God’s Word Translation
Exodus 32:3
3So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron.
Exodus 32:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
- New International Version (NIV)So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
Context of Exodus 32:3
1When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. They said to him, “We don’t know what has happened to this Moses, who led us out of Egypt. Make gods who will lead us.” 2Aaron said to them, “Have your wives, sons, and daughters take off the gold earrings they are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron. 4After he had worked on the gold with a tool, he made it into a statue of a calf. Then they said, “Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.” 5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of it and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival in the Lord’s honor.”
Read all of Exodus 32Exodus 32:3 word by word
וַיִּתְפָּֽרְקוּ֙ כָּל־הָעָ֔ם אֶת־נִזְמֵ֥י הַזָּהָ֖ב אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּאָזְנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיָּבִ֖יאוּ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 32:3
- Judges 17:3So Micah gave the 1,100 pieces of silver back to his mother. Then his mother said, “I dedicate this silver to the Lord for my son’s benefit. I want to make a carved idol and a metal idol. So now I’m giving the silver back to you.”
- Isaiah 40:19Craftsmen make idols. Goldsmiths cover them with gold. Silversmiths make silver chains for them.
- Isaiah 46:6People pour gold out of their bags and weigh silver on scales. They hire a goldsmith. He makes it into a god. They bow down and worship it.
- Jeremiah 10:9Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz. Craftsmen and goldsmiths shape these metals. The clothing for the idols is blue and purple, all made by skilled workers.
Commentaries on Exodus 32:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings - The human being is naturally fond of dress, though this has been improperly attributed to the female sex alone, and those are most fond of it who have the shallowest capacities; but on this occasion the bent of the people to idolatry was greater than even their love of dress, so that they readily stripped themselves of their ornaments in order to get a molten god. They made some compensation for this…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1-6Verses 1-6 In all probability these three chapters originally formed a distinct composition. The main incidents recorded in them follow in the order of time, and are therefore in their proper place as regards historical sequence. The golden calf - The people had, to a great extent, lost the patriarchal faith, and were but imperfectly instructed in the reality of a personal unseen God. Being disappointed at the long absence of Moses, they seem to have…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4Aaron, who served as a priest (religious leader), asked the people to bring gold rings. After that, he did not allow them to take part in the work. This was very different from what God commanded for building the tabernacle. In that case, the people were invited to bring many kinds of offerings as they were willing (25:1–9; 35:4–36:7). They also shared in the work under the direction of a skilled worker whom God filled with his Spirit, not under a priest…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. all the people brake off the golden earrings--The Egyptian rings, as seen on the monuments, were round massy plates of metal; and as they were rings of this sort the Israelites wore, their size and number must, in the general collection, have produced a large store of the precious metal.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 32:3
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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