Exodus 32:35 kjv
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
Exodus 32:35 nkjv
So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
Exodus 32:35 niv
And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
Exodus 32:35 esv
Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.
Exodus 32:35 nlt
Then the LORD sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.
Exodus 32 35 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 14:12 | "I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them..." | God's threat of plague for rebellion. |
| Deut 29:18-21 | "...lest there should be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit...and all the curses...will settle on that person." | Idolatry brings curses and judgment. |
| Psa 106:29-30 | "They provoked him to anger with their deeds...Then Phinehas stood up...and the plague was stayed." | Divine plague for idolatry, intercession's role. |
| 1 Cor 10:7 | "Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, 'The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.'" | Idolatry as a warning from Israel's past. |
| 1 Cor 10:8 | "We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day." | Similar rapid judgment for sin (though specific context different). |
| 1 Cor 10:10 | "Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the Destroyer." | God's judgment (through plague) for rebellion. |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." | God's universal wrath against human sin. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | "they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened...they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images..." | Exchange of God's glory for idols as a cause of wrath. |
| Deut 9:16 | "I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God, you had made for yourselves a golden calf." | Moses' recounting of their idolatry. |
| Deut 9:20 | "And the LORD was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him..." | God's wrath directly at Aaron for his part. |
| Psa 78:38 | "Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them." | God's compassion mixed with judgment. |
| Hos 8:4-5 | "They make idols for themselves from their silver and gold, that they may be cut off." | Prophetic condemnation of Israel's idolatry. |
| Isa 42:8 | "I am the LORD; that is My name; My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images." | God's absolute prohibition of idolatry. |
| Exo 20:3-5 | "You shall have no other gods before me...You shall not make for yourself a carved image..." | First commandment violated by the calf incident. |
| Lev 26:14-16 | "But if you will not listen to me...I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption, and fever that waste the eyes and cause the heart to ache." | Consequences of disobedience and breaking covenant. |
| Num 25:9 | "Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand." | Another instance of plague for sin (Baal worship). |
| Amos 4:10 | "I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt." | God using plagues as a form of judgment. |
| Hag 2:17 | "I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and mildew and hail..." | Divine striking as a form of discipline. |
| Rev 2:14 | "But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam...to practice idolatry." | New Testament warning against idolatry within the Church. |
| Exo 34:14 | "for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." | Emphasizes God's jealousy against idolatry. |
| Zech 14:18 | "...on those nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles the LORD will send no rain. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; instead, there shall be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles." | Future plague as judgment for disobedience. |
| 2 Sam 24:15 | "So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and from Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand of the people died." | David's census and resulting plague for disobedience. |
Exodus 32 verses
Exodus 32 35 Meaning
The LORD directly afflicted the Israelite people with a divine plague as a severe consequence for their rebellious act of worshipping and engaging with the golden calf. This judgment underscores the absolute nature of God's covenant with Israel, the holiness of His name, and the unacceptability of idolatry. It specifically highlights the people's responsibility for creating and worshipping the calf, even mentioning Aaron's role in its construction, thereby linking the plague to this profound act of disobedience and sin.
Exodus 32 35 Context
Exodus 32 describes one of the most significant episodes of rebellion in Israel's early history after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt and establishment of a covenant with God at Mount Sinai. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the tablets of the Law, the people, growing impatient and uncertain of Moses' return, pressured Aaron into making a golden calf to worship, declaring it to be the god that brought them out of Egypt. This act was a blatant violation of the first two commandments given by God. Upon seeing their revelry and idolatry, Moses shattered the tablets, confronting Aaron and the people. After the calf was destroyed and powdered, Moses commanded the loyal Levites to slay approximately 3,000 active idolaters. Following this, Moses interceded for the people with God. Exodus 32:35 concludes this dramatic narrative, revealing that, despite Moses's intercession and the initial purging by the Levites, God Himself further intervened directly with a plague upon the people for their profound sin in relation to the calf. This specific plague demonstrates the ongoing divine consequence and the depth of God's holy indignation against their idolatry.
