New Living Translation
Exodus 32:12
12Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened 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
10Now leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation.” 11But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. “O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! 13Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” 14So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on 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 14:13But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?” he asked the Lord. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 9:28If you destroy these people, the Egyptians will say, “The Israelites died because the Lord wasn’t able to bring them to the land he had promised to give them.” Or they might say, “He destroyed them because he hated them; he deliberately took them into the wilderness to slaughter them.”
- Deuteronomy 32:26I would have annihilated them, wiping out even the memory of them.
- Joshua 7:9For when the Canaanites and all the other people living in the land hear about it, they will surround us and wipe our name off the face of the earth. And then what will happen to the honor of your great name?”
- Psalms 74:18See how these enemies insult you, Lord. A foolish nation has dishonored your name.
- Psalms 79:9Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name.
- Ezekiel 20:9But I didn’t do it, for I acted to protect the honor of my name. I would not allow shame to be brought on my name among the surrounding nations who saw me reveal myself by bringing the Israelites out of Egypt.
- Deuteronomy 13:17Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the Lord will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a large nation, just as he swore to your ancestors.
- Joshua 7:26They piled a great heap of stones over Achan, which remains to this day. That is why the place has been called the Valley of Trouble ever since. So the Lord was no longer angry.
- Ezra 10:14Let our leaders act on behalf of us all. Let everyone who has a pagan wife come at a scheduled time, accompanied by the leaders and judges of his city, so that the fierce anger of our God concerning this affair may be turned away from us.”
- Psalms 78:38Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins and did not destroy them all. Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury!
- Psalms 85:3You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger.
- Exodus 32:14So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.
- Genesis 6:6So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.
- Deuteronomy 32:36“Indeed, the Lord will give justice to his people, and he will change his mind about his servants, when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left, slave or free.
- Psalms 90:13O Lord, come back to us! How long will you delay? Take 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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