Topical Bible: Calf Image

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The term "Calf Image" primarily refers to the idolatrous representations of calves or young bulls that appear in several significant biblical narratives. These images are often associated with apostasy and rebellion against God, serving as potent symbols of Israel's recurring struggle with idolatry.

Golden Calf at Mount Sinai

The most notable instance of a calf image is the Golden Calf created by the Israelites at Mount Sinai. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Law from God, the people grew impatient and demanded that Aaron make them gods to lead them. Aaron complied by fashioning a calf from the gold jewelry of the people. This event is recorded in Exodus 32:4-6 : "He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. Then they said, 'These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!' When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed: 'Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.' So the next day they arose early, offered burnt offerings, and presented peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel."

This act of idolatry provoked God's wrath, and Moses interceded on behalf of the people. Upon descending from the mountain, Moses shattered the tablets of the Law in anger and destroyed the calf by burning it, grinding it to powder, scattering it on the water, and making the Israelites drink it (Exodus 32:19-20).

Jeroboam's Calves

Another significant reference to calf images occurs during the reign of King Jeroboam I of Israel. To prevent the people from traveling to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam established two centers of worship in Bethel and Dan, where he set up golden calves. He declared to the people, "Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings 12:28). This act led Israel into sin, as it was a direct violation of the first two commandments, which prohibit the making of idols and the worship of other gods.

Symbolism and Theological Implications

The calf image is emblematic of the human tendency to forsake the worship of the true God in favor of tangible, man-made representations. In both instances, the calf served as a substitute for the invisible God, reflecting a desire for a deity that could be seen and controlled. This idolatry is consistently condemned throughout Scripture, as it represents a breach of the covenant relationship between God and His people.

Theologically, the calf image underscores the importance of faithfulness to God's commandments and the dangers of syncretism, where the worship of the true God is mixed with pagan practices. The narratives involving calf images serve as cautionary tales, warning against the allure of idolatry and the consequences of turning away from God.

Prophetic Denunciations

The prophets frequently denounced the worship of calf images. Hosea, for example, condemned the idolatry of the Northern Kingdom, stating, "With their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction. Your calf-idol is rejected, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?" (Hosea 8:4-5). Such denunciations highlight the ongoing struggle against idolatry and the call to return to the worship of the one true God.

Conclusion

The calf image remains a powerful symbol within the biblical narrative, representing the persistent challenge of idolatry and the call to exclusive devotion to God. Through these accounts, Scripture emphasizes the importance of faithfulness and the dangers of turning away from the divine covenant.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Calf Image

CALF IMAGE

See IMAGES.

Greek

3447. moschopoieo -- to make a calf (as an image)
... to make a calf (as an image). Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: moschopoieo
Phonetic Spelling: (mos-khop-oy-eh'-o) Short Definition: I make a model of a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3447.htm - 6k

Library

The Golden Calf
... The 'god' whom the Israelites worshipped under the image of a calf, was no less
another 'god before Me,' though it was called by the name of Jehovah. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the golden calf.htm

'Fruit which is Death'
... God disowns them, and says, 'They belong to it, not to Me.' The idolatrous priests
of the calf worship will tremble when that image, which had been shamefully ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/fruit which is death.htm

Spirit Alchemy.
... image of God, may be transmuted into the basest metals. When Moses coming down from
the presence of God saw the shocking sight of the people worshiping a calf ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on service/spirit alchemy.htm

And Thou, Willing First to Show Me How Thou Resistest the Proud...
... head of a four-footed beast instead of Thee; turning in heart back towards Egypt;
and bowing Thy image, their own soul, before the image of a calf that eateth ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter ix and thou willing.htm

The Swift Decay of Love
... But whether the people call the calf 'Jehovah' or 'Apis' matters very little ... Such
worship as these wild dances, offered to an image, broke both the commandments ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture k/the swift decay of love.htm

On Idolatry
... i, 23.) But the Worship, he says, is offered, not to God, whom they wished to represent
by an image, but to the calf itself, and to the image which they had ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 23 on idolatry.htm

The Argument for Restraining Anger is Given Again. ...
... The shadow is in the law, the image in the Gospel, the truth in heaven. In
old times a lamb, a Calf was offered; now Christ is offered. ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xlviii the argument for.htm

From the Fourth Chapter.
... of Him as if of a man: therefore his announcement sets forth the image of a ... the
priesthood, and the victim in the same description bore the likeness of a calf. ...
/.../commentary on the apocolypse of the blessed john/from the fourth chapter.htm

Listen Also to what I have to Say on this Other Expression which ...
... those who had been intermixed with the Egyptians, [1738] set up a calf as their ...
Testament an emblematic or imaginary law, because it was the type or image of a ...
/.../31 listen also to what.htm

Letter i. The Christian's Mark.
... If the calf is diseased, or if he refuses to eat, he will pine away and die ... experimental
knowledge of God in our hearts, by which we are changed into his image. ...
/.../letter i the christians mark.htm