Exodus 32 35 Word analysis
- The LORD (יהוה - YHWH / Yahweh): This sacred personal name for God emphasizes His covenant fidelity and authority. It is the covenant God, the same One who delivered them from Egypt and made a covenant with them at Sinai, who now executes judgment, highlighting His holiness and justice in dealing with covenant breakers.
- struck (וַיִּגֹּף - vay·yiḡ·gōp̄ from נָגַף - nagaph): This verb signifies a decisive, often violent, blow or defeat, implying a divine intervention that causes affliction, a wound, or specifically, a plague. Unlike the human action of the Levites in killing, nagaph indicates a direct, supernatural act of God leading to disease or pestilence and widespread death. It denotes God’s direct hand in bringing judgment.
- the people (הָעָם - ha‘am): Refers to the collective Israelite community, but contextually, it specifically targets those involved in or responsible for the golden calf worship and revelry, not every individual indiscriminately. The judgment was proportionate to the sin.
- with a plague (בַּנֶּגֶף - ban·neḡep̄ from נֶּגֶף - neḡep̄): The noun form of nagaph, specifically meaning a plague, pestilence, or an epidemic disease. This identifies the nature of the divine striking: a divinely sent illness or calamity causing widespread death. It emphasizes the direct supernatural intervention rather than a physical battle or skirmish.
- because of what they did (עַל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ - ‘al ’ăšer ‘aśû): This phrase explicitly links the consequence (the plague) to the cause (their action). It highlights God's justice; the judgment is not arbitrary but directly punitive for their specific transgression.
- with the calf (אֶת הָעֵגֶל - ’eṯ hā‘ēḡel): "The calf" is the object of their idolatrous worship. This detail identifies the specific sin that provoked God's wrath: the creation and worship of a false idol, a direct violation of the Sinai covenant.
- the one Aaron made (אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אַהֲרֹן - ’ăšer ‘āśāh ’ahărōn): This clause emphasizes Aaron's pivotal and culpable role in facilitating the creation of the calf. While the people were culpable for demanding it and worshipping it, Aaron's leadership failure and direct involvement as the craftsman/enabler made him accountable. This note signifies that while Aaron received grace later, his direct participation in manufacturing the idol was not forgotten and was part of the overall "what they did."
Exodus 32 35 Bonus section
The plague mentioned in Exod 32:35 is commonly understood by scholars as a distinct, additional judgment from God Himself, occurring after the killing of 3,000 people by the Levites in response to Moses' command (Exo 32:28). This differentiation is important because it highlights multiple layers of divine judgment: first, a judicial purging through human agents (Levites with the sword), and second, a direct divine visitation of disease or pestilence. This two-fold punishment demonstrates the gravity of the Golden Calf sin, implying that the divine wrath extended beyond those immediately killed by the sword to others who may have participated or assented to the idolatry. Aaron's inclusion in this verse regarding the making of the calf underscores his direct complicity, which in Deut 9:20 we learn provoked God's anger to such an extent that He was ready to destroy Aaron himself, had Moses not interceded on his behalf. This plague therefore emphasizes God’s uncompromised justice even after mercy (Moses's intercession for complete destruction) has been shown.
Exodus 32 35 Commentary
Exodus 32:35 serves as a potent reminder of God’s absolute holiness and the severe consequences of idolatry and covenant breaking. This verse reveals God’s direct punitive action against Israel through a plague, distinct from the immediate judgment executed by the Levites. It demonstrates that while human agents may enact justice, God Himself administers ultimate judgment, often through means beyond human capability, such as pestilence. The mention of "the calf the one Aaron made" highlights the compounded nature of the sin, involving both the people's idolatrous desire and Aaron's crucial, regrettable role in its creation. This plague underscores the depth of their spiritual rebellion – within mere weeks of hearing God's voice at Sinai and entering covenant, they turned to a visible, tangible "god." The passage warns future generations that God is not to be trifled with, and His covenant demands absolute loyalty and exclusive worship. The swift and devastating nature of the judgment teaches that sin, particularly against God's direct commands, carries severe and direct repercussions.