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And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Up, make us gods. — Aaron might make a calf, but the people made it a god, by adoring it.

“Qui fingit sacros auro vel marmore vultus,

Non facit ille Deos; qui rogat, iste facit.” - Martial.

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And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me.

Ver. "2. Brake off the golden ear-rings. — Hereby he hoped to break their design; but all in vain for they were "mad upon their idols." Jeremiah 50:38

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And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron.

Brake off the golden ear-rings. — Which they had got of the Egyptians. Exodus 12:35 To make use of heathen authors for ostentation, is to make a calf of the treasure gotten out of Egypt.

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And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

A molten calf. — In imitation of the Egyptian idol Apis, a pied-bull. A man may pass through Ethiopia unchanged; but he cannot dwell there, and not be discoloured. How oft, alas, have we abused God’s mercy; taking his jewels, and making a golden calf of them!

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And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow [is] a feast to the LORD.

A feast to Jehovah. — Whom these idolators pretended to worship in the golden calf; as did also Jehu, 2 Kings 10:16 ; 2 Kings 10:29 2 Chronicles 11:15 and as the Papists at this day. But with what face can some of their Rabbis excuse this people from idolatry? or the Jesuits their image worshippers?

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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.

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

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And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [themselves]:

For thy people, which thou broughtest. — God will own them no longer; they are now discovenanted. The saints by gross sins may lose their ius aptitudinale, non ius haereditarium, their fitness for God’s kingdom; they may sin away all their comfortables.

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They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

They have turned aside quickly. — Moses’s back was but newly turned, as it were. "I marvel that you are so soon removed," … Galatians 1:6 See Trapp on " Galatians 1:6 " When we have spent all our wind on our people, their hearts will be still apt to be "carried away with every wind of doctrine," - in our absence especially.

“Mures, fele absente, choreas ducunt.” - Suidas.

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