God’s Word Translation
Exodus 32:6
6Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy.
Exodus 32:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
- New International Version (NIV)So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
Context of Exodus 32:6
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.” Early the next day the people sacrificed burnt offerings and brought fellowship offerings. Afterward, they sat down to a feast, which turned into an orgy. 7The Lord said to Moses, “Go back down there. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined ⌞everything⌟. 8They’ve already turned from the way I commanded them to live. They’ve made a statue of a calf for themselves. They’ve bowed down to it and offered sacrifices to it. They’ve said, ‘Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt.’ ”
Read all of Exodus 32Exodus 32:6 word by word
וַיַּשְׁכִּ֙ימוּ֙ מִֽמָּחֳרָ֔ת וַיַּעֲל֣וּ עֹלֹ֔ת וַיַּגִּ֖שׁוּ שְׁלָמִ֑ים וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב הָעָם֙ לֶֽאֱכֹ֣ל וְשָׁת֔וֹ וַיָּקֻ֖מוּ לְצַחֵֽק׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And they rose up earlyשָׁכַםshâkam · to riseH7925
- on the morrowמׇחֳרָתmochŏrâth mochŏrâthâm · morrowH4283
- and offeredעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
- burnt offeringsעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
- and broughtנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: bringH5066
- peace offeringsשֶׁ֫לֶםshelem · peace offeringH8002
- and the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- satיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- down to eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- and to drinkשָׁתָהshâthâh · to drinkH8354
- and rose upקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
- to playצָחַקtsâchaq · to laughH6711
Cross-references for Exodus 32:6
- Exodus 24:4So Moses wrote down all the Lord’s words. Early the next morning he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and ⌞set up⌟ 12 sacred stones for the 12 tribes of Israel.
- Numbers 25:2who invited the people to the sacrifices offered to their gods. The people ate the meat from the sacrifices and worshiped these gods.
- Judges 16:23Now, the Philistine rulers gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate. They said, “Our god handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.”
- Amos 2:8Beside every altar, they spread themselves out on clothes taken as security. In the temples of their gods, they drink the wine that they bought with fines.
- Amos 8:10I will turn your festivals into funerals and all your songs into funeral songs. I will put sackcloth around everyone’s waist and shave everyone’s head. I will make that day seem like a funeral for an only child, and its end will be bitter.
- Acts 7:41That was the time they made a calf. They offered a sacrifice to that false god and delighted in what they had made.
- 1 Corinthians 10:7So don’t worship false gods as some of them did, as Scripture says, “The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy.”
- Revelation 11:10Those living on earth will gloat over the witnesses’ death. They will celebrate and send gifts to each other because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
Commentaries on Exodus 32:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The people sat down to eat and to drink - The burnt-offerings were wholly consumed; the peace-offerings, when the blood bad been poured out, became the food of the priests, etc. When therefore the strictly religious part of these ceremonies was finished, the people sat down to eat of the peace-offerings, and this they did merely as the idolaters, eating and drinking to excess. And it appears they went much farther, for it is said they rose up to play…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. 6The Hebrew term translated as indulge in revelry is traditionally translated as they got up to play. In Hebrew, like in English, the word play can imply sexual activities (see Genesis 26:8, “caressing”). This is likely the case here. Worship of a fertility symbol, such as a bull, often included the worshipers engaging in sexual activities (see 1 Corinthians 10:7–8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to the Lord--a remarkable circumstance, strongly confirmatory of the view that they had not renounced the worship of Jehovah, but in accordance with Egyptian notions, had formed an image with which they had been familiar, to be the visible symbol of the divine presence. But there seems to have been much of the revelry that marked the feasts of the heathen.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 32:6
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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