Exodus 32:12
New International Version
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.

New Living Translation
Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people!

English Standard Version
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people.

Berean Standard Bible
Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.

King James Bible
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

New King James Version
Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.

New American Standard Bible
Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘With evil motives He brought them out, to kill them on the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent of doing harm to Your people.

NASB 1995
“Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth ‘? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.

NASB 1977
“Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Thy burning anger and change Thy mind about doing harm to Thy people.

Legacy Standard Bible
Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and relent concerning doing harm to Your people.

Amplified Bible
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil [intent] their God brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from Your burning anger and change Your mind about harming Your people.

Christian Standard Bible
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth? Turn from Your great anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for Your people.

American Standard Version
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

Contemporary English Version
If you do, the Egyptians will say that you brought your people out here into the mountains just to get rid of them. Please don't be angry with your people. Don't destroy them!

English Revised Version
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Don't let the Egyptians say, 'He was planning all along to kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth. That's why he brought them out [of our land].' Don't be so angry. Reconsider your decision to bring this disaster on your people.

Good News Translation
Why should the Egyptians be able to say that you led your people out of Egypt, planning to kill them in the mountains and destroy them completely? Stop being angry; change your mind and do not bring this disaster on your people.

International Standard Version
Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out with an evil intention to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your anger and change your mind about the calamity against your people.

Majority Standard Bible
Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people.

NET Bible
Why should the Egyptians say, 'For evil he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger, and relent of this evil against your people.

New Heart English Bible
Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'He brought them forth for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?' Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.

Webster's Bible Translation
Why should the Egyptians speak and say, For evil did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.

World English Bible
Why should the Egyptians talk, saying, ‘He brought them out for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and turn away from this evil against your people.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Why do the Egyptians speak, saying, He brought them out in calamity to slay them among mountains, and to consume them from off the face of the ground? Turn back from the heat of Your anger, and relent from this calamity against Your people.

Young's Literal Translation
why do the Egyptians speak, saying, For evil He brought them out to slay them among mountains, and to consume them from off the face of the ground? turn back from the heat of Thine anger, and repent of the evil against Thy people.

Smith's Literal Translation
Lest the Egyptians shall speak, saying, With evil he brought them forth to kill them in the mountains, and to finish them from the face of the earth. Turn back from the heat of thy wrath, and repent concerning evil towards thy people.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let not the Egyptians say, I beseech thee: He craftily brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains, and destroy them from the earth: let thy anger cease, and be appeased upon the wickedness of thy people.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I beg you, let not the Egyptians say, ‘He cleverly led them away, so that he could put them to death in the mountains and destroy them from the earth.’ Let your anger be quieted and appeased concerning the wickedness of your people.

New American Bible
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent he brought them out, that he might kill them in the mountains and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning wrath; change your mind about punishing your people.

New Revised Standard Version
Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Why should the Egyptians say, It was for their injury he did bring them out to slay them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Rest from thy fierce anger and be reconciled concerning the evil deed of thy people.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Moshe prayed before LORD JEHOVAH his God and said, “No LORD JEHOVAH! Your wrath will not prevail with your people whom you brought out from Egypt by your great power and by your high arm.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Take heed lest at any time the Egyptians speak, saying, With evil intent he brought them out to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from off the earth; cease from thy wrathful anger, and be merciful to the sin of thy people,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses Informed of Israel's Sin
11But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. 13Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’ ”…

Cross References
Numbers 14:13-19
But Moses said to the LORD, “The Egyptians will hear of it, for by Your strength You brought this people from among them. / And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have already heard that You, O LORD, are in the midst of this people, that You, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that Your cloud stands over them, and that You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. / If You kill this people as one man, the nations who have heard of Your fame will say, ...

Deuteronomy 9:26-29
And I prayed to the LORD and said, “O Lord GOD, do not destroy Your people, Your inheritance, whom You redeemed through Your greatness and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. / Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people and the wickedness of their sin. / Otherwise, those in the land from which You brought us out will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’ ...

Psalm 106:23
So He said He would destroy them—had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach to divert His wrath from destroying them.

Genesis 18:23-33
Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? / What if there are fifty righteous ones in the city? Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous ones who are there? / Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” ...

1 Samuel 12:22
Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.

Isaiah 48:9-11
For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off. / See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. / For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.

Ezekiel 20:9
But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to Israel by bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 20:14
But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

Ezekiel 20:22
But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

Nehemiah 9:31
But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.

2 Kings 19:19
And now, O LORD our God, please save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”

2 Chronicles 20:6-12
and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can stand against You. / Our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend? / They have lived in the land and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying, ...

