Exodus 32:30 kjv
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
Exodus 32:30 nkjv
Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
Exodus 32:30 niv
The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
Exodus 32:30 esv
The next day Moses said to the people, "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin."
Exodus 32:30 nlt
The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a terrible sin, but I will go back up to the LORD on the mountain. Perhaps I will be able to obtain forgiveness for your sin."
Exodus 32 30 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 39:9 | "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" | The nature of "great sin" is against God. |
| Exod 32:7-8 | "Your people... have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly..." | The context of Israel's swift turning to idolatry. |
| Exod 32:11-14 | "Moses implored the LORD his God... So the LORD relented..." | Moses' initial intercession for the people. |
| Lev 16:30 | "For on this day atonement shall be made for you..." | The concept of atonement provided through sacrifice in the Mosaic law. |
| Lev 17:11 | "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls..." | Blood as the means of atonement in the old covenant. |
| Num 14:13-20 | "And Moses said to the LORD, 'Then the Egyptians will hear it...' And the LORD said, 'I have pardoned, according to your word.'" | Another example of Moses' intercessory power and God's response to it. |
| Num 16:47-48 | "Aaron stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped." | A leader standing between God's judgment and the people. |
| Deut 9:18-19 | "Then I lay prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights... for the LORD was very angry..." | Moses' persistent and humbling intercession for Israel. |
| Psa 51:4 | "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight..." | Sin's ultimate offense is against God. |
| Psa 106:23 | "Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him..." | Moses acting as a "gap-filler" or intercessor, saving Israel from destruction. |
| Isa 53:5-6 | "But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." | Prophetic understanding of vicarious suffering for sin (Messianic atonement). |
| Rom 3:23 | "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." | Universality of sin. |
| Rom 3:25 | "whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." | Christ as the ultimate means of propitiation/atonement. |
| Rom 5:11 | "More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." | Reconciliation (a result of atonement) through Christ. |
| Rom 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." | The consequence of sin and God's provision. |
| Rom 8:34 | "Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." | Christ as our present, permanent intercessor. |
| 1 Tim 2:5-6 | "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all..." | Jesus as the sole and sufficient mediator. |
| Heb 7:25 | "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." | Jesus' eternal, effective intercession. |
| Heb 9:12 | "He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption." | Christ's perfect, singular, and definitive atonement. |
| Heb 9:22 | "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." | The necessity of blood for atonement and forgiveness. |
| Heb 10:10 | "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." | Christ's singular sacrifice fulfilling all former atonement rites. |
| 1 Jn 2:1-2 | "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." | Jesus as our advocate and propitiation. |
Exodus 32 verses
Exodus 32 30 Meaning
Exodus 32:30 captures Moses' response to Israel's egregious sin of worshiping the golden calf. After confronting their transgression, Moses, demonstrating his selfless leadership and deep spiritual connection to God, declares his intention to intercede with the LORD on behalf of the people. His statement acknowledges the severity of their "great sin" and expresses a hopeful, though uncertain, plea to make "atonement" for them, highlighting the desperate need for divine intervention and propitiation.
Exodus 32 30 Context
Exodus 32:30 follows immediately after the devastating Golden Calf incident at the foot of Mount Sinai. While Moses was receiving God's Law on the mountain, the impatient Israelites pressured Aaron to create an idol (Exo 32:1-6). This act was a profound betrayal of the freshly sworn covenant with YHWH, directly violating the first and second commandments given to them. God's fury burned against them (Exo 32:7-10), and He initially threatened to destroy them all, only to be swayed by Moses' initial powerful intercession (Exo 32:11-14). Upon descending the mountain, Moses witnessed their idolatry, smashing the stone tablets in righteous anger (Exo 32:19), destroying the calf, and ordering the Levites to execute some offenders (Exo 32:20-29). Having executed divine judgment and confronted the severity of their offense, Moses now, in verse 30, sets his sight on a deeper spiritual resolution, attempting to seek ultimate divine forgiveness for the community's "great sin." This act showcases his unparalleled role as Israel's primary mediator and shepherd.
Exodus 32 30 Word analysis
- The next day: (mimmochorat) – Signifies the immediate aftermath of judgment and confrontation (Exo 32:20-29). This transition implies a shift from human accountability and physical consequences to seeking divine intervention and reconciliation.
