Exodus 32

Exodus · Chapter 32

Exodus 32:31

1And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.2And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.3And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.4And 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.5And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.6And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.7And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:8They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.9And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.14And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.15And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.16And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.17And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.18And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.19And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.20And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.21And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?22And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.23For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.24And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.25And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)26Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.27And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.28And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.29For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.30And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.31And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.32Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.33And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.34Therefore 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.35And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
31And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves.And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and he returnedוַיָּ֧שָׁבvai-YA-shovH7725G
to return: return

שׁוּב (shuv) : return 1) to return, turn back 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn back, return 1a1a) to turn back 1a1b) to return, come or go back 1a1c) to return unto, go back, come back 1a1d) of dying 1a1e) of human relations (fig) 1a1f) of spiritual relations (fig) 1a1f1) to turn back (from God), apostatise 1a1f2) to turn away (of God) 1a1f3) to turn back (to God), repent 1a1f4) turn back (from evil) 1a1g) of inanimate things 1a1h) in repetition 1b) (Polel) 1b1) to bring back 1b2) to restore, refresh, repair (fig) 1b3) to lead away (enticingly) 1b4) to show turning, apostatise 1c) (Pual) restored (participle) …

Mosesמֹשֶׁ֛הmo-SHEHH4872
Moses

מְנַשֶּׁה (me.nash.sheh) A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Exo.2.10; son of: Amram (H6019) and Jochebed (H3115); brother of: Aaron (H0175) and Miriam (H4813); married to Zipporah (H6855); father of: Gershom (H1647) and Eliezer (H0461H); also called Manasseh at Jdg.18.30(?) Another name of mo.sheh (מֹשֶׁה "Moses" H4872) § Manasseh = "causing to forget" 1) the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh 1a) the tribe descended from Manasseh 1b) the territory occupied by the tribe of Manasseh …

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

Yahwehיְהוָ֖הYAH-wehH3068G
Lord

אֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

and he saidוַיֹּאמַ֑רvai-yo-MARH0559
to say

אָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)

I beg youאָ֣נָּ֗א'a-NA'H0577
Please!

אָֽנָּ֫א (an.na) ah now! I/we beseech you, oh now!, pray now! (participle of entreaty usually followed by the imperative verb)

it has sinnedחָטָ֞אcha-TA'H2398
to sin

חָטָא (cha.ta) 1) to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to miss 1a2) to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty 1a3) to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to bear loss 1b2) to make a sin-offering 1b3) to purify from sin 1b4) to purify from uncleanness 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to miss the mark 1c2) to induce to sin, cause to sin 1c3) to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way 1d2) to purify oneself from uncleanness

the peopleהָעָ֤םha-'AMH5971A
people

עַם (am) : people/nation 1) nation, people 1a) people, nation 1b) persons, members of one's people, compatriots, country-men

the thisהַזֶּה֙ha-ZEHH2088
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

a sinחֲטָאָ֣הcha-ta-'AHH2401
sin

חֲטָאָה (cha.ta.ah) 1) sin, sin offering 1a) sin 1b) sin offering Aramaic equivalent: chat.ta.ah (חַטָּאָה "sin offering" H2402)

greatגְדֹלָ֔הge-do-LAHH1419A
great: large

גָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel

and they have madeוַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּvai-ya-'a-SUH6213H
to make

עֲבַד (a.vad) 1) to make, do 1a)(P'al) 1a1) to make, create 1a2) to do, perform 1b) (Ithp'al) 1b1) to be made into 1b2) to be done, be wrought, be performed, be executed, be carried out

gods ofאֱלֹהֵ֥י'e-lo-HEIH0430J
God

אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)

goldזָהָֽב׃za-HAVH2091
gold

דְּהַב (de.hav) gold Aramaic of za.hav (זָהָב "gold" H2091)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.