Deuteronomy 9 16

Deuteronomy 9:16 kjv

And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.

Deuteronomy 9:16 nkjv

And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God?had made for yourselves a molded calf! You had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you.

Deuteronomy 9:16 niv

When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.

Deuteronomy 9:16 esv

And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.

Deuteronomy 9:16 nlt

There below me I could see that you had sinned against the LORD your God. You had melted gold and made a calf idol for yourselves. How quickly you had turned away from the path the LORD had commanded you to follow!

Deuteronomy 9 verses

Deuteronomy 9 16 Meaning

Deuteronomy 9:16 vividly recalls the severe disobedience of Israel at Mount Horeb (Sinai). It states that while Moses was receiving the Law from the LORD, the Israelites quickly abandoned divine instruction. They forged a molten calf, an act of gross idolatry, thereby directly violating the very covenant principles God was establishing with them. This verse serves as a forceful reminder of Israel’s historical inclination toward rebellion and immediate turning from God’s commandments.

Deuteronomy 9 16 Context

Deuteronomy chapter 9 is a pivotal section within Moses’ second sermon, addressed to the generation preparing to enter the promised land. Moses systematically dismantles any notion of their own righteousness or merit as the reason for inheriting Canaan. Instead, he underscores their inherent stubbornness and rebellious past, starting with the very foundation of their covenant relationship at Horeb. This verse, Deut 9:16, directly recounts the egregious sin of the golden calf. The historical and cultural context involves Israel, recently liberated from Egyptian slavery, now positioned as God’s unique covenant people. Their immediate lapse into idol worship, a common practice in surrounding cultures like Egypt's veneration of animal deities (e.g., the Apis bull), highlights a rapid regression to pagan beliefs and distrust in the unseen God. This reminder serves as a powerful polemic against any future reliance on their own actions and establishes humility and dependence on God’s grace as essential for survival and blessing in the land.

Deuteronomy 9 16 Word analysis

• And indeed I saw that you had sinned: The opening "And indeed" (וְהִנֵּה֙, v'hinneh) acts as an interjection, emphasizing Moses' eyewitness account and the shocking immediacy of their sin. This highlights the undeniable reality of their transgression.
• sinned (חָטָא, ḥāṭāʾ): This Hebrew verb means "to miss the mark," "to go astray," "to err," or "to incur guilt." Here, it signifies a grave offense, a direct violation of the divine command and a rupture of the covenant relationship. It is not an accidental mistake but a deliberate turning away.
• against the LORD your God (לַיהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם, lYĕhōwāh ʾĚlōheyḵem): This phrase emphasizes the covenantal context. Their sin was not against a generic deity but specifically against YHWH, their covenant Lord, who had just delivered them and made promises to them. The possessive "your God" underscores the intimate, personal nature of their betrayal.
• made for yourselves (עֲשִׂיתֶ֤ם לָכֶם֙, ʿăśîtem lāḵem): Implies agency and intentionality. The idol was self-made, a product of their own desires and imaginations, rather than a divine revelation. This highlights their self-reliance and rejection of divine authority.
• a molded image (מַסֵּכָ֔ה, massekhāh): Refers to something cast or poured, typically metal (molten), rather than carved. This process involved melting valuable gold and shaping it, emphasizing the resources and effort they diverted from God's worship to idolatry.
• a molten calf (עֵ֖גֶל מַסֵּכָֽה, ʿēgel massekhāh): The specific form of the idol. A "calf" was often associated with fertility gods (like Baal in Canaanite religion) or strong, protective deities (like the Apis bull in Egypt). Its creation demonstrated a deep distrust in YHWH's invisible presence and power, substituting Him with a tangible, controllable, and syncretistic representation.
• turned aside quickly (סַרְתֶּ֥ם מַהֵ֖ר, sarttem mahēr): The verb "turned aside" (סוּר, sûr) means to deviate, depart, or withdraw. The adverb "quickly" (מַהֵר, mahēr) underscores the immediacy and haste of their disobedience. It reveals impatience, a lack of steadfastness, and a shocking swiftness in their departure from the divine path, especially considering how recently the Law was given.
• from the way (מִן־הַדֶּ֥רֶךְ, min-hadderekh): "The way" here signifies the prescribed path of life, conduct, and obedience outlined in God’s commandments. It represents the very law and statutes God had just given them, the foundation for their righteous living and covenant relationship.
• which the LORD had commanded you (אֲשֶׁר֙ צִוָּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֶתְכֶֽם, ʾăšer ṣiwwāh Yĕhōwāh ʾetkem): Reemphasizes that their transgression was a direct defiance of a clear, divine mandate. It was not a misunderstanding but a wilful act against specific instructions from the highest authority, God Himself.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And indeed I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God": This highlights Moses’ personal witnessing of their sin, lending weight to his recounting. The phrase emphasizes the direct offense against their unique covenant partner, highlighting betrayal.
• "and had made for yourselves a molded image, a molten calf": This explicitly details the nature of their sin – creating an idol. The specificity of "molten calf" points to a profound disregard for the spiritual, unseen God, replacing Him with a man-made, tangible, and likely pagan-influenced substitute. It's a self-serving act ("for yourselves").
• "you had turned aside quickly from the way which the LORD had commanded you": This powerfully condemns the swiftness and radical nature of their apostasy. It highlights that they immediately abandoned the divinely prescribed path of life and obedience, demonstrating a profound spiritual instability and distrust.

Deuteronomy 9 16 Bonus section

The incident of the Golden Calf, vividly described in Deut 9:16 and Exod 32, is not merely a historical anecdote but a foundational lesson about human nature and the nature of God. The "molten calf" represents a craving for a tangible god, something controllable and visible, contrary to the very essence of YHWH who is spirit and unseen. This reflects humanity’s tendency to create God in its own image or to seek substitute saviors. The "quick turning" speaks to the human propensity for immediate gratification and lack of steadfastness, especially when faced with delay or uncertainty (Moses' absence on the mountain). The spiritual danger highlighted here is that sin creates a barrier between God and His people, demonstrating how even grand divine interventions can be quickly forgotten or scorned in favor of idols, whether literal or figurative. Modern applications involve recognizing "calves" in our own lives – anything that takes ultimate trust, worship, or loyalty away from the One true God, be it wealth, status, pleasure, or self-reliance.

Deuteronomy 9 16 Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:16 is a poignant moment in Moses’ historical recounting, serving as a stark warning and an undeniable proof of Israel’s stubbornness. It meticulously recalls the brazen act of the golden calf, an act committed barely weeks after the most profound display of divine power and the giving of the Law. The sin was immediate and direct: they violated the core covenant principles (no other gods, no images) that were still reverberating in their ears. Moses highlights their swift turning, indicating impatience and a preference for tangible idols over the invisible, commanding God. This rapid deviation underscores not their merit but their persistent tendency toward rebellion, framing the narrative for their entry into the land not as a reward for their righteousness but as a testament to God's persistent grace and faithfulness despite their unfaithfulness. The passage teaches that reliance on self leads to sin, while trust in God's commanded way is paramount. This historic incident foreshadows the persistent struggle with idolatry and disobedience throughout Israel's history, as seen in the later calf worship established by Jeroboam and countless other examples of spiritual defection.