Exodus 32:25

Hebrew Bible

24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.” 25 Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. 26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” All the Levites gathered around him,

Onkelos Exodus 32:25

Targum

24 And I said to them, Whoever hath gold let him deliver, and give it to me; and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came forth. 25 And Mosheh saw that the people were undone (or, made empty); for Aharon had undone them, to defile them with an evil name in their generations; 26 and Mosheh stood at the gate of the camp, and said, Let those who fear the Lord come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.

 Notes and References

"... Bible: 'a disgrace among their enemies.' The targumist identifies the 'disgrace' as 'getting them a bad name.' He does not treat the biblical bekameihem as 'enemies,' as in Psalms 32, but as 'generations,' as in Numbers 32:14 and Deuteronomy 29:21. Nachmanides elaborates: The 'generations' are unborn, misguided Israelites who think that their ancestors acted properly. The targumist's preference for 'generations' over 'enemies' may be to protect Israel's honor. He believed that the Israelites had not sunk so low that even their enemies would mock them and probably thought it unlikely that the non-lsraelites would mock them for idol worship when they themselves worshiped idols ..."

Drazin, Israel, and Stanley M. Wagner Onkelos on the Torah, Exodus: Understanding the Bible Text (p. 225) Gefen, 2006

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