I looked, and behold, you had sinned against Yahweh your God. You had made yourselves a molded calf. You had quickly turned away from the way which Yahweh had commanded you. I took hold of the two tablets, and threw them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes. I fell down before Yahweh, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which Yahweh was angry against you to destroy you. But Yahweh listened to me that time also. Yahweh was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire, and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that descended out of the mountain. At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked Yahweh to wrath. When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the land which I have given you,” you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God, and you didn’t believe him or listen to his voice. You have been rebellious against Yahweh from the day that I knew you.
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Deuteronomy 9:16-24 sits inside this longer paragraph.
So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. The two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. I looked, and behold, you had sinned against Yahweh your God. You had made yourselves a molded calf. You had quickly turned away from the way which Yahweh had commanded you. I took hold of the two tablets, and threw them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes. I fell down before Yahweh, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which Yahweh was angry against you to destroy you. But Yahweh listened to me that time also. Yahweh was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. I prayed for Aaron also at the same time. I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire, and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that descended out of the mountain. At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked Yahweh to wrath. When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the land which I have given you,” you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God, and you didn’t believe him or listen to his voice. You have been rebellious against Yahweh from the day that I knew you. So I fell down before Yahweh the forty days and forty nights that I fell down, because Yahweh had said he would destroy you. I prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Lord Yahweh, don’t destroy your people and your inheritance that you have redeemed through your greatness, that you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t look at the stubbornness of this people, nor at their wickedness, nor at their sin, lest the land you brought us out from say, ‘Because Yahweh was not able to bring them into the land which he promised to them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’ Yet they are your people and your inheritance, which you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.”
Parallel Translations
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I looked, and behold, you had sinned against Yahweh your God. You had made yourselves a molded calf. You had quickly turned away from the way which Yahweh had commanded you.
I took hold of the two tablets, and threw them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes.
I fell down before Yahweh, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you sinned, in doing that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger.
For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which Yahweh was angry against you to destroy you. But Yahweh listened to me that time also.
Yahweh was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire, and crushed it, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust. I threw its dust into the brook that descended out of the mountain.
At Taberah, at Massah, and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked Yahweh to wrath.
When Yahweh sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, “Go up and possess the land which I have given you,” you rebelled against the commandment of Yahweh your God, and you didn’t believe him or listen to his voice.
You have been rebellious against Yahweh from the day that I knew you.
-
And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.
And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also.
And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.
And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye provoked the LORD to wrath.
Likewise when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, Go up and possess the land which I have given you; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice.
Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you.
Show all 3 translations
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And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God; ye had made you a molten calf; ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
And I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes.
And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which ye sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him.
For I was in dread of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me that time also.
Moreover the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him; and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and beat it in pieces, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount. —
And at Taberah, and at Massah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye made the LORD wroth.
And when the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying: 'Go up and possess the land which I have given you'; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye believed Him not, nor hearkened to His voice.
Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you. —
Cross-references (43)
- Exodus 34:28 (v18) He was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread, nor drank water. He wrote on the tablets the words of the…
- Exodus 17:7 (v22) He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, “Is…
- Numbers 11:34 (v22) The name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.
- Deuteronomy 10:10 (vv18–19) I stayed on the mountain, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights; and Yahweh listened to me that time also. Yahweh would not…
- Exodus 32:14 (v19) So Yahweh turned away from the evil which he said he would do to his people.
Show all 41 cross-references
- Exodus 32:20 (v21) He took the calf which they had made, and burned it with fire, ground it to powder, and scattered it on the water, and made the children of…
- Deuteronomy 31:27 (v24) For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Yahweh. How…
- James 5:16-17 (v19) Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is…
- Numbers 11:1-5 (v22) The people were complaining in the ears of Yahweh. When Yahweh heard it, his anger burned; and Yahweh’s fire burned among them, and…
- Deuteronomy 9:9 (v18) When I had gone up onto the mountain to receive the stone tablets, even the tablets of the covenant which Yahweh made with you, then I…
- Psalms 106:24-25 (v23) Yes, they despised the pleasant land. They didn’t believe his word, but murmured in their tents, and didn’t listen to Yahweh’s voice.
