Exodus 32 7

Exodus 32:7 kjv

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

Exodus 32:7 nkjv

And the LORD said to Moses, "Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

Exodus 32:7 niv

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.

Exodus 32:7 esv

And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.

Exodus 32:7 nlt

The LORD told Moses, "Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

Exodus 32 verses

Exodus 32 7 Meaning

Exodus 32:7 reveals God's immediate awareness of Israel's profound spiritual failure at the foot of Mount Sinai. God commands Moses to descend from His presence because the covenant people, whom God miraculously brought out of Egypt, have quickly and willfully abandoned Him through gross idolatry. This statement expresses divine disappointment, intense anger, and the extreme gravity of their rebellion against the One who redeemed them.

Exodus 32 7 Context

Exodus 32:7 takes place approximately 40 days after Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Law and the covenant instructions from God (Ex. 24:18). While Moses was in intimate communion with the Holy One, receiving the very tablets of stone written by the finger of God, the Israelites below became impatient. Having witnessed God's majestic presence and sworn allegiance to His covenant (Ex. 19:8, 24:3, 7), they quickly succumbed to their spiritual immaturity and the allure of tangible gods, reminiscent of the idolatry they experienced in Egypt. This verse marks the climactic moment where God, fully aware of their actions, informs Moses of their heinous transgression, setting the stage for a severe divine judgment and Moses's subsequent intervention.

Exodus 32 7 Word Analysis

• And the LORD: (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, vayyomer YHWH)
  • YHWH: God's sacred, covenantal name. Its use here underscores that the offended party is the very God who entered into a relationship with Israel and swore to redeem them. It highlights a personal affront.
  • Vayyomer: "And He said." This typical narrative opening emphasizes direct, authoritative divine communication.
• said unto Moses,
  • God communicates directly and immediately to His chosen mediator. Moses is unaware of the apostasy below, emphasizing God's omniscience and foreknowledge.
• Go, get thee down; (לֶךְ-רֵד, lek-red)
  • Lek-red: An urgent, emphatic command "Go down!" Moses had ascended in solemn awe; now he is commanded to descend rapidly into a crisis of chaos and rebellion. It signifies a radical shift from the sacred task of receiving divine law to the immediate confrontation of profound lawlessness.
• for (כִּי, ki)
  • Introduces the reason for the urgent command, explaining the necessity for Moses's swift descent. It reveals the cause-and-effect of sin on God's relationship with His people.
• thy people, (עַמְּךָ, ‘am-meḵa)
  • A striking and painful shift in possessive pronoun from "My people" (as used repeatedly since Ex. 3:7) to "thy people." This linguistic nuance indicates God's profound disappointment and a temporary disavowal due to their complete breaking of the covenant. It shifts a sense of responsibility onto Moses, emphasizing that their actions have distanced them from God.
• which thou broughtest out (אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלֵיתָ, ‘asher he‘eliṯa)
  • "Whom you brought up." This phrase, coming directly from God, is deeply ironic. While God, of course, was the deliverer (Ex. 6:6), this phrasing emphasizes Moses's role as the visible leader and implicitly underscores the ingratitude shown towards both Moses's leadership and, more profoundly, God's mighty arm that redeemed them from slavery. It highlights the recency and magnitude of God's redemptive act, making their rebellion all the more egregious.
• of the land of Egypt,
  • This specifies the precise context of their miraculous deliverance, further highlighting the enormity of their betrayal of the God who set them free from bitter servitude. They abandoned the very deliverer who released them from their most profound bondage.
• have corrupted themselves. (שִׁחֵת לוֹ, shiḥet lo)
  • Shiḥet lo: From the root שָׁחַת (shahat), meaning "to ruin, destroy, corrupt, make rotten, or act corruptly." Here, it's used reflexively ("themselves").
  • This indicates an internal, active, and comprehensive moral decay. Their idolatry is not a mere lapse but a deep spiritual corruption and a willful perversion of their relationship with God. It echoes God's lament over humanity before the Flood, signifying a profound degradation of character and covenant loyalty. They had defiled themselves by their own hands.

Words-Group by Words-Group Analysis

• "And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down;": This sets a scene of urgent divine disclosure. The divine address is solemn yet imbued with the intense pressure for immediate action, indicating that the situation below requires urgent intervention and cannot await Moses's complete instruction.
• "for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt,": This phrase gives the damning justification for God's urgency. It shifts God's proprietary language from "My people" to "thy people," reflecting profound disillusionment. Recalling the recent, miraculous Exodus starkly highlights the immense ingratitude and audacity of their turning away from their Deliverer, making their sin exceptionally severe.
• "have corrupted themselves.": This is the damning indictment, a terse declaration of the essence of their transgression. It signifies not merely a misstep, but a deep-seated, self-inflicted moral and spiritual defilement. This active corruption reveals a rejection of God's holy character and covenant purity.

Exodus 32 7 Bonus Section

• This verse starkly highlights the concept of divine omniscience and instantaneous awareness; God knew what transpired on earth even as Moses was in His heavenly presence.
• The phrase "Go, get thee down" serves as a narrative and thematic mirror. Moses had ascended to receive the Law (a blessing); now he must descend to confront lawlessness (a curse), thus directly encountering the consequence of Israel's spiritual decline.
• The incident here in Exodus 32 is a prototype for the continuous struggle of God's people throughout biblical history: receiving divine revelation and covenant promises, yet frequently succumbing to the temptation of idolatry and self-reliance.
• The severity of God's language foreshadows His willingness to act decisively in judgment, thereby emphasizing the sanctity of the covenant and the holiness of His character. It is a moment where the "Jealous God" (Ex. 20:5) truly reveals His righteous indignation against spiritual adultery.

Exodus 32 7 Commentary

Exodus 32:7 encapsulates a pivotal and tragic moment in Israel's early history with God. God's declaration to Moses is laden with intense disappointment and divine indignation. The abrupt shift in God's possessive reference from "My people" to "thy people" signals a momentary but profound withdrawal of divine favor, revealing the depth of His grief over their covenant infidelity. Their "corrupting themselves" indicates a deliberate act of self-defilement, transforming themselves from God's holy people into an idolatrous nation, even before Moses could descend with the written Law. This act of crafting and worshipping the golden calf was a direct, blasphemous challenge to the first two commandments received only days prior. This verse sets the stage for a dramatic confrontation between divine judgment, human sin, and Moses's critical intercessory role as mediator, underscoring the severe consequences of spiritual idolatry and the fragility of human commitment.