Exodus 32:3

 Exodus 32:3

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

a. ASV: And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And all the people themselves break off the rings of gold which are in their ears, and bring in unto Aaron, [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: So all the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. NLT: All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. [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: The entire people removed the gold rings that were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. [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): And all the people stripped themselves of the golden earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.  [English Translation, Ⓒ Copyright The Judaica Press All rights reserved.]

1. “And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears…”

a. [And] all [Strong: 3605 kol kole or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; 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).]

b. [the] people [Strong: 5971 `am am from 6004; a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock:--folk, men, nation, people.]

c. brake off [Strong: 6561 paraq paw-rak' a primitive root; to break off or crunch; figuratively, to deliver:--break (off), deliver, redeem, rend (in pieces), tear in pieces.]

d. [the] golden [Strong: 2091 zahab zaw-hawb' from an unused root meaning to shimmer; gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear sky:-- gold(-en), fair weather.]

e. earings [Strong: 5141 nexem neh'-zem from an unused root of uncertain meaning; a nose-ring:--earring, jewel.]

f. which [Strong: 834 'aher ash-er' a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number); who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.:--X after, X alike, as (soon as), because, X every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), X if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), X though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(- soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.]

g. [were in their] ears [Strong: 241 'ozen o'-zen from 238; broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in man):--+ advertise, audience, + displease, ear, hearing, + show.]

2. “...and brought them unto Aaron.”

a. [and] brought [them] [Strong: 935 bow' bo a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications):--abide, apply, attain, X be, befall, + besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, X certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, X doubtless again, + eat, + employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, + follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, + have, X indeed, (in-)vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, X (well) stricken (in age), X surely, take (in), way.]

b. unto [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).]

c. Aaron [Strong: 175 'Aharown a-har-one' of uncertain derivation; Aharon, the brother of Moses:--Aaron.]

1). We must put in context that Aaron and his sons and 70 leaders from Israel had seen God and ate a meal with Him five and a half weeks previously. What convinced Aaron to go along with this is unknown.

a). Exodus 24:9-11 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

24:11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.