Exodus 32:26

 Exodus 32:26

Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

a. ASV: Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoso is on Jehovah’s side, let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And Moses standeth in the gate of the camp, and saith, 'Who is for Jehovah? -- unto me!' and all the sons of Levi are gathered unto him; [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Whoever is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me. And all the Levites [the priestly tribe] gathered together to him. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT: Moses told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

e. Stone Edition THE CHUMASH, Rabbinic Commentary: Moses stood at the gateway of the camp, and said, “Whoever os for HASHEM, Join me!”--and all the Levites gathered around him.[The Artscroll Series/Stone Edition, THE CHUMASH Copyright 1998, 2000 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ldt.]

f. Torah, Judaism and Jewish information on the web: www.chabad.org; Online English Translation of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible): So Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: "Whoever is for the Lord, [let him come] to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. [English Translation, Ⓒ Copyright The Judaica Press All rights reserved.]

1. “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side?...”

a. [Then] Moses [Strong: 4872 Mosheh mo-sheh' from 4871; drawing out (of the water), i.e. rescued; Mosheh, the Israelite lawgiver:--Moses.]

b. stood [Strong: 5975 `amad aw-mad' a primitive root; to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive):--abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, + serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, make to be at a, with-)stand (by, fast, firm, still, up), (be at a) stay (up), tarry.]

c. [in the] gate [Strong: 8179 sha`ar shah'-ar from 8176 in its original sense; an opening, i.e. door or gate:--city, door, gate, port (X -er).]

d. [of the] camp [Strong: 4264 machaneh makh-an-eh' from 2583; an encampment (of travellers or troops); hence, an army, whether literal (of soldiers) or figurative (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars; or even the sacred courts):-- army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents.]

e. [and] said [Strong: 559 'amar aw-mar' a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):--answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use (speech), utter, X verily, X yet.]

f. Who [Strong: 4310 miy me an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things, who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix:--any (man), X he, X him, + O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), + would to God.]

g. [is on the] LORD’s [side] [Strong: 3068 Yhovah yeh-ho-vaw' from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

1). Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible: The tribe of Levi, Moses' own tribe, now distinguished itself by immediately returning to its allegiance and obeying the call to fight on the side of Yahweh. We need not doubt that the 3,000 who were slain were those who persisted in resisting Moses. The spirit of the narrative forbids us to conceive that the act of the Levites was anything like an indiscriminate massacre. An amnesty had first been offered to all by the words: "Who is on the Lord's side?"

2. “...let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.”

a. [let him come] unto [me] [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

b. [And] all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 36 34; properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).]

c. [the] sons [Strong: 1121 ben bane from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to, (+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, + kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+) people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, + spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.]

d. [of] Levi [Strong: 3878 Leviy lay-vee' from 3867; attached; Levi, a son of Jacob:--Levi.]

e. gathered themselves together [Strong: 622 'acaph aw-saf' a primitive root; to gather for any purpose; hence, to receive, take away, i.e. remove (destroy, leave behind, put up, restore, etc.):--assemble, bring, consume, destroy, felch, gather (in, together, up again), X generally, get (him), lose, put all together, receive, recover (another from leprosy), (be) rereward, X surely, take (away, into, up), X utterly, withdraw.]

f. unto [him] [Strong: 413 'el ale (but only used in the shortened constructive form sel {el}); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:--about, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(- to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).]

1). It appears from verse 29 that Moses was saying to the Levites, that as they were slaying their sons and brothers that they were consecrating them selves to the Lord. The Amplified Bible translation definitely says it exactly that way.

a). Amplified Bible: Exodus  32:29“And Moses said [to the Levites, By your obedience  to God’s command] you have consecrated yourselves today as priests to the LORD, each man [at the cost of being] against His own brother, that the LORD may restore and bestow His blessing upon you this day.”

b). Exodus 32:29 [NRSV] “Moses said, Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought blessing on yourselves this day.”

2). Now don’t think for a minute that I am advocating killing relatives that are not Christians, God forbid! I am saying nothing of the kind. What I am saying is that one of the principal components of a relationship with God is God has to come first. This is clearly laid out in the Scriptures.

a). Matthew 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or doughter more than me is not worthy or me.”

3). In fact, within the context of the verse in Matthew Jesus says that sometimes, a true relationship with God will cause division within and between family members.

a). Matthew 10:34-40 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 

10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

10:36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy or me. 

10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth  him that sent me.

4). It happened to Jeremiah 

a). Jeremiah 12:6 “For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.”

5). The prophet Micah warned of it. 

a). Micah 7:5-7 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

7:6 For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.

7:7 Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

a). In Matthew 10:36 Jesus was quoting this passage.

6). But another nugget of truth within the passage of Exodus is that when we are obeying the word of God, we are consecrating ourselves to Him. This principle is repeated elsewhere in Scripture.

a). Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield youselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.

b). John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

7). We have all heard the proverb, “Blood is thicker than water.” We also know that it is referring to the fact, relationships within family are closer than mere friendships. Well, spirit is thicker than blood.

8). Apostate Christianity states this incident was an act of religious murder, blaming God for religious genocide, which is completely untrue. The tragic loss of live in Exodus 32 was due to disobedience that had to be dealt with severely. There were no crimes of genocide committed by Moses or God.

a). J. Phillip Wogaman writes in his book A Christian Method of Moral Judgment:  “The development of universal monotheism in the Hebrew-Christian tradition did in fact serve to reinforce the authority of specific moral commandments, for they were thus invested with the authority of the universal God himself. Moral authority, thus reinforced, has served not only as a guide to specific moral judgments but as a basis for religious intolerance and persecution.”

b). Wogaman cites Leo Pfeffer [pronounced Feffer] Constitutional lawyer and secular humanist in his footnotes. “Leo Pfeffer has commented that , “…it is substantially true that the problem of compulsion in religion is a heritage of the monotheistic worship which Moses commanded must, under penalty of death, be accorded to a jealous God. The history of religious persecution flows directly from Moses command to slay the three thousand men who worshipped the golden calf…”