Exodus 32:35
New International Version
And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

New Living Translation
Then the LORD sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.

English Standard Version
Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

Berean Standard Bible
And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.

King James Bible
And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

New King James Version
So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

NASB 1995
Then the LORD smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

NASB 1977
Then the LORD smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh smote the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

Amplified Bible
So the LORD struck the people with a plague, because of what they had done with the calf which Aaron had made [for them].

Christian Standard Bible
And the LORD inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And the LORD inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Contemporary English Version
So the LORD punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.

English Revised Version
And the LORD smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So the LORD killed people because they had Aaron make the calf.

Good News Translation
So the LORD sent a disease on the people, because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.

International Standard Version
Then the LORD sent a plague on the people because they made the calf (the one Aaron made).

Majority Standard Bible
And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.

NET Bible
And the LORD sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf--the one Aaron made.

New Heart English Bible
The LORD struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD afflicted the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.

World English Bible
Yahweh struck the people, because of what they did with the calf, which Aaron made.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH plagues the people because they made the calf which Aaron made.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah plagueth the people, because they made the calf which Aaron made.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah will smite the people for their making the calf which Aaron made.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord therefore struck the people for the guilt on occasion of the calf which Aaron had made.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Therefore, the Lord struck the people for the guilt of the calf, which Aaron had made.

New American Bible
Thus the LORD struck the people for making the calf, the one that Aaron made.

New Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron made.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And the LORD smote the people because they worshipped the calf which Aaron made.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Now go, bring this people to where I told you and behold, My Messenger shall go before you, and in the day of my visitation I shall visit upon them their sins.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Lord smote the people for the making the calf, which Aaron made.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Moses Intercedes for Israel
34Now go, lead the people to the place I described. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.” 35And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.

Cross References
Deuteronomy 9:18-21
Then I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first time. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD and provoking Him to anger. / For I was afraid of the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well. / The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron. ...

Numbers 25:1-9
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, / who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. / So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them. ...

1 Corinthians 10:7-8
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.” / We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

Psalm 106:19-23
At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped a molten image. / They exchanged their Glory for the image of a grass-eating ox. / They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt, ...

Acts 7:39-41
But our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. / 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.’ / At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.

1 Kings 12:28-30
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.

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,

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.

Romans 1:23-25
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images of mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. / Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. / They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.

2 Kings 17:16-18
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. / They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. / So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,

Hosea 13:2-4
Now they sin more and more and make for themselves cast images, idols skillfully made from their silver, all of them the work of craftsmen. People say of them, “They offer human sacrifice and kiss the calves!” / Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window. / Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, for there is no Savior besides Me.

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.

Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

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.”


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Exodus 32:25
And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

2 Samuel 12:9,10
Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon…

Matthew 27:3-7
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, …

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Aaron Afflicted Calf Ox Plague Plagued Plagueth Punishment Smote Struck Worship
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Aaron Afflicted Calf Ox Plague Plagued Plagueth Punishment Smote Struck Worship
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














And the LORD sent a plague on the people
This phrase indicates divine judgment. In the biblical context, plagues are often used by God as a form of punishment or correction, as seen in the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7-12). The use of a plague here underscores the severity of the Israelites' sin. It serves as a reminder of God's holiness and the consequences of idolatry. Theologically, it reflects the principle that sin leads to death and suffering, a theme consistent throughout Scripture (Romans 6:23).

because of what they had done
This refers to the actions of the Israelites in creating and worshiping the golden calf. It highlights human responsibility and accountability for sin. The Israelites' actions were a direct violation of the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-4), which prohibited the worship of other gods and the making of idols. This incident serves as a warning against the dangers of turning away from God and following false idols, a recurring issue throughout Israel's history (Judges 2:11-13).

with the calf
The calf was a symbol of idolatry and rebellion against God. In the ancient Near East, calves and bulls were often associated with strength and fertility and were common symbols in pagan worship. The choice of a calf as an idol may have been influenced by Egyptian religious practices, which the Israelites had been exposed to during their time in Egypt. This act of idolatry was a direct affront to God's sovereignty and a rejection of His covenant.

that Aaron had made
Aaron's involvement in the creation of the golden calf highlights the failure of leadership. As Moses' brother and the appointed high priest, Aaron was expected to uphold God's laws and lead the people in righteousness. His failure to do so demonstrates the weakness of human leaders and the need for a perfect mediator, which Christians believe is fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). Aaron's actions also serve as a reminder of the importance of steadfastness in faith and obedience to God, even in the face of pressure from others.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is just and holy, responding to the people's idolatry.

2. The People of Israel
The nation chosen by God, who fell into sin by worshiping the golden calf.

3. Aaron
The brother of Moses and the high priest, who played a role in the creation of the golden calf.

4. The Golden Calf
An idol made by Aaron at the request of the Israelites, representing a significant act of rebellion against God.

5. The Plague
A divine punishment sent by God as a consequence of the people's idolatry.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Idolatry
Idolatry is a grave sin that provokes God's righteous anger. It is essential to recognize and remove any idols in our lives, whether they are physical objects or misplaced priorities.

The Role of Leadership
Aaron's failure as a leader highlights the importance of godly leadership. Leaders must stand firm in their convictions and guide others in truth, even under pressure.

Consequences of Sin
Sin has consequences, both immediate and eternal. Understanding this helps us to live in obedience and seek God's forgiveness and grace.

God's Justice and Mercy
While God is just and punishes sin, He is also merciful. The incident of the golden calf reminds us of the need for repentance and the hope of restoration through God's mercy.

The Need for Intercession
Moses' intercession for the people (earlier in the chapter) shows the power and necessity of prayer and intercession for others, especially in times of spiritual crisis.(35) The Lord plagued the people.--We are not to understand by this (with Kalisch) that a pestilence was sent, but only that sufferings of various kinds befell those who had worshipped the calf, and were, in fact, punishments inflicted on them for that transgression.

Verse 35. - The Lord plagued, or "struck" - i.e., "punished" the people. There is nothing in the expression which requires us to understand the sending of a pestilence.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And the LORD
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

sent a plague
וַיִּגֹּ֥ף (way·yig·gōp̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5062: To push, gore, defeat, stub, inflict

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

because of
עַ֚ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

what
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

they had done
עָשׂ֣וּ (‘ā·śū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

with the calf
הָעֵ֔גֶל (hā·‘ê·ḡel)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5695: A, calf, one nearly grown

that
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

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

had made.
עָשָׂ֖ה (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make


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Exodus 32:34
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