And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh struck the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
- KJV And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
- NKJV So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
- NASB Then the Lord struck the people with a plague, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.
- NLT Then the Lord sent a great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made.
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
God strikes the people with a plague for the calf they made. The chapter closes with a sober reminder that idolatry brings judgment.
Overview
The plague reinforces that sin, even when followed by intercession, has real consequences before a holy God. Aaron is again named as the one who made the calf, underscoring leadership accountability. The verse leaves Israel humbled and aware that they live wholly by God's mercy, not their own merit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Sam 12:9–10Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own, for you have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.
- Exod 32:25Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies.
- Acts 1:18(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.
- Matt 27:3–7When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
- Exod 32:4He took the gold from their hands, and with an engraving tool he fashioned it into a molten calf. And they said, “These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
- Acts 7:41At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.
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 32:35 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.