Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ New Living Translation They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ English Standard Version For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Berean Standard Bible They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’ King James Bible For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. New King James Version For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ New American Standard Bible For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we do not know what happened to him.’ NASB 1995 “For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ NASB 1977 “For they said to me, ‘Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Legacy Standard Bible Indeed they said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Amplified Bible For they said to me, ‘Make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Christian Standard Bible They said to me, ‘Make gods for us who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him! ’ Holman Christian Standard Bible They said to me, ‘Make us a god who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt—we don’t know what has happened to him!’ American Standard Version For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. Contemporary English Version They even told me, "That man Moses led us out of Egypt, but now we don't know what has happened to him. Make us a god to lead us." English Revised Version For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. GOD'S WORD® Translation They said to me, 'We don't know what's happened to this Moses who brought us out of Egypt. Make gods for us. They will lead us.' Good News Translation They said to me, 'We don't know what has happened to this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.' International Standard Version They told me, 'Make a god for us who will go before us because, as for this fellow Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him.' Majority Standard Bible They told me, ?Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!? NET Bible They said to me, 'Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.' New Heart English Bible For they said to me, 'Make us gods, which shall go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Webster's Bible Translation For they said to me, Make us gods which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. World English Bible For they said to me, ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.’ Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand they say to me, Make gods for us, who go before us, for this Moses—the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt—we have not known what has happened to him; Young's Literal Translation and they say to me, Make for us gods, who go before us, for this Moses -- the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt -- we have not known what hath happened to him; Smith's Literal Translation And they will say to me; Make to us gods which shall go before us: for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we knew not what was to him. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThey said to me: Make us gods, that may go before us: for as to this Moses, who brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is befallen him. Catholic Public Domain Version They said to me: ‘Make gods for us, who may go before us. For this Moses, who led us away from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has befallen him.’ New American Bible They said to me, ‘Make us a god to go before us; as for this man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ New Revised Standard Version They said to me, ‘Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleFor they said to me, Make us gods that they shall go before us; as for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And Ahron said, “Let not the wrath of my Lord be hot; you know this people is evil. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917So they said unto me: Make us a god, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. Brenton Septuagint Translation For they say to me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt, we do not know what is become of him. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Moses Breaks the Tablets…22“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. 23They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’ 24So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I threw it into the fire, out came this calf!”… Cross References Deuteronomy 9:16 And I saw how you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves a molten calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. Acts 7:40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ Nehemiah 9:18 Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies, Psalm 106:19-20 At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image. / They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox. 1 Kings 12:28-30 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much for you. Here, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” / One calf he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. / And this thing became a sin; the people walked as far as Dan to worship before one of the calves. 2 Kings 17:16 They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal. Hosea 8:4-6 They set up kings, but not by Me. They make princes, but without My approval. With their silver and gold they make themselves idols, to their own destruction. / He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? / For this thing is from Israel—a craftsman made it, and it is not God. It will be broken to pieces, that calf of Samaria. 