- Psalms 106:23 (vv18–19) Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had Moses, his chosen, not stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath, so that he…
- Exodus 32:10-11 (v19) Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”…
- Exodus 32:19 (v16) As soon as he came near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. Then Moses’ anger grew hot, and he threw the tablets out of his…
- Exodus 33:17 (v19) Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
- Psalms 99:6 (v19) Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who call on his name. They called on Yahweh, and he answered them.
- Acts 7:51 (v24) “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do.
- Hebrews 4:2 (v23) For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed…
- Exodus 32:10-14 (v18) Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation.”…
- Deuteronomy 9:6-7 (v24) Know therefore that Yahweh your God doesn’t give you this good land to possess for your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.…
- 2 Samuel 12:16 (v18) David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the ground.
- Nehemiah 1:2-7 (v19) Hanani, one of my brothers, came, he and certain men out of Judah; and I asked them about the Jews who had escaped, who were left of the…
- Psalms 78:22 (v23) because they didn’t believe in God, and didn’t trust in his salvation.
- Isaiah 31:7 (v21) For in that day everyone shall cast away his idols of silver and his idols of gold—sin which your own hands have made for you.
- Isaiah 63:10 (v23) But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned and became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.
- Amos 7:2-3 (v19) When they finished eating the grass of the land, then I said, “Lord Yahweh, forgive, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small.”…
- Luke 12:4-5 (v19) “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom…
- Exodus 32:21 (v20) Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”
- Exodus 32:35 (v20) Yahweh struck the people, because of what they did with the calf, which Aaron made.
- Numbers 13:1–14:4 (v23) Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel. Of every tribe…
- Numbers 14:10-41 (v23) But all the congregation threatened to stone them with stones. Yahweh’s glory appeared in the Tent of Meeting to all the children of…
- Deuteronomy 1:19-33 (v23) We traveled from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw, by the way to the hill country of the…
- Deuteronomy 9:8 (v19) Also in Horeb you provoked Yahweh to wrath, and Yahweh was angry with you to destroy you.
- Isaiah 2:18-21 (v21) The idols shall utterly pass away. Men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of…
- Isaiah 30:22 (v21) You shall defile the overlaying of your engraved images of silver, and the plating of your molten images of gold. You shall cast them away…
- Hosea 8:11 (v21) Because Ephraim has multiplied altars for sinning, they became for him altars for sinning.
- Amos 7:5-6 (v19) Then I said, “Lord Yahweh, stop, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small.” Yahweh relented concerning this. “This also shall not…
- Acts 7:40-41 (v16) saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has…
- Hebrews 3:18-19 (v23) To whom did he swear that they wouldn’t enter into his rest, but to those who were disobedient? We see that they weren’t able to enter in…
- Hebrews 7:26-28 (v20) For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who…
- Exodus 32:2-5 (v20) Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to…
41 distinct cross-references across this passage (43 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv16, 20, 21, 23 That is, from the Law: wherein he declareth what…
That is, from the Law: wherein he declareth what is the cause of our perdition.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 24 Deu 9:16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had…
Deu 9:16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, [and] had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
Ver. 16. Ye had turned aside quickly.] Levitate prorsus desultoria. Apostates have religionem ephemeram, being constant in nothing but in their inconstancy.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 20, 21 Not by an unbridled passion, but in zeal for…
Not by an unbridled passion, but in zeal for God’s honour, and by the direction of God’s Spirit, to signify to the people, that the covenant between God and them contained in those tables was broken and made void, and they were now quite cast out of God’s favour, and could expect nothing from him but fiery indignation and severe justice. See Poole "Exo 32:19".
