Exodus 32
Big idea: Forty days, and a god they can see. The people tell Aaron that Moses has delayed and demand gods to go before them; he collects their gold earrings, fashions a calf, builds an altar, and announces a feast to Yahweh — and the next morning they rise early, sacrifice, eat, drink and play. God tells Moses to go down, calls them your people, and offers to make of Moses a great nation instead. Moses refuses the offer and argues on two grounds: what will Egypt say, and remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Then he comes down, hears singing, sees the calf, and shatters the tablets at the foot of the mountain. Aaron's excuse is the funniest and saddest line in the book. And Moses goes back up with an offer of his own: forgive their sin — and if not, blot me out of your book.
Chapter 32 leaves the covenant broken and the relationship in question. Chapter 33 asks the question directly: will you actually go with us? — and Moses refuses to move without an answer.
32:1–6 — Make us gods
When the people see that Moses delays coming down from the mountain, they gather to Aaron: get up, make us gods to go before us, for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him. Aaron tells them to take off the golden rings in the ears of their wives, sons and daughters and bring them to him. He receives what they hand him, fashions it with an engraving tool and makes it into a molded calf — and they say, these are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. When Aaron sees this he builds an altar before it and proclaims: tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh. They rise early the next day, offer burnt offerings and peace offerings, and sit down to eat and drink, and rise up to play.
1 When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.” 2 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 me.” 3 All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 He received what they handed him, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molded calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh.” 6 They rose up early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
32:7–14 — Leave me alone — and Moses would not
Yahweh tells Moses to go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; they have turned aside quickly and made a molded calf and worshipped it. I have seen these people, and they are a stiff-necked people — now leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, and I will make of you a great nation. But Moses begs Yahweh his God: why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say he brought them out to kill them in the mountains? Turn from your fierce wrath. Remember Abraham, Isaac and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, saying I will multiply your offspring as the stars and give them this land forever. So Yahweh turned away from the harm which he said he would do to his people.
7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! 8 They have turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’” 9 Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. 10 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.” 11 Moses begged Yahweh his God, and said, “Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and turn away from this evil against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So Yahweh turned away from the evil which he said he would do to his people.
32:15–29 — The tablets broken
Moses goes down with the two tablets in his hand, written on both sides, the work of God and the writing of God engraved on them. Joshua hears the noise and says there is war in the camp; Moses answers, it is not the voice of victory or defeat but the voice of singing. As soon as he comes near and sees the calf and the dancing, his anger burns and he throws the tablets down and breaks them at the foot of the mountain. He burns the calf, grinds it to powder, scatters it on the water and makes the children of Israel drink it. He asks Aaron what the people did to him that he brought so great a sin on them, and Aaron answers: don't let my lord's anger burn — you know these people; they said make us gods; so I said, whoever has gold, take it off — and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf. Seeing the people out of control, Moses stands in the gate and calls: whoever is on Yahweh's side, come to me. All the sons of Levi gather to him, and at his word about three thousand men fall that day.
15 Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand; tablets that were written on both their sides. They were written on one side and on the other. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is the noise of war in the camp.” 18 He said, “It isn’t the voice of those who shout for victory. It is not the voice of those who cry for being overcome; but the noise of those who sing that I hear.” 19 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 hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. 20 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 Israel drink it. 21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?” 22 Aaron said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ 24 I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them take it off.’ So they gave it to me; and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” 25 When Moses saw that the people were out of control, (for Aaron had let them lose control, causing derision among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on Yahweh’s side, come to me!” All the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 He said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Every man put his sword on his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” 28 The sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. About three thousand men fell of the people that day. 29 Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to Yahweh, for every man was against his son and against his brother, that he may give you a blessing today.”
32:30–35 — Blot me out instead
The next day Moses tells the people, you have sinned a great sin; now I will go up to Yahweh — perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. He returns to Yahweh: oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin — and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written. Yahweh answers: whoever has sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken of; my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin. And Yahweh struck the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
30 On the next day, Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. Now I will go up to Yahweh. Perhaps I shall make atonement for your sin.” 31 Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if you will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.” 33 Yahweh said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 Yahweh struck the people, because of what they did with the calf, which Aaron made.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).