New English Translation
Exodus 32:12
12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.
Exodus 32:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
- New International Version (NIV)Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.
Context of Exodus 32:12
10So now, leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.” 11But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people. 13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.’” 14Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
Read all of Exodus 32Exodus 32:12 word by word
לָמָּה֩ יֹאמְר֨וּ מִצְרַ֜יִם לֵאמֹ֗ר בְּרָעָ֤ה הֽוֹצִיאָם֙ לַהֲרֹ֤ג אֹתָם֙ בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וּ֨לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה שׁ֚וּב מֵחֲר֣וֹן אַפֶּ֔ךָ וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־הָרָעָ֖ה לְעַמֶּֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Wherefore should the Egyptiansמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714
- speakאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- For mischiefרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
- did he bringיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: sendH3318
- them out, to slayהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
- them in the mountainsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- and to consumeכָּלָהkâlâh · to end: destroyH3615
- them from the faceפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- of the earthאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: planetH127
- Turnשׁוּבshûb · to return: turn backH7725
- from thy fierceחָרוֹןchârôn chârôn · burning angerH2740
- wrathאַף'aph · face: angerH639
- and repentנָחַםnâcham · to be sorry: relentH5162
- of this evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: harmH7451
- against thy peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
Cross-references for Exodus 32:12
- Numbers 14:13Moses said to the Lord, “When the Egyptians hear it – for you brought up this people by your power from among them –
- Deuteronomy 9:28Otherwise the people of the land from which you brought us will say, “The Lord was unable to bring them to the land he promised them, and because of his hatred for them he has brought them out to kill them in the desert.”
- Deuteronomy 32:26“I said, ‘I want to cut them in pieces. I want to make people forget they ever existed.
- Joshua 7:9When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will turn against us and destroy the very memory of us from the earth. What will you do to protect your great reputation?”
- Psalms 74:18Remember how the enemy hurls insults, O Lord, and how a foolish nation blasphemes your name!
- Psalms 79:9Help us, O God, our deliverer! For the sake of your glorious reputation, rescue us! Forgive our sins for the sake of your reputation!
- Ezekiel 20:9I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations among whom they lived, before whom I revealed myself by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 13:17You must not take for yourself anything that has been placed under judgment. Then the Lord will relent from his intense anger, show you compassion, have mercy on you, and multiply you as he promised your ancestors.
- Joshua 7:26Then they erected over him a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day) and the Lord’s anger subsided. So that place is called the Valley of Disaster to this very day.
- Ezra 10:14Let our leaders take steps on behalf of all the assembly. Let all those in our towns who have married foreign women come at an appointed time, and with them the elders of each town and its judges, until the hot anger of our God is turned away from us in this matter.”
- Psalms 78:38Yet he is compassionate. He forgives sin and does not destroy. He often holds back his anger, and does not stir up his fury.
- Psalms 85:3You withdrew all your fury; you turned back from your raging anger.
- Exodus 32:14Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
- Genesis 6:6The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended.
- Deuteronomy 32:36The Lord will judge his people, and will change his plans concerning his servants; when he sees that their power has disappeared, and that no one is left, whether confined or set free.
- Psalms 90:13Turn back toward us, O Lord! How long must this suffering last? Have pity on your servants!
Commentaries on Exodus 32:12
- 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. 7-14Verses 7-14 God says to Moses, that the Israelites had corrupted themselves. Sin is the corruption of the sinner, and it is a self-corruption; every man is tempted when he is drawn aside of his own lust. They had turned aside out of the way. Sin is a departing from the way of duty into a by-path. They soon forgot God's works. He sees what they cannot discover, nor is any wickedness of the world hid from him. We could not bear to see the thousandth part of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-13If there was a test, Moses passed it. He refused to take God's place (32:11). He knew God is just and faithful and would not save people just to destroy them (32:12). He declined the offer to become the father of a great nation because it would mean God violating promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (32:13). Moses understood who God truly is.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-147-14. the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down--Intelligence of the idolatrous scene enacted at the foot of the mount was communicated to Moses in language borrowed from human passions and feelings, and the judgment of a justly offended God was pronounced in terms of just indignation against the gross violation of the so recently promulgated laws.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 32:12
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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