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv16–24 And I looked,.... When he was come down from…
And I looked,.... When he was come down from the mount, and was nigh the camp:
and, behold, ye had sinned against the Lord your God; that plainly appeared by what they had done, and at which he was amazed; and therefore a behold is prefixed to it, it being such a gross sin, having so much impiety and ingratitude, and stupidity in it:
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and made you a molten calf; that he saw with his eyes, and them dancing about it; see Exo 32:19.
ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the Lord had commanded you; see Deu 9:7.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 21 I brake them before your eyes - Not by…
I brake them before your eyes - Not by an unbridled passion, but in zeal for God's honour, and by the direction of God's spirit, to signify to tine people, that the covenant between God and them contained in those tables was broken and they were now cast out of God's favour, and could expect nothing from him but fiery indignation.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv21–22 Verse 21. I took your sin, the calf which…
Verse 21. I took your sin, the calf which ye had made] See this fully explained, Clarke "Ex 32:20".
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv17, 21 Deu 9:17. I brake them before your eyes —…
Deu 9:17. I brake them before your eyes — Not by an unbridled passion, but it zeal for God’s honour, and by the direction of God’s Spirit; to signify to the people that the covenant between God and them, contained in those tables, was broken, and that they were now cast out of God’s favour, and could expect nothing from him but fiery indignation.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv18, 20, 22 I fell down before the Lord, as at the…
I fell down before the Lord, as at the first - Moses interceded for the people before he came down from the mountain the first time Exo 32:11-13. This intercession is only briefly alluded to in this verse. Afterward he spent another 40 days on the mountain in fasting and prayer to obtain a complete restitution of the covenant Exo 34:28. It is this second forty days, and the intercession of Moses made therein (compare Exo 34:9), that is more particularly brought forward here and in Deu 9:25-29.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 Sinned, by idolatry, which comprises every sort of sin.…
Sinned, by idolatry, which comprises every sort of sin. Hence the Scripture only specifies that Jeroboam caused Israel to sin, when it means to assert that he engaged the people in the worship of idols. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 20, 21 I took the two tables, . . . and…
I took the two tables, . . . and broke them before your eyes--not in the heat of intemperate passion, but in righteous indignation, from zeal to vindicate the unsullied honor of God, and by the suggestion of His Spirit to intimate that the covenant had been broken, and the people excluded from the divine favor.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 20, 21, 22 17. I took the two tables,… and brake them…
17. I took the two tables,… and brake them before your eyes — This was equivalent to declaring that the covenant which Jehovah had made with them was now broken by their apostasy. Comp. Exo_32:1-17.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24 17. Vivid variation and expansion of Exo_32:19 b: and…
17. Vivid variation and expansion of Exo_32:19 b: and Moses’ anger waxed hot and he cast the tables out of his hands and brake them beneath the mount.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv16–24 (16) Ye had turned aside quickly.—The words of Jehovah…
(16) Ye had turned aside quickly.—The words of Jehovah in Deu_9:16, repeated here, and also recorded in Exo_32:8. There is nothing so sad in human experience as the rapidity with which good resolutions and impressions fade from the natural heart of man.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv17, 18, 22, 24 Moses cast from him the two tables of stone…
Moses cast from him the two tables of stone on which God had inscribed the words of the Law, and broke them in pieces in the view of the people, when he came down from the mount and saw how they had turned aside from the right way, and were become idolaters. This was not the effect of a burst of indignation on his part; it was a solemn declaration that the covenant of God with his people had been nullified and broken by their sinful apostasy.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv22, 24 And at Taberah . . . ye provoked the…
Deu_9:22
And at Taberah . . . ye provoked the Lord to wrath.
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Warning examples
In the histories here referred to we have examples of some of the methods of the Divine government of the world which reappear in all ages.
I. God does not always lead peoples and individuals to repentance by visitations of his goodness. He sometimes uses the rod.
1. The more a people has been blessed, etc., so much the more certainly will God visit their sins with judgment.
2. But He does not overthrow at once and without warning. Signal fires which tell of coming danger are lighted afar, showing what is coming.
