C. F. Keil and Franz Delitzsch on Exodus 32:11-13

Exo 32:11-13

“And Moses besought the Lord his God.” יי את־פּני חלּה, lit., to stroke the face of Jehovah, for the purpose of appeasing His anger, i.e., to entreat His mercy, either by means of sacrifices (1Sa 13:12) or by intercession. He pleaded His acts towards Israel (Exo 32:11), His honour in the sight of the Egyptians (Exo 32:12), and the promises He had made to the patriarchs (Exo 32:13), and prayed that for His own sake, and the sake of His honour among the heathen, He would show mercy instead of justice. בּרעה (Exo 32:12) does not mean μετὰ πονεερίας, or callide (Vulg.), but “for their hurt,” - the preposition denoting the manner in which, or according to which, anything took place.