- Moses said to the people: Moses takes authoritative leadership, confronting the reality of their actions while also initiating a path toward potential redemption. It underscores his direct role as God's representative to Israel.
- You have committed a great sin: The Hebrew term for "sin" is chata'ah (חֲטָאָה), meaning an offense, trespass, or missing the mark. The adjective g'dolah (גְדֹלָה) emphatically emphasizes its magnitude. This wasn't merely a lapse, but a profound violation of their covenant with YHWH, akin to spiritual adultery, challenging God's unique identity as their deliverer from Egypt and supreme ruler. This specific act carried significant theological weight due to its immediacy following the Sinai covenant and its direct challenge to God's exclusivity.
- But now I will go up to the LORD: The conjunction "But now" (v'attah) marks a pivotal turn from confrontation and judgment to proactive intercession. Moses takes the initiative to approach God directly on behalf of the offending people, showcasing his commitment to his prophetic and priestly role. "The LORD" (YHWH) refers to Israel's covenant God, emphasizing that reconciliation must come through Him.
- perhaps I can make atonement for your sin: The word "perhaps" (ulay - אוּלַי) indicates an uncertainty or contingency. Moses, despite his standing with God, does not presume absolute success; he appeals to God's grace and mercy rather than any guaranteed right. The Hebrew verb achapperah (אֲכַפְּרָה) derives from the root kaphar (כָּפַר), which means to cover, pacify, or make propitiation. It signifies a reconciliation by covering or cleansing an offense. In the context of Israelite theology, kaphar often involved the shedding of blood or ritual acts, suggesting that Moses understood a sacrificial or placating act might be necessary for such a grievous sin. His statement, however, anticipates God's own provision for true atonement, which eventually materialized through the sacrificial system and ultimately in Christ. This intercession underscores the human inability to fully atone for grave sin, pointing to a higher, divinely provided means.
- Words-group by words-group:
- "The next day Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin.'": This phrase succinctly captures the immediate aftermath and Moses' direct, unflinching diagnosis of Israel's grave spiritual condition. It sets the stage for the magnitude of the problem needing a divine solution.
- "But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.": This profound declaration reveals Moses' burden for his people and his mediatorial resolve. The shift to "But now" signals a turning point from mere diagnosis to proactive seeking of a cure. His willingness to "go up to the LORD" symbolizes deep spiritual access, while "perhaps I can make atonement" highlights his humble, yet fervent hope for divine mercy for a transgression that merited total destruction.
Exodus 32 30 Bonus section
- The idea of a human "making atonement" here, without direct instruction from God for such a specific act by an individual outside of prescribed sacrificial rituals, suggests Moses' desperation and deep spiritual insight into the principle of reconciliation through propitiation. While God later established the Mosaic Law's detailed sacrificial system, Moses’ attempt here points to a proto-typical understanding of atonement.
- Moses' self-effacing readiness to risk divine displeasure for his people further underlines his role as a type of Christ, who also took on the sins of His people.
- This verse can be seen as an early intimation of the necessity for a substitute to bridge the chasm between God's justice and humanity's sinfulness, a theme ultimately fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Exodus 32 30 Commentary
Exodus 32:30 is a powerful expression of Moses' profound mediatorial role, underscoring both the severity of Israel's sin and the absolute necessity of divine intervention for reconciliation. The "great sin" of the golden calf was not merely a ritual offense, but a deep covenant betrayal that threatened the very foundation of God's relationship with Israel. Moses' immediate declaration reflects his understanding that judgment, though necessary, did not negate the possibility, or urgent need, for forgiveness and healing. His offer to "make atonement" (a human endeavor to "cover" or "purge") reveals an embryonic understanding of the deep theological requirement for dealing with sin before a holy God. His use of "perhaps" is crucial, signifying that human intercession, even by someone as close to God as Moses, is never a guarantee, but always dependent on God's sovereign grace and the divine provision for kaphar. Moses acts as a prophetic type, foreshadowing the ultimate mediator, Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:5-6, Heb 7:25), who would perfectly "make atonement" not by "perhaps" but definitively, through His own blood sacrifice, offering perfect and eternal propitiation for the sins of the world (Rom 3:25, 1 Jn 2:2). This verse highlights the weight of sin, the need for a mediator, and the anticipation of true divine provision for reconciliation.