3. When the people repent, then His wrath against sin passes them by. This is seen in all the incidents mentioned here.
II. Such warning examples are seen in all the history of the Church and the world.
1. The Reformation was a time of blessing. The light of knowledge and of Divine truth shone throughout Christendom. The Gospel was set on its candlestick. A reformation in social, political, and domestic life occurred in conjunction with the religious movement.
2. But Gods ways are ways of earnest effort and quiet waiting through endurance and self-sacrifice. Many would not wait. Progress was too slow for them. They would reform the world at one stroke. Discontent and murmuring broke out among some sections of the people. Then came the peasant war. Like a terrible conflagration, the flames of sedition burst out and threatened to destroy the stays of political and religious existence. Yet God had mercy, as on Israel in the wilderness. He permitted only the outermost defences to be destroyed; and there was left behind a fire-swept ruin to remind Christendom whither impatience, murmuring, discontent, and self-will lead.
3. See a hundred years later. Had the people realised with thankfulness the great blessings of freedom and the Gospel divinely given them? The prophets of the Reformation had warned men what the result of such ingratitude would be. What had been the result of a hundred years preaching of the Gospel among the peoples and their rulers? The judgment came. The Thirty Years War, with its blind passions, sent a warning column of flame heavenward. But God again had mercy, although for years Germany was like a burnt-up house. Still, the holiest was preserved, and a new time began.
4. Look a hundred years later. Through the whole of Europe a spirit of apostasy had spread. It swept through England as Deism; as scoffing in France, with accompanying libertinage. In Germany, and indeed in all Europe, the bonds of Christian life and morality were unloosed. Like a shallow but broad stream, the spiritual revolution overflowed all lands. With it came the outer overturning. Uneasiness and discontent were over all. The flame of revolt broke out in France, and Europe was enveloped. But God again, in His mercy, gave space for repentance.
III. The lessons to our time of these incidents.
1. We should have eyes to see what the signs of our time mean. If the spirit of discontent, rebellion, etc., be not repressed, whither shall it lead? Already the flames begin to appear--political incendiarism, audacity in speech, universal agitation. Men who look for no hereafter storm fully grasp at material good. How shall it be when the Divine patience ends?
2. At the beginning of Israels history those warning fire columns were seen. Fifteen hundred years later the impenitent descendants of Israel saw the temple in flames, Jerusalem destroyed, the nation a ruin.
3. Will the New Testament Zion not understand those warnings? A people remained to God even after Jerusalem fell. So will it be although the present form of Christendom passes; and the New Testament foretells such perilous times.
4. Let the individual learn the need of watchfulness. Was not that dangerous sickness a warning signal? But in mercy He spared, and life and health are yours. Let those signs be like beacon lights on your lifes voyage. Murmur not, cultivate contentment, learn to say: I shall go as God leads me, without seeking to choose for myself. (W. Grashoff.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv17, 19, 21, 22 General Information:
General Information:
Moses continues reminding the people of Israel about what happened in the past.
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I broke them before your eyes
Here "your eyes" is a synecdoche for the people of Israel. AT: "I broke them right in front of you" or "I broke them where you could see them" (See: Synecdoche)
lay facedown
"lay with my face on the ground." This is a way of showing that Yahweh was great and Moses was not.
forty days and forty nights
"40 days and 40 nights" (See: Numbers)
translationWords
bread
sin
evil
anger
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv16, 22, 23 9:16 The gold calf idol Israel made at Sinai…
9:16 The gold calf idol Israel made at Sinai (Exod 32) was probably modeled after bovine deities of Egypt, such as the bull god Apis and the cow goddess Hathor, both associated with fertility. When the Israelites entered Canaan, they would be confronted with the fertility gods of the Canaanite cults. They would be tempted to rely upon these false gods, rather than the one true God, as the source of their blessings (cp. Deut 8:18-20).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.