1 Corinthians 10:7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” Romans 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Isaiah 44:9-20 All makers of idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Their witnesses fail to see or comprehend, so they are put to shame. / Who fashions a god or casts an idol which profits him nothing? / Behold, all his companions will be put to shame, for the craftsmen themselves are only human. Let them all assemble and take their stand; they will all be brought to terror and shame. ... Jeremiah 10:3-5 For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman. / They adorn it with silver and gold and fasten it with hammer and nails, so that it will not totter. / Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good.” 2 Chronicles 11:15 And Jeroboam appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat demons and calf idols he had made. Ezekiel 20:8 But they rebelled against Me and refused to listen. None of them cast away the abominations before their eyes, and they did not forsake the idols of Egypt. So I resolved to pour out My wrath upon them and vent My anger against them in the land of Egypt. Ezekiel 23:8 She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt, when men slept with her in her youth, caressed her virgin bosom, and poured out their lust upon her. 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, Treasury of Scripture For they said to me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. Exodus 32:1-4,8 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him… Jump to Previous Egypt Fellow Gods Idea Moses WotJump to Next Egypt Fellow Gods Idea Moses WotExodus 32 1. The people in the absence of Moses, caused Aaron to make a calf7. 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 They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. This phrase reflects the Israelites' desire for tangible leadership and guidance, a common theme in ancient cultures where physical representations of deities were prevalent. The request for "gods who will go before us" indicates a lack of faith in the invisible God who had led them out of Egypt. This mirrors the human tendency to seek visible assurance in times of uncertainty. Theologically, this act of idolatry is a direct violation of the first two commandments given in Exodus 20:3-4, which prohibit the worship of other gods and the creation of idols. The Israelites' demand for gods also echoes the practices of surrounding nations, highlighting the cultural pressures they faced. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’ Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader chosen by God to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. At this point in the account, he is on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God. 2. Aaron Moses' brother and the high priest, who is left in charge of the people while Moses is on the mountain. He succumbs to the people's demands and makes the golden calf. 3. The Israelites The people of God who have been delivered from slavery in Egypt. They grow impatient waiting for Moses and demand a tangible god to lead them. 4. Mount Sinai The mountain where Moses meets with God and receives the Ten Commandments. It is a place of divine revelation and covenant. 5. The Golden Calf An idol made by Aaron at the request of the Israelites, representing a significant act of disobedience and idolatry against God. Teaching Points The Danger of ImpatienceThe Israelites' impatience led them to sin. We must learn to wait on God's timing and trust in His plans, even when they are not immediately clear. Leadership and Responsibility Aaron's failure to stand firm against the people's demands shows the importance of strong, godly leadership. Leaders must remain steadfast in their convictions and responsibilities. The Temptation of Idolatry Idolatry is not just about physical idols but anything that takes the place of God in our hearts. We must examine our lives for modern-day idols and remove them. The Consequences of Disobedience The Israelites' actions had severe consequences. Disobedience to God leads to spiritual and sometimes physical repercussions. The Need for Repentance When we fall into sin, like the Israelites, we must turn back to God in repentance, seeking His forgiveness and restoration.Verse 23. - Make us gods. Rather "Make us a god." Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew They toldוַיֹּ֣אמְרוּ (way·yō·mə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 559: To utter, say me, לִ֔י (lî) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's Hebrew ‘Make עֲשֵׂה־ (‘ă·śêh-) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's 6213: To do, make us לָ֣נוּ (lā·nū) Preposition | first person common plural Strong's Hebrew gods אֱלֹהִ֔ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative who אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that will go יֵלְכ֖וּ (yê·lə·ḵū) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk before us. לְפָנֵ֑ינוּ (lə·p̄ā·nê·nū) Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common plural Strong's 6440: The face As for כִּי־ (kî-) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction this זֶ֣ה ׀ (zeh) Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that Moses מֹשֶׁ֣ה (mō·šeh) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 4872: Moses -- a great Israelite leader, prophet and lawgiver who אֲשֶׁ֤ר (’ă·šer) Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that brought us up הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ (he·‘ĕ·lā·nū) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | first person common plural Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively out of the land מֵאֶ֣רֶץ (mê·’e·reṣ) Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 776: Earth, land of Egypt, מִצְרַ֔יִם (miṣ·ra·yim) Noun - proper - feminine singular Strong's 4714: Egypt -- a son of Ham, also his descendants and their country in Northwest Africa we do not לֹ֥א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no know יָדַ֖עְנוּ (yā·ḏa‘·nū) Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural Strong's 3045: To know what מֶה־ (meh-) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what has happened הָ֥יָה (hā·yāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be to him!’ לֽוֹ׃ (lōw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew Links Exodus 32:23 NIVExodus 32:23 NLT Exodus 32:23 ESV Exodus 32:23 NASB Exodus 32:23 KJV Exodus 32:23 BibleApps.com Exodus 32:23 Biblia Paralela Exodus 32:23 Chinese Bible Exodus 32:23 French Bible Exodus 32:23 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 32:23 For they said to me 'Make us (Exo. 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