sake comes. The reason why so many of us accomplish so little for the Lord is, that we are only partially consecrated to the Lord. We are His for Sunday and Wednesday evenings; or for Him in one line or another of thought or conduct; or for Him in all lines but one. Mr. Moody has said that the world has yet to see the power of one man wholly consecrated to God. Uncle Johnny Vassar, or David Livingstone, or Martin Luther, or some such man as that, gives us a glimpse of the possibilities of one who is consecrated to the Lord. What a pity that such illustrations are so exceptional! Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord, that He may bestow upon you a blessing! (H. C. Trumbull.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

In revenging God’s glory we must have no respect to person, but put off all carnal affection.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord--or, "Ye have consecrated yourselves to-day." The Levites, notwithstanding the dejection of Aaron, distinguished themselves by their zeal for the honor of God and their conduct in doing the office of executioners on this occasion; and this was one reason that they were appointed to a high and honorable office in the service of the sanctuary.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 29. For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves] Fill your hands to the Lord. See the reason of this form of speech in Clarke's note on "Ex 29:19".

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(29) For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves.—Moses had explained to them that a brave behaviour under existing circumstances would be accepted as a “consecration,” and would win for the tribe a semi-priestly character. His announcement was made good when the Levites were appointed to the service of the sanctuary in lieu of the firstborn (Num_3:6-13).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

29. The Levites are invited to qualify themselves to receive the priesthood as a reward for their zeal.

Fill your hand to-day to Jehovah] i.e. (see on Exo_28:41), Provide yourselves with sacrifices, that you may be installed into the priesthood.

for every man (is) against, &c.] That is the spirit which you have shewn to-day, and which is demanded for the priesthood (Di.). Cf. Deu_33:9 (written under the monarchy), where the priestly tribe is eulogized for its abnegation of natural relationships, though it is uncertain whether the present incident is specifically alluded to.

that he may, &c.] The ‘blessing’ is the privilege of officiating as priests. Cf. Kennedy, DB. i. 341b.

In view of Deu_10:8 (‘At that time Jehovah separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark’ &c.), where the fragment of an itinerary in vv. 6 f. must be either parenthetic, or misplaced (so that At that time will refer to the period of the stay at Horeb, the subject of Deu_9:8 to Deu_10:5), Di. and others can hardly be wrong in holding that JE’s narrative here was followed originally by an account of the consecration of the tribe of Levi—as a reward, presumably, for the display of zeal on Jehovah’s behalf described in vv. 26–29, which the compiler of Ex. did not deem it necessary to retain by the side of the more detailed particulars of P. In P, it will be remembered, the consecration of the priesthood is narrated in Leviticus 8, and that of the ‘Levites’ (in P the inferior members of the tribe, as distinguished from the priests) in Num_8:5 ff.; but down to the time when Dt. was written, any member of the tribe had the right to exercise priestly functions (Deu_18:1; Deu_18:6-8); and it would be during this stage in the history of the tribe that J or E—like the writer of Deu_10:8 f.—would speak of the whole tribe being set apart or consecrated For priestly functions.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass on the morrow,.... The eighteenth day of Tammuz it was, the same writers say, that Moses implored the mercy of God for Israel. Jarchi on Exo 32:11 says it was on the seventeenth day the tables were broke, on the eighteenth the calf was burnt, and on the nineteenth that Moses went up to intercede for them:

that Moses said unto the people, ye have sinned a great sin; the sin of idolatry, see Exo 32:21 from whence it appears, that all that were guilty of it were not slain, perhaps only some of one tribe; and there was great reason to fear, that as wrath was gone forth it would not stop here, but others would fall a sacrifice to the divine displeasure; wherefore it is proposed by Moses to make application to the Lord on their behalf, that they might obtain mercy:

and I will go up unto the Lord: on the top of Mount Sinai:

peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin; not by any sacrifice offered, but by his prayers prevail with God to forgive their sin, and not punish any more for it: he had by his first prayer obtained of the Lord not to consume them off of the face of the earth, and utterly destroy them as a nation; but that he did not hinder but that resentment might be shown in a lesser degree, or by parts; as not 3000 men had been cut off, chiefly out of one tribe, if not altogether, the rest of the tribes might expect to be visited, according to the number of their delinquents.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

To you. Thus they merited the priesthood, and a blessing; (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 9.; Menochius) having been the ministers of God’s just indignation, without sparing any of the most guilty. With these they could not be unacquainted. No external signs on their bodies were requisite to make the delinquents known. They had appeared to publicly. (Haydock) --- The Levites acted with due authority and order, which their father, Levi, had neglected, Genesis xxxiv. (Worthington)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Offer up yourselves to the honour and service of the Lord in this work, which because it was joined with the hazard of their lives, he calls it a consecration or oblation of themselves, as Abraham for the like reason is said to have offered up Isaac.

Consecrate yourselves, Heb. fill your hands, & c., i.e. offer a sacrifice, for so the phrase is oft used, as Exo 28:41; Jdg 17:5,12. That work of justice which they were going to execute might seem an inhuman and barbarous act, but he tells them it was an acceptable sacrifice to God, as the destruction of God’s enemies is called a sacrifice, Isa 34:6; Eze 39:17. Or he hereby intimates that this tribe was designed by God for his immediate service, and therefore recommends this work to them as an excellent initiation into their office, and as a demonstration that they were in some sort worthy of that great trust.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

29. For Moses had said — Thus rendered, this verse is supposed to explain the zeal of the Levites in the slaughter just described. Their zeal and activity were to be a consecration of themselves to Jehovah. But the common version is not in strict accord with the Hebrew text. The margin gives the better rendering. But the explanations of the verse have been various. Translating literally we read: And Moses said, Fill your hand to-day unto (or for) Jehovah, for a man (is or was) against his son and against his brother, and (it was) to give a blessing upon you to-day. The expression “fill the hand” is a metaphor which is used in describing the consecration of persons, (compare Exo_28:41; Exo_29:9; Exo_29:29; Exo_29:33; Lev_8:33; Lev_21:10; Num_3:3; 1Ch_29:5; 2Ch_29:31,) and is translated consecrate in all the passages here referred to. The allusion in the metaphor appears to refer to some ceremony of giving into the hands of those consecrated some sign or symbol of their office and work. It would be thus signified that their hands were thenceforth to be filled with the duties and obligations of their sacred calling. We need not here understand that these Levites were commanded to bring any special offerings at this time, but that the work which they had that day performed was a consecration of themselves to Jehovah. They had filled their hands with an act which would give them memorable distinction. Accordingly, the verse might be thus paraphrased: Consecrate yourselves this day unto Jehovah. For you have shown yourselves worthy to be his ministers by rising above personal and family considerations when Jehovah’s honour was at stake, (comp. Deu_33:8-11; Luk_14:26,) for by turning in this case against son and brother you have shown yourselves loyal to Jehovah and worthy to receive his blessing.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For Moses had said. Moses, on giving them their commission (ver. 27), had told them, that their zeal in the matter would he a consecration, and would secure them God"s blessing. They earned by it the semi-priestly position, which was soon afterwards assigned to them. (Num_3:6-13)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

מלאו ידכם CONSECRATE YOURSELVES — You who are killing them (your own relatives) will by this very act install yourselves as priests of the Omnipresent God,

כי איש FOR EVERY MAN among you will consecrate himself בבנו ובאחיו BY HIS SON AND HIS BROTHER (by their death at his hand).

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.