Exodus 32:3
New International Version
So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.

New Living Translation
All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.

English Standard Version
So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Berean Standard Bible
Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

King James Bible
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

New King James Version
So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

New American Standard Bible
So all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

NASB 1995
Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

NASB 1977
Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Amplified Bible
So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Christian Standard Bible
So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

American Standard Version
And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Contemporary English Version
Everybody took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron,

English Revised Version
And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So all the people took off their gold earrings and handed them to Aaron.

Good News Translation
So all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

International Standard Version
All the people tore off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to him.

Majority Standard Bible
Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron.

NET Bible
So all the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron.

New Heart English Bible
All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

Webster's Bible Translation
And all the people broke off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

World English Bible
All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and all the people break off the rings of gold which [are] in their ears, and bring [them] to Aaron,

Young's Literal Translation
and all the people themselves break off the rings of gold which are in their ears, and bring in unto Aaron,

Smith's Literal Translation
And all the people will break off the gold ear-rings which are in their ears, and they will bring to Aaron.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the people did what he had commanded, bringing the earrings to Aaron.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And the people did what he had commanded, carrying the earrings to Aaron.

New American Bible
So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.

New Revised Standard Version
So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So all the people removed the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Ahron said to them, “Remove the earrings of gold that are in the ears of your wives and of your sons and of your daughters, and bring to me.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And all the people broke off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And all the people took off the golden ear-rings that were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Golden Calf
2So Aaron told them, “Take off the gold earrings that are on your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3Then all the people took off their gold earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”…

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.

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,

Acts 7:41
At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

1 Kings 12:28
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.”

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.

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.”

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.

Isaiah 46:6
They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship.

Jeremiah 10:9
Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz—the work of a craftsman from the hands of a goldsmith. Their clothes are blue and purple, all fashioned by skilled workers.

Ezekiel 16:17
You also took the fine jewelry of gold and silver I had given you, and you made male idols with which to prostitute yourself.

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Revelation 9:20
Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk.

Judges 17:3-4
And when he had returned the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, she said, “I wholly dedicate the silver to the LORD for my son’s benefit, to make a graven image and a molten idol. Therefore I will now return it to you.” / So he returned the silver to his mother, and she took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a silversmith, who made them into a graven image and a molten idol. And they were placed in the house of Micah.

Isaiah 2:8
Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.


Treasury of Scripture

And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

Judges 17:3,4
And when he had restored the eleven hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver unto the LORD from my hand for my son, to make a graven image and a molten image: now therefore I will restore it unto thee…

Isaiah 40:19,20
The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains…

Isaiah 46:6
They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea, they worship.

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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














So all the people
This phrase indicates a collective action by the Israelites. The Hebrew word for "people" here is "עָם" (am), which often refers to a community or nation. Historically, this reflects the unity and shared responsibility of the Israelites, who were bound by their covenant with God. The collective nature of their actions underscores the communal aspect of their faith journey and the shared consequences of their decisions.

took off their earrings
The act of removing earrings is significant both culturally and religiously. Earrings, in ancient Near Eastern cultures, were not merely decorative but often held religious or social significance. The Hebrew word for "earrings" is "נֶזֶם" (nezem), which can refer to any type of jewelry worn on the ear. This act of removing earrings symbolizes a relinquishing of personal wealth and adornment, a sacrifice of personal treasures for a communal purpose. It also reflects a deeper spiritual act of giving up something valuable for what they perceived as a greater cause, albeit misguided.

and brought them to Aaron
Aaron, the brother of Moses, is a central figure in this narrative. The Hebrew root for "brought" is "בּוֹא" (bo), which means to come or bring. This action of bringing their earrings to Aaron signifies a transfer of trust and authority. Aaron, as the high priest, was expected to lead the people in worship and obedience to God. However, in this context, it highlights a moment of failure in leadership, as Aaron succumbs to the people's demands. This phrase serves as a reminder of the importance of steadfast leadership and the consequences when leaders falter in their spiritual responsibilities.

(3) All the people brake off the golden earrings.--Aaron had miscalculated the strength of the people's fanaticism. Not the slightest resistance was offered to his requirement, not the slightest objection made. "All the people," with one accord, surrendered their earrings. Some measure is hereby afforded of the intensity of the feeling which was moving the people and urging them to substitute an idolatrous worship for the abstract and purely spiritual religion which had reigned supreme since their departure from Egypt.

Verse 3. - All the people broke off the golden ear-rings. Thus, as is supposed, disappointing Aaron, who had counted on the refusal of the women to part with their finery, and the reluctance of the men to compel them. Had ear-rings been still regarded as amulets (Genesis 1.s.c.) it is not likely that they would have been so readily given up.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the people
הָעָ֔ם (hā·‘ām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

took off
וַיִּתְפָּֽרְקוּ֙ (way·yiṯ·pā·rə·qū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6561: To break off, crunch, to deliver

their gold
הַזָּהָ֖ב (haz·zā·hāḇ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

earrings
נִזְמֵ֥י (niz·mê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5141: A ring (worn as an ornament)

and brought
וַיָּבִ֖יאוּ (way·yā·ḇî·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

them to
אֶֽל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Aaron.
אַהֲרֹֽן׃ (’a·hă·rōn)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 175: Aaron -- an elder brother of Moses


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OT Law: Exodus 32:3 All the people took off the golden (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 32:2
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