Exodus 32 1

Exodus 32:1 kjv

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Exodus 32:1 nkjv

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

Exodus 32:1 niv

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."

Exodus 32:1 esv

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

Exodus 32:1 nlt

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. "Come on," they said, "make us some gods who can lead us. We don't know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt."

Exodus 32 verses

Exodus 32 1 Meaning

Exodus 32:1 describes the moment the Israelite people, seeing Moses delayed in descending from Mount Sinai, gathered and demanded Aaron make tangible "gods" to lead them. This act revealed their profound impatience, lack of trust in the invisible God who had delivered them, and their inherent inclination towards idolatry, mirroring the pagan practices they had witnessed in Egypt and that were common in the surrounding nations. It marked a swift and dramatic breach of the recently established covenant at Sinai, showcasing a desire for a visible and controllable deity rather than remaining faithful to the transcendent Yahweh.

Exodus 32 1 Context

Exodus 32:1 is situated immediately after the LORD has finished giving Moses the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets and detailed instructions for the Tabernacle's construction, worship, and priesthood. Moses has been on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights in direct communion with God, while the people wait below. The surrounding chapters (Exodus 25-31) focus on the blueprint of God's dwelling place among them and the priesthood, highlighting divine order and holy communion. Chapter 32 then abruptly shifts to human chaos and apostasy, illustrating the fragility of their covenant commitment. Historically, this event demonstrates Israel's deep-seated spiritual immaturity and their ingrained pagan tendencies carried over from Egypt, a society permeated by idol worship. Culturally, the request for visible "gods" who would "go before them" reflected the common practice of pagan nations carrying processional cult images and deities, a stark contrast to Israel's God who led as an invisible cloud by day and fire by night.

Exodus 32 1 Word analysis

• When the people saw: Expresses immediate perception and interpretation. The seeing led directly to an assumption and subsequent action.
• Moses delayed (כִּי בֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה - ki boshesh Moshe): The Hebrew verb boshesh (בושש) carries the nuance of "to be delayed, to linger, to tarry." It can imply being embarrassingly or unduly long, highlighting the people's growing impatience and frustration rather than a simple wait. Their perspective, not God's or Moses', dictated their action.
• to come down from the mountain: Referring to Mount Sinai, also known as Horeb, where the powerful presence of the invisible God had been undeniably manifest through thunder, lightning, and fire.
• the people gathered themselves together (וַיִּקָּהֵל הָעָם - vayyiqqahel ha'am): The verb qahel (קהל) means "to assemble, gather." Here, it's in a reflexive form, suggesting a self-initiated, perhaps agitated or unruly, assembly. It implies a unified demand rather than individual dissent.
• to Aaron: Aaron, Moses' brother and divinely appointed assistant, was left in charge (Ex 24:14), making him the figure of authority the people could pressure. His yielding revealed a weakness in leadership.
• "Up (קוּם - qum), make (עֲשֵׂה - aseh) us gods (אֱלֹהִים - elohim)":
  • Qum is an urgent imperative, "Rise! Get up!" expressing their commanding, impatient tone.
  • Aseh is "make, do, create." They demanded a fabrication.
  • Elohim, while sometimes referring to the one true God, here is plural, signifying multiple deities or a tangible idol representing a god, in opposition to Yahweh. This immediately betrays the first two commandments received directly from God.
• who shall go before us (אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ לְפָנֵינוּ - asher yelkhu lefanenu): This phrase highlights their desire for visible, tangible guidance, mimicking the pagan concept of idols leading a procession or journey. It contrasts sharply with God's invisible leading through the pillar of cloud and fire (Ex 13:21). Their preference for what they can see and control reveals a lack of faith in the unseen God.
• "As for this Moses (כִּי־זֶה מֹשֶׁה - ki-zeh Moshe), the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt":
  • "This Moses" has a contemptuous, dismissive, almost dehumanizing tone, stripping Moses of his divinely appointed authority and personalizing their grievances.
  • They wrongly attribute their deliverance from Egypt solely to Moses, demonstrating a profound spiritual amnesia and unbelief. They forgot the LORD's powerful acts through Moses.
• "we do not know what has become of him": A declaration of uncertainty and anxiety that became the justification for their apostasy. This alleged ignorance serves as their pretense for turning to idols. It represents a spiritual crisis arising from a physical absence.

Exodus 32 1 Bonus section

The immediate and devastating breakdown of the covenant at this point underscores a critical theological truth: salvation from bondage (Exodus) does not automatically guarantee a transformed heart or sustained obedience. It reveals that the grace of deliverance must be continually met with faith, remembrance, and disciplined obedience, a lesson relevant for all believers. The people’s insistence on a god "who shall go before us" speaks to a deep human need for leadership and assurance, but they tragically sought it in their own creation rather than persevering in trust toward God's unfolding plan. This episode is frequently cited in Christian theology as a primary example of human depravity and the constant need for divine intervention, patience, and intercession to uphold a relationship with a holy God.

Exodus 32 1 Commentary

Exodus 32:1 unveils the volatile heart of humanity. Despite witnessing divine power at Sinai, Israel's faith was fleeting, exposing their deeply rooted reliance on the visible and controllable. Moses' perceived "delay" triggered profound impatience, fear, and ultimately, rebellion. Their demand for a tangible deity—"gods who shall go before us"—was a complete renunciation of the newly formed covenant with the invisible God and a return to Egyptian idolatry. This single verse captures their spiritual amnesia, forgetting the Lord's mighty acts, dismissing their divine leader, and substituting God's transcendent leadership with human-made substitutes, highlighting the ever-present danger of seeking security and guidance apart from God's revealed will and appointed servants. It serves as a stark warning against spiritual instability and the human tendency to abandon the unseen for the fabricated and immediate.