Exodus 32:9
And again the Lord said to Moses: See that this people is stiffnecked:
Open Exodus 32:9 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Rursumque ait Dominus ad Moysen : Cerno quod populus iste duræ cervicis sit :
- Septuagint (Swete)
- Οὗτοι οἱ θεοί σου, Ἰσραήλ, οἵτινες ἀνεβίβασάν σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל מֹשֶׁ֑ה רָאִ֨יתִי֙ אֶת הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה עַם קְשֵׁה עֹ֖רֶף הֽוּא
Haydock's commentary
And again. The Septuagint omit this verse. Moses, at the first intimation of the people's sin, fell prostrate before the Lord, to sue for pardon, and pleaded the natural weakness of an ungovernable multitude, in order to extenuate their fault. This God admits.
I see, &c. But while he seems bent on punishing them, to try his servant, he encourages him inwardly to pray with fervour. (Salien.)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
Clement of Alexandria The Stromata, or Miscellanies, Chap. XIX. Women as well as Men Capable of Perfection
In this perfection it is possible for man and woman equally to share. It is not only Moses, then, that heard from God, “I have spoken to thee once, and twice, saying, I have seen this people, and lo, it is stiff-necked. Suffer me to exterminate them, and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make thee into a great and wonderful nation much greater than this;” who answers not regarding himself, but the common salvation: “By no means, O Lord; forgive this people their sin, or blot me out of the book of the living.” How great was his perfection, in wishing to die together with the people, rather than be saved alone!