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Deuteronomy 9:20

The Lord was also angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time.
Deuteronomy 9:20 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him. I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
  • KJV And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.
  • BSB The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron.
  • NKJV And the Lord was very angry with Aaron and would have destroyed him; so I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
  • NLT The Lord was so angry with Aaron that he wanted to destroy him, too. But I prayed for Aaron, and the Lord spared him.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Even Aaron, who made the calf, faced God's anger, but Moses interceded for him too. No one's guilt is too great for prayerful intercession or too small to need it.

Overview

Aaron's leading role in the idolatry made him liable to destruction, showing that office and privilege offer no exemption from accountability. Moses' specific prayer for Aaron demonstrates intercession even for those most responsible for sin. It points forward to Christ, whose intercession reaches the chief of sinners who come to Him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 4

  • Heb 7:26–28For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
  • Exod 32:35Yahweh struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
  • Exod 32:21Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you have brought a great sin on them?”
  • Exod 32:2–5Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Deuteronomy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Deuteronomy 9:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on DeuteronomyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).

How Deuteronomy 9:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.