Exodus 32:7-14. God to Moses,“your people.” Moses to God,“(No) Your people.”: Explanations Across the Ages

Abstract

Exodus 32:7-14 relates the narrative of the dialogue between God and Moses atop Sinai, as Aaron and the Israelites, at the base of the mountain are involved with the golden calf. For well over two millennia Jewish, Christian, and secular sources have sought to understand and explain the dynamics of what is taking place on Mt Sinai. This article looks at a variety of representative samples from the ancient world such as Rewritten Bibles, including Pseudo-Philo’s Biblical Antiquities; rabbinic teachings and midrashim from late antiquity to the Middle Ages; the Patristics (Church Fathers); Targums (Aramaic translations of the Torah); traditional Jewish commentators; prominent Christian exegetes from the time of the Reformation and after, and contemporary scholars.