“Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil.
Parallel translations
- WEB Aaron said, “Don’t let the anger of my lord grow hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
- KJV And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
- NKJV So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.
- NASB And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.
- NLT “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are.
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
Aaron deflects blame, urging Moses not to be angry and pointing to the people's evil bent. He minimizes his own responsibility.
Overview
Aaron's response shifts fault onto the people's well-known sinfulness rather than owning his role. While his observation about the people is true, it functions as an excuse. The verse illustrates the human instinct, since Eden, to evade responsibility for sin rather than confess it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Deut 9:24You have been rebelling against the LORD since the day I came to know you.
- Exod 15:24So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
- 1 Sam 15:24Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
- Prov 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.
- Ps 36:4Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.
- Exod 16:20But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
- Exod 14:11They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?
- Deut 9:7Remember this, and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God in the wilderness. From the day you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place, you have been rebelling against the LORD.
- Exod 16:2–4And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
- Exod 17:2–4So the people contended with Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why do you contend with me?” Moses replied. “Why do you test the LORD?”
- Exod 16:28Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions?
- Deut 31:27For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you are already rebelling against the LORD while I am still alive, how much more will you rebel after my death!
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 32:22 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.