John Gill Commentary Exodus 32:34

"And now go, lead the people unto [the place] of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them." — Exodus 32:34 (ASV)

Therefore now go, lead the people [unto the] place of
which I have spoken to you
That is, to the land of Canaan, which he had promised to their fathers and to them, and had directed Moses to bring them to:

behold, mine angel shall go before thee :
and not I, as Jarchi interprets it; not the Angel of the covenant, and of his presence, as in (Exodus 23:20) but a created angel, which, though a favour, was a lessening of the mercy before promised and granted; and which gave the people a great deal of concern, though Moses by his supplications got the former blessing restored, (Exodus 33:2Exodus 33:4Exodus 33:14Exodus 33:17) :

nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon
them ;
that is, when he should visit them in a way of correction for other sins, he would visit them in like manner for this sin, the worship of the golden calf; and so Jarchi well explains it, "when I visit upon them their iniquities, I will visit upon them a little of this iniquity, with the rest of iniquities; and there is no punishment (adds he) comes upon Israel, in which there is not something of the punishment of the sin of the calf;"

and the Jews have a saying ^F20 , that "there is not a generation in which there is not an ounce of the sin of the calf."

---

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: T. Hieros. Taanith, fol. 68. 3.