English Standard Version
Exodus 32:31
31So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold.
Exodus 32:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
- New International Version (NIV)So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
- New Living Translation (NLT)So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a terrible sin these people have committed. They have made gods of gold for themselves.
Context of Exodus 32:31
29And Moses said, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day." 30The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." 33But the Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.
Read all of Exodus 32Exodus 32:31 word by word
וַיָּ֧שָׁב מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אָ֣נָּ֗א חָטָ֞א הָעָ֤ם הַזֶּה֙ חֲטָאָ֣ה גְדֹלָ֔ה וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י זָהָֽב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- returnedשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Ohאָֽנָּ֫א'ân'â 'ânnâh · Please!H577
- this peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- sinחֲטָאָהchăţâ'âh · sinH2401
- and have madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- them godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of goldזָהָבzâhâb · goldH2091
Cross-references for Exodus 32:31
- Exodus 34:28So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.
- Deuteronomy 9:18Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.
- Exodus 32:30The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
- Ezra 9:6saying: "O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
- Nehemiah 9:33Yet you have been righteous in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly.
- Daniel 9:5we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.
- Exodus 20:4"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Commentaries on Exodus 32:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Moses returned unto the Lord - Before he went down from the mountain God had acquainted him with the general defection of the people, whereupon he immediately, without knowing the extent of their crime, began to make intercession for them; and God, having given him a general assurance that they should not be cut off, hastened him to go down, and bring them off from their idolatry. Having descended, he finds matters much worse than he expected, and ordered…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. 30-35Verses 30-35 Moses calls it a great sin. The work of ministers is to show people the greatness of their sins. The great evil of sin appears in the price of pardon. Moses pleads with God for mercy; he came not to make excuses, but to make atonement. We are not to suppose that Moses means that he would be willing to perish for ever, for the people's sake. We are to love our neighbour as ourselves, and not more than ourselves. But having that mind which was…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 30-35This further intercession for the people may have been needed because of the new recognition Moses had of how serious the sin really was.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 30-3330-33. Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin--Moses labored to show the people the heinous nature of their sin, and to bring them to repentance. But not content with that, he hastened more earnestly to intercede for them.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 32:31
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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