Exodus 32:31

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for 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!

Context of Exodus 32:31

29Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” 30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.” 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. 32But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!” 33But the Lord replied to Moses, “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against me.

Exodus 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 34:28Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.
• Deuteronomy 9:18“Then, as before, I threw myself down before the Lord for forty days and nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of the great sin you had committed by doing what the Lord hated, provoking him to anger.
• Exodus 32:30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the Lord on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin.”
• Ezra 9:6I prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.
• Nehemiah 9:33Every time you punished us you were being just. We have sinned greatly, and you gave us only what we deserved.
• Daniel 9:5But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations.
• Exodus 20:4“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.

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

• Intercession
• Israel
• Love
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Moses
• Consume
• Corrupt
• Fashion
• Levite
• Mastery
• Naked
• Pentateuch
• Play
• Prayer

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