Exodus 32 19

Exodus 32:19 kjv

And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

Exodus 32:19 nkjv

So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses' anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 32:19 niv

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 32:19 esv

And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 32:19 nlt

When they came near the camp, Moses saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain.

Exodus 32 verses

Exodus 32 19 Meaning

Exodus 32:19 describes Moses' immediate and intense reaction upon witnessing the Israelite's idolatrous revelry with the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. As he drew near the camp and saw the pagan-like dancing and the constructed idol, his righteous anger, reflecting God's own wrath, consumed him. In a powerful, symbolic act, he cast down and shattered the two tablets of the Testimony, inscribed by God's own finger, effectively demonstrating that the covenant, only recently given, had been broken by Israel's rebellion.

Exodus 32 19 Context

Exodus chapter 32 chronicles the catastrophic event of Israel's idolatry shortly after God delivered the Ten Commandments and elaborate instructions for the tabernacle at Mount Sinai. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law, the people grew impatient. They pressured Aaron to make a god they could see and worship, resulting in the molten golden calf. They then declared, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!" (Exod 32:4), and offered sacrifices, indulging in revelry. Verse 19 captures the shocking culmination of this narrative: Moses descends from the mountain, bearing the two tablets written by God Himself, only to be confronted by the blatant spectacle of their rebellion. The immediate, raw reality of their sin after hearing God's voice profoundly triggers Moses' divinely righteous anger and the irreversible breaking of the initial covenant.

Exodus 32 19 Word analysis

• And it came to pass: A common Hebrew transitional phrase, wāyhî, meaning "and it was" or "and it happened." It introduces a significant event, signaling the immediate consequence or unfolding of a previous action.
• as soon as he came nigh unto the camp: Indicates Moses' physical proximity and the suddenness of his confrontation with the idolatry. He did not merely hear about it; he saw it unfold directly, heightening the impact.
• that he saw the calf: "Calf" (Heb. עֵגֶל, ‘egel). Not just a mere statue, but a grave sin violating the first two commandments. This 'calf' was an attempt to make the invisible God tangible, reminiscent of Egyptian (Apis bull cult) or Canaanite (Baal imagery) religious practices. Moses' direct observation solidified the report from God.
• and the dancing: (Heb. וְהַמְּחֹלֹת, ve-hammaḥălōt, plural of maḥol, "dance"). This indicates not solemn worship, but pagan-style, often licentious or ecstatic, revelry common in fertility cults. The sight of people 'playing' (Exod 32:6), an idiom for playful or debauched behavior, intensified Moses' righteous indignation, revealing the depth of their depravity.
• and Moses' anger waxed hot: (Heb. וַיִּחַר־אַף מֹשֶׁה, vayyikhar-af Moshe). Literally, "the nose of Moses burned." This is a strong idiom for intense, boiling anger. Critically, this is not mere human impatience or frustration but reflects and expresses God’s own fiery wrath against sin (Exod 32:10). Moses acted as God’s representative, embodying divine indignation.
• and he cast the tables out of his hands: A deliberate, forceful action. "Tables" (Heb. לֻחֹת, luḥōt) refer specifically to the two tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God (Exod 31:18). This act was a dramatic, prophetic symbolism: the people, by their idolatry, had already shattered their covenant relationship with God. Moses' action made this spiritual rupture physically manifest.
• and brake them beneath the mount: "Beneath the mount" refers to Mount Sinai (also called Horeb), the very place where God had descended to give the Law. Breaking them there signified the immediacy and public nature of the covenant's abrogation. It declared that Israel’s sin was committed at the source of the divine revelation, thus invalidating their right to the covenant’s blessings.

• he came nigh unto the camp... he saw the calf, and the dancing: This progression shows the reality of their sin striking Moses viscerally. His initial hearing from God was confirmed by his own eyes. The visual and auditory stimuli of their rebellion made the sin undeniable and profound.
• Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them: This sequence of cause and effect vividly portrays the overwhelming righteous indignation that consumed Moses. The physical breaking of the tablets was not a fit of temper, but a profound theological statement that the terms of the covenant had been violated by the covenant people, effectively nullifying the agreement. It was a visual declaration of a broken relationship.

Exodus 32 19 Bonus section

The immediate breaking of the tablets, inscribed by God, underscores the ancient Near Eastern legal and spiritual principle of "breaking covenant" (karat berit), where a formal breach of treaty terms could result in severe consequences, often ritually expressed. Moses' action was a public legal pronouncement of the nullification of the Sinai Covenant due to Israel's rebellion. The severity of Moses' anger, aligning with God’s, highlights that the gravest offense was not simply worshipping another god, but violating the unique covenant relationship with Yahweh who delivered them from slavery. It demonstrates God's non-negotiable demand for exclusive worship. Furthermore, Moses had spent forty days in God's immediate presence, highlighting the immense spiritual distance between him and the idolatrous Israelites, and the chasm their sin had created. The shattered pieces of the law literally "at the feet of the mountain" visually conveyed Israel's utter failure at the very threshold of their promised relationship with God.

Exodus 32 19 Commentary

Exodus 32:19 marks a critical turning point, portraying Moses' visceral reaction to Israel's idolatry. His immediate action upon seeing the golden calf and the debaucherous dancing was to shatter the divine tablets. This was not a loss of temper, but a divinely inspired, symbolic act declaring the covenant broken by the people’s apostasy. The tables, etched by God’s own hand, were the physical embodiment of the covenant, and their destruction dramatically represented Israel’s severing of their relationship with God. Moses' anger paralleled God's righteous wrath, demonstrating his solidarity with the divine will. The breaking of the tablets underscored the absolute incompatibility of idolatry with the God who had just delivered them and laid bare the profound weakness of humanity to uphold its end of the covenant, ultimately paving the way for a demonstration of God's grace and renewed promises, though on humanity’s initiative through brokenness and humility.Examples include:

• A leader acting with decisive spiritual conviction against evident sin, rather than merely complaining.
• Understanding that sacred symbols, though not the reality itself, can profoundly communicate a broken spiritual reality or covenant.