Exodus 32:12 kjv
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Exodus 32:12 nkjv
Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.
Exodus 32:12 niv
Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.
Exodus 32:12 esv
Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.
Exodus 32:12 nlt
Why let the Egyptians say, 'Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth'? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!
Exodus 32 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:13-16 | "Moses said to the Lord, 'Then the Egyptians will hear about it... They will say, 'Because the Lord was unable to bring this people into the land he swore to give them, he slaughtered them in the wilderness.'" | Moses' similar appeal regarding God's reputation among the nations after the spies' report. |
| Deut 9:28 | "Otherwise the land from which you brought us out will say, 'Because the Lord was unable to bring them into the land he promised them...'" | Parallel concern about the Egyptians' perception. |
| Ezek 20:9 | "But for the sake of my name, I acted, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations..." | God acts to preserve His holy name and reputation. |
| Ezek 20:14 | "But for the sake of my name I acted, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out." | Reinforces the importance of God's name to the nations. |
| Ezek 20:22 | "But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my name..." | God's restraint motivated by His glory. |
| Ezek 36:22-23 | "Therefore say to the Israelites, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to act, but for the sake of my holy name...'" | God's ultimate motivation is His own holy name. |
| Psa 78:38 | "Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Again and again he restrained his anger..." | God's frequent restraint from full judgment. |
| Psa 106:23 | "So he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him..." | Moses' pivotal role as an intercessor for Israel. |
| Joel 2:13 | "Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." | God's character (merciful, relents from judgment). |
| Jon 3:9-10 | "Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger... When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented..." | God's demonstrated willingness to "relent" in response to repentance. |
| Jer 18:7-8 | "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent..." | God's conditional nature of calamity based on human response. |
| Amos 7:3 | "The Lord relented. 'This will not happen,' the Lord said." | An example of God relenting from a decreed judgment. |
| Exo 34:6-7 | "The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness..." | Revelation of God's character, basis for Moses' plea. |
| Num 16:46-48 | "Then Moses said to Aaron, 'Take your censer... make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord...'" | Aaron interceding to stop a plague. God's anger bringing calamity. |
| Psa 9:15-16 | "The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug... The Lord is known by his acts of justice; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands." | God's justice being recognized by nations. |
| Psa 115:1-2 | "Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Why do the nations say, 'Where is their God?'" | Glorifying God's name and answering the taunts of nations. |
| 1 Sam 12:22 | "For the sake of his great name the Lord will not abandon his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own." | God's faithfulness to His name and people. |
| Heb 7:25 | "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." | Christ as the ultimate intercessor. |
| Rom 8:34 | "Who then is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." | Christ's ongoing intercession for believers. |
| 1 Jn 2:1 | "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." | Jesus as our advocate before the Father. |
| Psa 106:19-20 | "At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal. They exchanged their glorious God for an image of a bull, which eats grass." | Directly refers to the golden calf incident and its blasphemy. |
| Acts 7:41 | "That was the time they made an idol in the form of a calf. They brought sacrifices to it and reveled in what their own hands had made." | New Testament recognition of Israel's idolatry in the wilderness. |
| 2 Tim 2:13 | "if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself." | God's unchanging faithfulness, linked to His identity and name. |
Exodus 32 verses
Exodus 32 12 Meaning
Moses' plea to God in Exodus 32:12 highlights God's glory and reputation among the nations, appealing for divine mercy and a change from the announced destructive plan for Israel. It confronts the potential misinterpretation by the Egyptians, asserting that God’s actions should not appear to be an admission of failure or malevolence, but rather of sovereign purpose and faithfulness to His covenant. Moses intercedes based on God's character and past promises, urging Him to relent from His fierce anger against the sinning Israelites, thereby preserving His people and His renown.
Exodus 32 12 Context
Exodus 32 presents a dramatic crisis following the covenant made at Mount Sinai. While Moses is on the mountain receiving the Law directly from God for forty days and nights, the Israelites below become impatient. Under the leadership of Aaron, they demand a visible god, melt down their gold, and fashion a golden calf, proclaiming it to be the god who brought them out of Egypt. This act is a blatant violation of the first two commandments and a profound act of unfaithfulness to YHWH, their deliverer. In response, God declares His intent to consume the Israelites due to their stubbornness and grave sin, proposing to start a new nation through Moses. Exodus 32:12 is a core part of Moses’ fervent intercession, where he strategically appeals to God's honor and the covenant promises He made, challenging God to consider the implications of destroying His chosen people in the eyes of the surrounding pagan nations. Historically, ancient Near Eastern peoples attributed failures to their deities. Moses cleverly turns this perspective, arguing that God’s destruction of Israel would appear as weakness or malicious intent to the Egyptians, thereby dishonoring God's great name and the miraculous Exodus event.
