John Calvin Commentary Exodus 32:27

"And he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor." — Exodus 32:27 (ASV)

Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: He commands the Levites to arm themselves with their swords to commit slaughter throughout the whole camp. This may initially seem cruel and inhuman, as they are forbidden to spare their brothers, friends, and neighbors. However, it was by no means excessive if we consider how much more grave it is to profane the sacred worship of God than to harm people. Nor does God desire that all should be killed indiscriminately; He only commands the Levites to proceed courageously, so that if they happen to meet anyone worthy of death, neither relationship, nor friendship, nor familiarity should prevent or delay the just application of severity.

Indeed, since it soon follows that the Levites did as they were commanded, we infer that he was content with a moderation closer to leniency than to strictness. If any sedition has arisen in an army, which has proceeded to violence and slaughter, the general typically decimates the offenders. How much milder here is the rate of punishment, when only three thousand perish out of six hundred million! Although he may have, therefore, dealt harshly with a few, yet the chastisement must appear lenient, as it permits so many to escape, though guilty of the same crime.

However, the question arises whether they made any distinction, and if so, what kind? For it would have been an act of blind and reckless impulsiveness to kill everyone they might happen to meet. To avoid this absurdity, some of the³⁴⁶ Jews take refuge, as usual, in a foolish story that the bellies of those who were defiled by the sin swelled after drinking the water. If this is accepted, the swelling must have affected them all. But, rejecting all such inventions, it is probable that the Levites were well aware who the chief instigators of the wicked plan were, by whose incitement the rest were drawn into rebellion.

³⁴⁷ Therefore, they executed vengeance judicially and with discrimination on three thousand. As a result, the severity was bearable, and the whole people quietly submitted when they saw that their own well-being was served by the removal of these pestilent persons from among them. But, although Moses shows restraint in the overall punishment, it should be noted that he demands inflexible firmness from the Levites, so that no consideration of personal relationships would soften their hearts, because there is nothing more opposed to sound judgment than προσωποληψία (respect of persons).

Now, it is with good reason that the Levites are praised for obeying his command, for it demanded extraordinary courage to attack the whole twelve tribes, as they were not even a twelfth part of their number. We generally see that when many people are involved in a crime, judges are alarmed by the fear of rebellion and, in the end, lack the courage to carry out their duty. ³⁴⁸ It was, then, an extraordinary instance of zeal in the Levites that, disregarding all danger, they dared fearlessly to provoke so great a multitude against them.

And this holy indignation was the fruit of their repentance, since they did not hesitate to attack with drawn swords those whose threatening appearance they had previously cowered before. Surely it would have been less difficult to prevent the people's idolatry through bold rebuke than to execute capital punishment on the transgressors. Their piety and fear of God, therefore, stirred their hearts to new strength when they feared no danger of death.

³⁴⁶ “Quelques Rabins des Juifs;” some Jewish Rabbins. — Fr. So Aben-Ezra, and R. Salomon.

³⁴⁷ “Qui avoyent mene la danse pour desbaucher les autres, et ausquels le mal devoit estre impute;” who had led the dance to corrupt the others, and to whom the evil must be imputed. — Fr.

³⁴⁸ “Les juges sont en grand souci, par quel bout its commencerout, et qu’ils tremblent jusques a defaillir en le fin de leur office;” the judges are in great anxiety as to what end they shall begin at, and that they are so much alarmed as at length to fail in their duty. — Fr.