Romans 11:2-4
God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel: / “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”? / And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

1 Corinthians 10:11
Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Hebrews 3:16-19
For who were the ones who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? / And with whom was God angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? / And to whom did He swear that they would never enter His rest? Was it not to those who disobeyed? ...


Treasury of Scripture

Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.

should

Numbers 14:13-16
And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) …

Deuteronomy 9:28
Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.

Deuteronomy 32:26,27
I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men: …

turn from

Deuteronomy 13:17
And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;

Joshua 7:26
And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

Ezra 10:14
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.

repent

Exodus 32:14
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Genesis 6:6
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Deuteronomy 32:36
For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.

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Exodus 32
1. The people in the absence of Moses, caused Aaron to make a calf
7. God informs Moses, who intercedes for Israel, and prevails
15. Moses comes down with the tablets
19. He breaks them
20. He destroys the calf
22. Aaron's excuse for himself
25. Moses causes the idolaters to be slain
30. He prays for the people














Why should the Egyptians say
This phrase highlights the concern for God's reputation among the nations. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the actions of a deity were often interpreted as a reflection of their power and character. The Egyptians, having witnessed the plagues and the Exodus, would interpret Israel's destruction as a failure of Yahweh's power or benevolence. Moses appeals to God's concern for His name and glory, which is a recurring theme throughout Scripture (e.g., Ezekiel 20:9).

He brought them out to harm them
The Hebrew root for "harm" here is "רָעַע" (ra'a), which conveys the idea of evil or calamity. Moses is interceding by suggesting that the Egyptians would view the Exodus as a malevolent act if it ended in Israel's destruction. This reflects the ancient belief that the gods were responsible for the well-being of their people, and any misfortune was seen as divine displeasure or impotence.

to kill them in the mountains
The "mountains" refer to the rugged terrain of the Sinai Peninsula, where Israel was journeying. In the ancient world, mountains were often seen as places of divine encounter but also of danger and desolation. Moses is emphasizing the irony that the God who delivered Israel from Egypt would allow them to perish in such a place, which would seem contradictory to His purpose of deliverance.

and wipe them off the face of the earth
This phrase underscores the totality of the potential destruction. The Hebrew word for "wipe" is "מָחָה" (machah), which means to blot out or erase. It conveys a sense of complete annihilation, which would nullify the covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses is appealing to God's covenant faithfulness, a central theme in the Pentateuch.

Turn from Your fierce anger
The Hebrew word for "fierce" is "חָרוֹן" (charon), often used to describe God's righteous indignation. Moses is interceding for the people, asking God to "turn" (שׁוּב, shuv) or repent from His anger. This is a profound moment of intercession, highlighting the role of a mediator who stands between God and His people, prefiguring Christ's mediatorial work.

relent and do not bring disaster on Your people
The word "relent" comes from the Hebrew "נָחַם" (nacham), which can mean to be sorry, to console, or to change one's mind. Moses is asking God to reconsider His decision, emphasizing the relationship between God and Israel as "Your people." This plea is rooted in the covenant relationship, where God has bound Himself to His people with promises of blessing and protection.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why
לָמָּה֩ (lām·māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

should the Egyptians declare,
יֹאמְר֨וּ (yō·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

‘He brought them out
הֽוֹצִיאָם֙ (hō·w·ṣî·’ām)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim

with evil intent,
בְּרָעָ֤ה (bə·rā·‘āh)
Preposition-b | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

to kill
לַהֲרֹ֤ג (la·hă·rōḡ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

them in the mountains
בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים (be·hā·rîm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

and wipe
וּ֨לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם (ū·lə·ḵal·lō·ṯām)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3615: To be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, or spent

them from
מֵעַ֖ל (mê·‘al)
Preposition-m
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the face
פְּנֵ֣י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

of the earth’?
הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה (hā·’ă·ḏā·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 127: Ground, land

Turn
שׁ֚וּב (ūḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again

from Your fierce
מֵחֲר֣וֹן (mê·ḥă·rō·wn)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2740: A burning of anger

anger
אַפֶּ֔ךָ (’ap·pe·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

and relent
וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם (wə·hin·nā·ḥêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5162: To sigh, breathe strongly, to be sorry, to pity, console, rue, to avenge

from {doing}
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

harm
הָרָעָ֖ה (hā·rā·‘āh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

to Your people.
לְעַמֶּֽךָ׃ (lə·‘am·me·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock


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OT Law: Exodus 32:12 Why should the Egyptians speak saying 'He (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 32:11
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