Exodus 32 12 Word analysis
Why should: (לָמָּה - lamah) This interrogative is rhetorical, expressing a strong plea or protest. It implies a reason, not a question, appealing to divine wisdom and reputation.
the Egyptians: (מִצְרַיִם - Mitzrayim) Refers to the people of Egypt, whom God had publicly humiliated through the plagues and the Exodus. They are a significant audience for God's glory.
say, ‘It was with evil intent: (לֵאמֹר בְּרָעָה - le'mor be'ra'ah) Bera'ah means "for evil," "with malice," or "with bad intent." This phrase articulates the very thought Moses wants God to avoid propagating. It contrasts starkly with God's stated good and redemptive purposes in the Exodus.
that he brought them out: (הוֹצִיאָם - hotzi'am) This is the Hebrew word for "he brought them out" or "he led them out." It points back directly to the magnificent act of the Exodus, which was a clear demonstration of God’s power and deliverance, intended for Israel's good.
to kill them: (לַהֲרֹג אֹתָם - laharog otam) The intent attributed to God by the Egyptians is presented as murderous, which would align YHWH with cruel and arbitrary pagan deities rather than a just and merciful God.
in the mountains: (בֶּהָרִים - baharim) Refers to the wilderness area, particularly near Mount Sinai, where they currently were. This would be a stark and visible location for a mass slaughter.
and to wipe them off: (וּלְכַלֹּתָם - u'lekhallotam) From the root כלה (kalah), meaning "to complete," "finish," or "consume/annihilate." It emphasizes the totality of the proposed destruction.
the face of the earth’: (פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה - p'nei ha'adamah) A common biblical idiom signifying complete eradication or removal from existence. It underlines the finality and scale of God's stated judgment.
Turn from your fierce anger: (שׁוּב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפֶּךָ - shuv mekharon appecha) Shuv means "turn," "return," or "repent." Charon appecha means "the heat of your nose" or "fierce anger." Moses pleads for God to change His immediate course of punitive action due to His righteous wrath. This highlights divine relationality without implying God made a mistake or changes His perfect nature.
and relent from this disaster: (וְהִנָּחֵם עַל הָרָעָה - ve'hinnachem al hara'ah) Hinnachem is from the root נחם (nacham), meaning "to be sorry," "console oneself," or "relent." Ha'ra'ah means "the evil" or "the disaster/calamity." It speaks of God withholding the intended calamity, demonstrating His mercy. This concept often shows God’s readiness to modify punitive plans when intercession occurs, not that He changes His mind capriciously.
planned for your people: (לְעַמֶּךָ - le'ammekha) Moses reminds God that these are "Your people," highlighting their covenant relationship despite their rebellion. This is an appeal to God's own declared ownership and investment in Israel.
Words-group analysis:
- "Why should the Egyptians say... to wipe them off the face of the earth?": This entire rhetorical question is an appeal to God's reputation. Moses is not suggesting God fears man, but rather God's desire for His glory to be magnified righteously among the nations, not diminished by misinterpretations of His character or purposes. It reflects God’s prior actions (Exo 14:18) to show His glory against Egypt.
- "Turn from your fierce anger and relent from this disaster planned for your people.": This is Moses' direct supplication for God to reverse or defer His punitive judgment. It acknowledges the righteousness of God's anger but appeals for His compassion to prevail, emphasizing that the people remain "His people" despite their egregious sin, thus still deserving of covenantal mercy.
Exodus 32 12 Bonus section
- Anthropomorphism: The language of God's "fierce anger" and "relenting" (changing His mind/feeling sorry) are anthropomorphic expressions, describing divine attributes in human terms for comprehension. They do not imply imperfection or caprice in God, but rather His relational responsiveness to human actions (sin and intercession) within His unchanging divine will and character. God's "relenting" is not a sign of poor planning, but a dynamic aspect of His sovereignty, where His decreed actions can be influenced by His creatures' responses as part of His ultimate, immutable plan.
- The Power of Intercession: Moses' plea powerfully demonstrates the efficacy of fervent intercession, not as changing God's immutable nature or purpose, but as activating His attributes of mercy and compassion. His intercession serves as a theological reminder that humanity has a role in God's economy of salvation and judgment, reflecting Christ’s ultimate intercessory work on behalf of His people.
Exodus 32 12 Commentary
Exodus 32:12 unveils profound theological truths about God's nature, Moses' intercessory role, and the significance of God's name. Moses’ audacious yet reverent prayer appeals not to Israel's merit, but to God's self-revelation: His character of mercy and faithfulness to His promises, and His supreme concern for His reputation among all peoples. The rhetorical questions underscore God's glorious Name being at stake; for the very nation God so powerfully delivered to be subsequently destroyed by Him would seem like a capricious act to their former oppressors. This might imply either weakness in carrying out His promises or malevolence in His initial intent – both blasphemous notions contrary to YHWH’s true character. Moses, therefore, prays that God would "relent" (nacham) from the "disaster" (ra'ah), acknowledging God's fierce anger (charon af) as justified but seeking a demonstration of His compassion that ultimately brings Him greater glory. It reveals that while God is just and provoked by sin, He is also sovereignly free to respond to genuine intercession in accordance with His larger redemptive plan, never contradicting His perfect nature.