Exodus 32 20

Exodus 32:20 kjv

And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

Exodus 32:20 nkjv

Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.

Exodus 32:20 niv

And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

Exodus 32:20 esv

He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

Exodus 32:20 nlt

He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it.

Exodus 32 verses

Exodus 32 20 Meaning

Exodus 32:20 describes Moses' forceful and symbolic act of destroying the golden calf, the idol forged by the Israelites. This action signifies the utter worthlessness, powerlessness, and abomination of idolatry. By burning, grinding, and forcing the Israelites to consume the polluted remnants of their idol, Moses underscores the grievous sin they committed and the bitter, internal consequences of abandoning God. It was a humiliating and deeply symbolic judgment, causing them to physically ingest the defilement of their rebellion against the true God.

Exodus 32 20 Context

Exodus chapter 32 recounts a pivotal moment of Israel's covenant history at Mount Sinai. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law directly from God (including the commandments against idolatry, Exo 20:3-5), the Israelites grew impatient with his prolonged absence. Driven by a desire for visible gods like those they had seen in Egypt, they pressured Aaron to create an idol. Aaron complied, fashioning a molten calf, which they then worshipped, attributing their deliverance from Egypt to it (Exo 32:4). God's wrath burned fiercely against them, but Moses interceded, returning from the mountain to confront the shocking reality of their rebellion. Verse 20 details Moses' immediate, fiery response upon witnessing the calf and the people's sinful revelry, demonstrating his intense zeal for God's holiness and justice against this grave breach of the newly formed covenant.

Exodus 32 20 Word analysis

• And he took: Implies Moses' decisive, authoritative, and direct action. It demonstrates his spiritual leadership and unwavering commitment to God's law.
• the calf: (Hebrew: *eğel - עֵגֶל). Refers to the "molten calf" made from their golden earrings (Exo 32:3-4). This term specifies the idol, often associated with fertility gods like Baal or Egyptian deities such as the Apis bull, which the Israelites blasphemously adapted from pagan cultures.
• which they had made: Emphasizes human agency in the sin; the Israelites deliberately fashioned this false god, making them directly responsible for their idolatry.
• and burned it in the fire: (Hebrew: vayyiśrōf - וַיִּשְׂרֹף). The act of burning serves multiple purposes: destroying the idol, purging it, and rendering it unrecognizable. While gold itself doesn't "burn" in the traditional sense, this likely refers to heating it to molten state and potentially burning away other materials used in its construction (e.g., a wooden core) or burning other elements with the gold. It's an act of violent desecration, signifying its utter nullity and contemptible nature before God. This fulfills God's command to destroy idols by fire (Deut 7:25).
• and ground it to powder: (Hebrew: vayyiṭḥan ‘ad ’ăšer dāq - וַיִּטְחַן עַד־אֲשֶׁר דָּק - literally "he ground until it was fine"). This is a remarkable feat for gold, suggesting it might have been an alloy that could be made brittle, or that it was mixed with other substances (like ashes from the burning) allowing it to be pulverized. The significance is the complete obliteration of its form and any perceived sanctity or power. It turns a majestic idol into ignoble dust, showcasing its helplessness.
• and strewed it upon the water: (Hebrew: vayyizér ‘al pənei hammāyim - וַיִּזֶר עַל־פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם - "scattered it on the surface of the waters"). Further disposes of the remnants, polluting the common water source. It symbolically contaminates an essential element of life with the detritus of their sin, making their sustenance bitter.
• and made the children of Israel drink of it: (Hebrew: vayyašqēm bənēy yiśrā’ēl - וַיַּשְׁקֵם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל). This is the climax of the act, forcing a public and personal confrontation with their sin. It's a deeply humiliating and punitive ritual, akin to the ordeal of the bitter water for suspected adultery (Num 5). The Israelites were compelled to ingest the physical residue of their idolatry, symbolizing the bitter taste and internal pollution of their transgression. It underscored that sin, once committed, enters and defiles the very being of the sinner.

Exodus 32 20 Bonus section

The destruction of the golden calf in Exodus 32:20 sets a crucial biblical precedent for how God's people are to view and treat idols and false gods: with absolute abhorrence and complete eradication. It serves as a stark reminder of God's jealousy for His worship and His absolute intolerance for syncretism. This event also highlights Moses' exceptional character as a faithful servant of God, willing to execute divine judgment without compromise, despite his deep affection for his people. The act also carries a polemical weight, directly refuting the idolatrous practices of surrounding nations (like Egypt), demonstrating the impotence of their "gods" compared to the omnipotent Yahweh.

Exodus 32 20 Commentary

Exodus 32:20 captures Moses' righteous wrath and zealous adherence to the freshly delivered covenant by God. His actions against the golden calf were a forceful demonstration of its spiritual nullity and God's absolute sovereignty. Beyond simply destroying the idol, Moses engaged in a series of highly symbolic acts:

1. Combustion and Pulverization: Reduces the calf from a golden idol to worthless dust. This not only destroys its physical form but also completely denigrates its supposed divine essence, publicly affirming that "a god made with hands is no god at all" (Isa 44:9-20; Ps 115:4-8).
2. Dispersion in Water: Spreads the vile remnants of their sin into a life-sustaining element, emphasizing that idolatry corrupts every aspect of life, even the basic necessities.
3. Forced Consumption: This final, deeply punitive act compelled the Israelites to internalize the defilement of their rebellion. Similar to the bitter water ordeal in Numbers 5, it exposed the profound bitterness and self-inflicted spiritual illness caused by their sin. It taught them, through direct, unpleasant experience, the reality that sin, though momentarily enticing (like gold), ultimately brings internal corruption and bitter consequences (Job 20:12-14). It was a collective ritual of purification through the forced ingestion of their sin, designed to induce repentance and impress upon them the severity of breaking their covenant with the living God. Moses acted as God's instrument, executing a tangible judgment that both shamed and sanctified the rebellious nation.