John Calvin Commentary Exodus 32:6

"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." — Exodus 32:6 (ASV)

And they rose up early on the next day. The earnestness of the people in pursuing their error is again described; for there is no doubt that it was at their demand that Aaron proclaimed the solemn sacrifice; and now it is not only added that they were ready for it on time, but their extraordinary diligence is shown in that they appeared at the very dawn of day.

Now, if, at the instigation of the devil, unbelievers are thus driven recklessly to their destruction, how shameful our inactivity is, if at least an equal eagerness does not show itself in our zeal! Thus it is said in Psalm 110:3:

Your ³³³ people (shall come) with voluntary offerings in the day
(of the assembling) of your army.

What follows about the people sitting down “to eat and to drink,” many ³³⁴ ignorantly twist to mean intemperance; just as they also wrongly interpret their “rising up to play” as meaning lasciviousness; while Moses instead describes the sacred banquet and games engaged in, in honor of the idols. For, as we have seen elsewhere, the faithful feasted before God at their sacrifices, and so also heathen nations celebrated sacred feasts while they worshiped their idols with games.

Paul is the surest interpreter of this point, who quotes this passage in condemnation of the idolatry of the ancient people, and skillfully adapts it to the purpose he had in mind; for the Corinthians had not gone to such an extreme as to bow their knees to idols, but were close companions of unbelievers in their polluted sacrifices (1 Corinthians 10:20).

³³³ C. here quotes his own translation, see Calvin Soc. edit., . here quotes his own translation, see Calvin Soc. edit., vol. 4. 301, with the Editor’s , with the Editor’s note. It will be seen that it nearly agrees with the Prayer-book version of the Church of England.. It will be seen that it nearly agrees with the Prayer-book version of the Church of England.

³³⁴ Willet, in loco, attributes the opinion rejected by C. as to their intemperance to Ambrose, and, after him, to Simler. The latter notion, with respect to the word play, seems to be a very common one with the Commentators. Bushe says it implies “not only such sports as singing, dancing, and merry-making in general, but in some cases also a species of conduct which the epithet wanton as correctly defines as any term which we deem it proper to employ. Compare the use of the same original word rendered mock, Genesis 39:14. Compare also Numbers 25:1, 2.” Corn. A Lapide quotes a striking parallel as to the abuse of sacrifices among the heathen, from Epicharmus, ap Athenoeum, lib. 2, — “Ex sacrificio epulum, ex epulo facta est potatio, ex potatione comus, ex como ludus, ex ludo judicium, ex judicio condemnatio, ex condemnatione compedes, sphacelus, et mulctatio;” and adds, that “drunken-bouts were called μέθας, because they were indulged in μετὰ τὸ θύειν, i e., after sacrifices.” Dathe appears precisely to represent C.’s view: “Postridie igitur mane holocausta et eucharistica sacrificant, atque commessationibus et compotationibus peractis, ad saltationes solennes sese convertunt.”