Exodus
Chapter 32
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Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
A dotted word is a harder one. Point at it, or tap it, for a short definition.
1The people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain. The people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make us gods who will go before us. This Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
2Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
4He took it from their hand, shaped it with a tool, and made it a cast calf. They said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
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- Text
The verb and the noun are plural: “these are your gods,” though one calf is made. The plural is printed. It is not changed to “this is your god.”
- Translation
Cheret is a stylus or a engraving tool. “Shaped it with a tool” is printed. The method of the casting is not described beyond that.
5Aaron saw, and he built an altar before it. Aaron called and said, “A feast to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. tomorrow.”
6They got up early the next day and offered whole offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being. The people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to laugh.
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- Translation
Letzacheq is to laugh, to play. A sexual sense is possible and is not printed as if the Hebrew had named it.
7God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. spoke to Moses, “Go, get down, because your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have ruined themselves.
8They have turned aside quickly from the way I commanded them. They have made themselves a cast calf, bowed to it, sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”
9God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and look, it is a stiff-necked people.
10Now leave me alone, and my anger will burn against them and I will finish them, and I will make you into a great nation.”
11Moses softened the face of God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. his God and said, “Why, God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a strong hand?
12Why should Egypt say, ‘He brought them out for harm, to kill them in the mountains and to finish them off the face of the ground’? Turn back from your burning anger, and regret the harm to your people.
13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed like the stars of the sky, and all this land that I said I would give to your seed, they shall possess forever.’”
14God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. regretted the harm that he had said he would do to his people.
15Moses turned and went down from the mountain, with the two tablets of the The stone tablets of God’s agreement, kept in the chest. in his hand, tablets written on both their sides. On this side and on that they were written.
16The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, and he said to Moses, “A sound of battle in the camp.”
18He said, “It is not the sound of the answering of victory, and it is not the sound of the answering of defeat. It is the sound of singing that I hear.”
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- Translation
Annot is singing, answering in song. It is not the shout of a battle won or lost. The three lines are printed as the contrast Moses makes.
19As he came near the camp, he saw the calf and the dances. Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hand and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
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- Text
The written form is מידו, “from his hand,” singular. The Masoretic reading is מידיו, “from his hands.” The written singular is printed.
20He took the calf that they had made, burned it in fire, ground it until it was fine, scattered it on the surface of the water, and made the sons of Israel drink it.
21Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you brought a great offense on them?”
22Aaron said, “Let not my lord’s anger burn. You know the people, that they are set on harm.
23They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
24I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, tear it off.’ They gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”
25Moses saw the people, that they were loose, because Aaron had let them loose, for a whispered shame among their opponents.
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- Translation
Parua is loose, broken out of restraint. Shimtzah is a whispered shame, a byword. Both are printed.
26Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Whoever is for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., to me.” All the sons of Levi gathered to him.
27He said to them, “This is what God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., the God of Israel, says: Each man put his sword on his thigh. Pass through and return, from gate to gate in the camp, and each kill his brother, each his fellow, and each his kin.”
28The sons of Levi did as Moses said. About three thousand men of the people fell that day.
29Moses said, “Fill your hand today for God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary., because each was against his son and against his brother, so that he gives you a blessing today.”
30The next day Moses said to the people, “You have done a great offense. Now I will go up to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary.. Perhaps I can make Making someone right with God after a wrong. for your offense.”
31Moses returned to God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. and said, “Please, this people has done a great offense. They have made themselves gods of gold.
32Now, if you will lift their offense… and if not, wipe me, please, out of your scroll that you have written.”
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- Text
The sentence breaks after “if you will lift their offense.” The “and if not” follows without a finished first clause. The break is printed. No verb is supplied.
33God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. said to Moses, “Whoever has done wrong against me, I will wipe him out of my scroll.
34Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look, my messenger will go before you. And on the day I attend, I will attend to them for their offense.”
35God’s own name. The Hebrew writes YHWH. See the glossary. struck the people because they had made the calf, the one Aaron made.