Christian Standard Bible
Exodus 32:17
17When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.”
Exodus 32:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.
- New International Version (NIV)When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, "There is a noise of war in the camp."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.”
Context of Exodus 32:17
15Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides — inscribed front and back. 16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was God’s writing, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” 18But Moses replied, It’s not the sound of a victory cry and not the sound of a cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing! 19As he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became enraged and threw the tablets out of his hands, smashing them at the base of the mountain.
Read all of Exodus 32Exodus 32:17 word by word
וַיִּשְׁמַ֧ע יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶת־ק֥וֹל הָעָ֖ם בְּרֵע֑וֹ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה ק֥וֹל מִלְחָמָ֖ה בַּֽמַּחֲנֶה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And when Joshuaיְהוֹשׁוּעַyehôshûa‛ yehôshûa‛ · JoshuaH3091
- heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the noiseקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: soundH6963
- of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- as they shoutedרֵעַrêa‛ · shoutingH7452
- he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
- in the campמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
Cross-references for Exodus 32:17
- Exodus 17:9Moses said to Joshua, “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.”
- Exodus 24:13So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God.
- Exodus 32:18But Moses replied, It’s not the sound of a victory cry and not the sound of a cry of defeat; I hear the sound of singing!
- Ezra 3:11They sang with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord: “For he is good; his faithful love to Israel endures forever.” Then all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord because the foundation of the Lord’s house had been laid.
- Psalms 47:1Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry.
- Joshua 6:5When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear its sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse, and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead.”
- Judges 15:14When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and the ropes that were on his arms and wrists became like burnt flax and fell off.
- 1 Samuel 4:5When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.
- 1 Samuel 17:20So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had charged him. He arrived at the perimeter of the camp as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry.
- Job 39:25When the ram’s horn blasts, he snorts defiantly. He smells the battle from a distance; he hears the officers’ shouts and the battle cry.
- Jeremiah 51:14The Lord of Armies has sworn by himself: I will fill you up with men as with locusts, and they will sing the victory song over you.
- Amos 1:14Therefore, I will set fire to the walls of Rabbah, and it will consume its citadels. There will be shouting on the day of battle and a violent wind on the day of the storm.
- Amos 2:2Therefore, I will send fire against Moab, and it will consume the citadels of Kerioth. Moab will die with a tumult, with shouting and the sound of the ram’s horn.
Commentaries on Exodus 32:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17Joshua - said - There is a noise of war in the camp - How natural was this thought to the mind of a military man! Hearing a confused noise he supposed that the Israelitish camp had been attacked by some of the neighboring tribes.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7-35Verses 7-35 The faithfulness of Moses in the office that had been entrusted to him was now to be put to the test. It was to be made manifest whether he loved his own glory better than he loved the brethren who were under his charge; whether he would prefer that he should himself become the founder of a “great nation,” or that the Lord‘s promise should be fulfilled in the whole people of Israel. This may have been especially needful for Moses, in…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-20Verses 15-20 What a change it is, to come down from the mount of communion with God, to converse with a wicked world. In God we see nothing but what is pure and pleasing; in the world nothing but what is sinful and provoking. That it might appear an idol is nothing in the world, Moses ground the calf to dust. Mixing this powder with their drink, signified that the backslider in heart should be filled with his own ways.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-29When Moses saw what was happening, he became much less calm than he was on the mountain. He smashed the two tablets (32:15–19). He destroyed the calf (32:20). He confronted Aaron (32:21–25). He ordered the death of the rebellious leaders (32:26–29).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1815-18. Moses turned, and went down from the mount--The plain, Er-Raheh, is not visible from the top of Jebel Musa, nor can the mount be descended on the side towards that valley; hence Moses and his companion, who on duty had patiently waited his return in the hollow of the mountain's brow, heard the shouting some time before they actually saw the camp.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 32:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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