Exodus 32 8

Exodus 32:8 kjv

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 32:8 nkjv

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' "

Exodus 32:8 niv

They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.'

Exodus 32:8 esv

They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'"

Exodus 32:8 nlt

How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"

Exodus 32 verses

Exodus 32 8 Meaning

Exodus 32:8 describes the profound and rapid spiritual failure of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. While Moses was with God receiving the Ten Commandments, the people, growing impatient, quickly deviated from the path Yahweh commanded. They fashioned a golden image of a calf and then bowed down, offered sacrifices, and declared it was this man-made idol, rather than the living God, who had delivered them from Egypt. This act was a direct and grave violation of the first two commandments given by God himself.

Exodus 32 8 Context

Exodus 32:8 occurs immediately after God tells Moses about the Israelites' defection (Ex 32:7). Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God (Ex 24:12, 31:18) after a period of forty days and forty nights. Down in the camp, the people became restless and impatient due to Moses' prolonged absence. They pressured Aaron to "make for us gods who will go before us" (Ex 32:1). This act followed a pivotal moment: Israel had recently entered into a solemn covenant with Yahweh, pledging to obey all His commands (Ex 24:3, 7). Crucially, the very first commandments received by Moses, and earlier proclaimed by God directly to the people (Ex 20:1-6), explicitly forbade the worship of other gods and the making of idols. Historically and culturally, the making of a calf could be influenced by Egyptian zoomorphic deities, particularly the Apis bull, a symbol of strength and fertility associated with gods like Ptah or Osiris. Thus, the act was not merely impatience but a severe turning away from the unique covenant relationship with Yahweh, who had specifically warned against adopting the practices of the nations from which He delivered them.

Exodus 32 8 Word analysis

• They have turned aside quickly: Hebrew sāru (סוּר - to turn aside, depart, deviate) and maher (מַהֵר - quickly, swiftly).

  • sāru: Indicates a willful, conscious deviation from the right path or established relationship. It is an abandonment, not an accidental slip. Used for spiritual defection.
  • maher: Emphasizes the swiftness and lack of delay in their apostasy. It implies impetuousness and a superficial commitment to the covenant recently made. This speed highlights their instability and shallow faith.

• from the way that I commanded them:

  • Refers specifically to God's instructions, particularly the opening commandments regarding monotheism and the prohibition of images (Ex 20:3-5). The phrase "the way" implies a prescribed course of life and conduct for the covenant people.

• made for themselves a molten calf: Hebrew 'ēgel massēkâ (עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה - calf, molten image/idol).

  • 'ēgel: A young bull or calf. In ancient Near Eastern religions, bulls often symbolized strength, power, or fertility, associated with deities like Baal or Egyptian Apis. While not identical to Apis, it could have resonance.
  • massēkâ: A cast or molten image, indicating that it was meticulously crafted and not merely an improvised object. This implies forethought and deliberate construction, undermining any excuse of pure spontaneity or ignorance. It highlights human effort to create what they deem divine.

• and worshipped it: Hebrew yishtachawû (וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲוּ - and they bowed down/prostrated themselves).

  • Describes the physical act of worship, expressing homage, submission, and reverence. This is the posture appropriate only for God, yet directed towards an idol.

• and sacrificed to it: Hebrew yizbechû (וַיִּזְבְּחוּ - and they slaughtered as sacrifice).

  • This indicates the full participation in the religious ritual, moving beyond passive worship to active veneration. Sacrifice was a core act of devotion and atonement in the worship of Yahweh, now defiled by being offered to an inert image.

• and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!':

  • 'These are your gods': Plural, a stark polytheistic declaration in direct opposition to Yahweh's singularity ("Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" Deut 6:4). It shows a rejection of the unique identity of the true God.
  • 'who brought you up from the land of Egypt!': This is the ultimate blasphemy and theological perversion. The very phrase God used to identify Himself at the outset of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:2) is here attributed to a lifeless image. It signifies a complete distortion of the covenant foundation and a forgetting of God's powerful, miraculous redemption. It demonstrates the superficiality of their understanding of the one true God and His salvific acts.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "They have turned aside quickly from the way that I commanded them": This entire phrase encapsulates the themes of disloyalty, impulsiveness, and direct disobedience. It reveals a broken covenant. The way signifies God's instruction for a righteous life, highlighting that their deviation was a moral and spiritual failure, not just a procedural error.
  • "made for themselves a molten calf, and worshipped it and sacrificed to it": This progression shows the escalation of their apostasy: from crafting an image, to bowing before it, to offering the most significant act of religious devotion – sacrifice. This illustrates a complete replacement of Yahweh's worship with idolatry. The emphasis on "themselves" shows human agency and desire as the source, not divine revelation.
  • "These are your gods... who brought you up from the land of Egypt!": This final declaration seals their betrayal. It is a profound act of misattribution and a complete repudiation of the real Deliverer. It merges ancient Near Eastern religious thought (where gods were associated with land/power) with Israel's unique deliverance history, fundamentally corrupting the latter by stripping Yahweh of His unparalleled power and replacing it with an impotent creation. This verbal attribution further solidifies the sin, vocalizing their false belief.

Exodus 32 8 Bonus section

The profound apostasy described in Exodus 32:8 also carries an ironic echo of God's judgment against Egypt's gods. Just as Yahweh demonstrated His supremacy over the gods of Egypt through the plagues, the Israelites quickly fashion an idol reminiscent of Egyptian deities (the bull motif), thereby effectively returning to the very spiritual bondage from which they were delivered. The phrase "these are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt" becomes a grotesque mockery of God's redemptive identity. Furthermore, the episode highlights the contrast between the fleeting commitment of humans and the enduring patience and covenant faithfulness of God, even in the face of such profound rebellion. This event sets a precedent for Israel's later spiritual struggles throughout its history, marked by repeated cycles of turning to foreign gods and rejecting the One True God. It reveals that the fight against idolatry is not just about physical images, but about who or what we truly believe holds ultimate power and deserves our worship.

Exodus 32 8 Commentary

Exodus 32:8 starkly reveals the human propensity for idolatry and forgetting God's past works. After witnessing divine power at Sinai and committing to Yahweh's covenant, Israel's quick turn to a physical idol stemmed from impatience and a desire for tangible leadership, failing to trust in the invisible God who delivered them. The molten calf, whether an attempt to depict Yahweh in a material form (an illicit image of the true God) or to serve as a pedestal for Him (an equally illicit appropriation of foreign religious practice), fundamentally broke the commands for aniconism (no images of God) and monotheism. Their proclamation that "These are your gods... who brought you up from the land of Egypt" demonstrates a terrifying amnesia regarding the miraculous exodus and attributes Yahweh's unparalleled redemption to a man-made object. This act wasn't mere superstition; it was a profound spiritual betrayal, substituting a glorious, living God for a lifeless imitation, demonstrating how easily human comfort, control, and sensory perception can override true faith and obedience. This event stands as a timeless warning against placing anything—whether wealth, power, physical comfort, or even spiritual rituals performed without sincere devotion—in God's rightful place.