Exodus 32:4

Exodus 32:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
• New International Version (NIV)He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Context of Exodus 32:4

2And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me. 3And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with an engraving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. 5And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. 6And they rose early on the next morning, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

Exodus 32:4 word by word

וַיִּקַּ֣ח מִיָּדָ֗ם וַיָּ֤צַר אֹתוֹ֙ בַּחֶ֔רֶט וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ עֵ֣גֶל מַסֵּכָ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֵ֤לֶּה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֶעֱל֖וּךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃Read the interlinear

• receivedלָקַחlâqach · to take: recieveH3947
• handיָדyâd · hand: themselvesH3027
• fashionedצוּרtsûr · to formH6696
• toolחֶ֫רֶטchereţ · stylusH2747
• madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• moltenמַסֵּכָהmassêkâh · molten metalH4541
• calfעֵ֫גֶל‛êgel · calfH5695
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• broughtעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: establishH5927
• landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• Egyptמִצְרַ֫יִםmitsrayim · EgyptH4714

Cross-references for Exodus 32:4

• Exodus 20:23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make to you gods of gold.
• Deuteronomy 9:16And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you.
• Psalms 106:19They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
• Isaiah 44:9They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
• Isaiah 46:6They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.
• Acts 7:41And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.
• Acts 17:29Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like gold, or silver, or stone, formed by art and man’s device.
• Exodus 28:9And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel:
• 1 Kings 12:28Upon which the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.
• 2 Kings 10:29Yet from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
• 2 Chronicles 11:15And he appointed him priests for the high places, and for the demons, and for the calves which he had made.
• 2 Chronicles 13:8And now ye think to withstand the kingdom of the LORD in the hand of the sons of David; and ye are a great multitude, and there are with you golden calves, which Jeroboam made you for gods.
• Hosea 8:4They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made for themselves idols, that they may be cut off.
• Hosea 10:5The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Bethaven: for its people shall mourn over it, and its priests that rejoiced on it, for its glory, because it is departed from it.
• Hosea 13:2And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.
• Exodus 32:8They have turned aside quickly from the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt.

Commentaries on Exodus 32:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Fashioned it with a graving tool - There has been much controversy about the meaning of the word חרט cheret in the text: some make it a mould, others a garment, cloth, or apron; some a purse or bag, and others a graver. It is likely that some mould was made on this occasion, that the gold when fused was cast into it, and that afterwards it was brought into form and symmetry by the action of the chisel and graver. These be thy gods, O Israel - The whole of…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. 4fashioned it into a molten calf: The idol might have been a bull, similar to the Egyptian god Amon-Re, which the people knew from Egypt. The bull represented power, domination, and fertility. The writer might have said calf to despise the idol. Or, Aaron might have made a calf, thinking this sin was less severe than making a full-sized bull. These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out: The people credited the idol with what they had just said…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf--The words are transposed, and the rendering should be, "he framed with a graving tool the image to be made, and having poured the liquid gold into the mould, he made it a molten calf." It is not said whether it was of life size, whether it was of solid gold or merely a wooden frame covered with plates of gold. This idol seems to have been the god Apis, the chief deity of the…Read the comment

Topics related to Exodus 32:4

• Amusements and Worldly Pleasures
• Engraving
• Falsehood
• Idol
• Idolatry
• Molding
• Quotations and Allusions

In the dictionaries

• Egypt
• Israel
• Egypt, Egyptian
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Aaron
• Bullock
• Calf
• Consume
• Corrupt

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