Exodus 32:4, One Calf Or Two? Part I of II

And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

//Here’s a puzzle for you. While Moses was up on the mountain talking to God, the children of Israel grew impatient. They asked Aaron to make for them a golden calf. So he made a calf, and ordained it with this statement “These be thy gods.”

Huh? How did one golden calf become plural? A clue comes from the story of King Jeroboam much later in scripture. This king set up two religious centers, in Dan and in Bethel, and in each he placed a golden young bull for worship.

Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. -1 Kings 12:28

Sound familiar? The words Jeroboam used to dedicate his golden bulls are identical to the words Aaron used to introduce his golden calf. Could this be coincidence?

More tomorrow.

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