When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for that fellow Moses—the man who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.”
This he took from them and cast in a mold, cast in a mold Cf. Zech. 11.13 (beth hayyoṣer, “foundry”); others “fashioned it with a graving tool.” and made it into a molten calf. And they exclaimed, “This is your god, .” O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
Translation Notes
*This is your god — Others “These are your gods
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויקח
124
מידם
94
ויצר
306
אתו
407
בחרט
219
ויעשהו
397
עגל
103
מסכה
125
ויאמרו
263
אלה
36
אלהיך
66
ישראל
541
אשר
501
העלוך
131
מארץ
331
מצרים
380
Exodus 32:5
Gematria: 1919
ויראאהרןויבןמזבחלפניוויקראאהרןויאמרחגליהוהמחר
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron announced: “Tomorrow shall be a festival of יהוה!”
They have been quick to turn aside from the way that I enjoined upon them. They have made themselves a molten calf and bowed low to it and sacrificed to it, saying: ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”
Word-by-Word Analysis
סרו
266
מהר
245
מןהדרך
319
אשר
501
צויתם
546
עשו
376
להם
75
עגל
103
מסכה
125
וישתחוולו
772
ויזבחולו
75
ויאמרו
263
אלה
36
אלהיך
66
ישראל
541
אשר
501
העלוך
131
מארץ
331
מצרים
380
Exodus 32:9
Gematria: 2756
ויאמריהוהאלמשהראיתיאתהעםהזהוהנהעםקשהערףהוא
יהוה further said to Moses, “I see that this is a stiffnecked people.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמר
257
יהוה
26
אלמשה
376
ראיתי
621
אתהעם
516
הזה
17
והנה
66
עםקשהערף
865
הוא
12
Exodus 32:10
Gematria: 1959
ועתההניחהליויחראפיבהםואכלםואעשהאותךלגויגדול
Now, let Me be, that My anger may blaze forth against them and that I may destroy them, and make of you a great nation.”
But Moses implored his God יהוה, saying, “Let not Your anger, יהוה, blaze forth against Your people, whom You delivered from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand.
Let not the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he delivered them, only to kill them off in the mountains and annihilate them from the face of the earth.’ Turn from Your blazing anger, and renounce the plan to punish Your people.
Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, how You swore to them by Your Self and said to them: I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and I will give to your offspring this whole land of which I spoke, to possess forever.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
זכר
227
לאברהם
278
ליצחק
238
ולישראל
577
עבדיך
106
אשר
501
נשבעת
822
להם
75
בך
22
ותדבר
612
אלהם
76
ארבה
208
אתזרעכם
738
ככוכבי
78
השמים
395
וכלהארץ
352
הזאת
413
אשר
501
אמרתי
651
אתן
451
לזרעכם
367
ונחלו
100
לעלם
170
Exodus 32:14
Gematria: 2259
וינחםיהוהעלהרעהאשרדברלעשותלעמופ
And יהוה renounced the punishment planned for God’s people.
Thereupon Moses turned and went down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, tablets inscribed on both their surfaces: they were inscribed on the one side and on the other.
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויפן
146
וירד
220
משה
345
מןההר
300
ושני
366
לחת
438
העדת
479
בידו
22
לחת
438
כתבים
472
משני
400
עבריהם
327
מזה
52
ומזה
58
הם
45
כתבים
472
Exodus 32:16
Gematria: 3190
והלחתמעשהאלהיםהמהוהמכתבמכתבאלהיםהואחרותעלהלחת
The tablets were God’s work, and the writing was God’s writing, incised upon the tablets.
Word-by-Word Analysis
והלחת
449
מעשה
415
אלהים
86
המה
50
והמכתב
473
מכתב
462
אלהים
86
הוא
12
חרות
614
עלהלחת
543
Exodus 32:17
Gematria: 2743
וישמעיהושעאתקולהעםברעהויאמראלמשהקולמלחמהבמחנה
When Joshua heard the sound of the people in its boisterousness, he said to Moses, “There is a cry of war in the camp.”
As soon as Moses came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he became enraged; and he hurled the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
They said to me, ‘Make us a god to lead us; for that fellow Moses—the man who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.’
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמרו
263
לי
40
עשהלנו
461
אלהים
86
אשר
501
ילכו
66
לפנינו
226
כיזה
42
משה
345
האיש
316
אשר
501
העלנו
161
מארץ
331
מצרים
380
לא
31
ידענו
140
מההיה
65
לו
36
Exodus 32:24
Gematria: 2622
ואמרלהםלמיזהבהתפרקוויתנוליואשלכהובאשויצאהעגלהזה
So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off!’ They gave it to me and I hurled it into the fire and out came this calf!”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ואמר
247
להם
75
למי
80
זהב
14
התפרקו
791
ויתנולי
512
ואשלכהו
368
באש
303
ויצא
107
העגל
108
הזה
17
Exodus 32:25
Gematria: 2773
ויראמשהאתהעםכיפרעהואכיפרעהאהרןלשמצהבקמיהם
Moses saw that the people were out of control—since Aaron had let them get out of control—so that they were a menace .” to any who might oppose them.
He said to them, “Thus says יהוה, the God of Israel: Each of you put sword on thigh, go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay sibling, neighbor, and kin.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ויאמר
257
להם
75
כהאמר
266
יהוה
26
אלהי
46
ישראל
541
שימו
356
אישחרבו
527
עלירכו
336
עברו
278
ושובו
320
משער
610
לשער
600
במחנה
105
והרגו
220
אישאתאחיו
737
ואיש
317
אתרעהו
682
ואיש
317
אתקרבו
709
Exodus 32:28
Gematria: 2959
ויעשובנילויכדברמשהויפלמןהעםביוםההואכשלשתאלפיאיש
The men of Levi did as Moses had bidden; and some three thousand of the people fell that day.
And Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves ” to יהוה this day—for each of you has been against blood relations—that [God] may bestow a blessing upon you today.”
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have been guilty of a great sin. Yet I will now go up to יהוה; perhaps I may win forgiveness for your sin.”
Go now, lead the people where I told you. See, My messenger shall go before you. But when I make an accounting, I will bring them to account for their sins.”
Word-by-Word Analysis
ועתה
481
לך
50
נחה
63
אתהעם
516
אל
31
אשרדברתי
1117
לך
50
הנה
60
מלאכי
101
ילך
60
לפניך
190
וביום
64
פקדי
194
ופקדתי
600
עלהם
145
חטאתם
458
Exodus 32:35
Gematria: 3319
ויגףיהוהאתהעםעלאשרעשואתהעגלאשרעשהאהרןס
Then יהוה sent a plague upon the people, for what they did with the calf that Aaron made. for what they did with the calf that Aaron made Meaning of Heb. uncertain.