Exodus 32:1

“When the people saw that Moses was delaying to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.””
Exodus 32:1 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

When the people sawוַיַּרְא הָעָםthatכִּיMosesמֹשֶׁהwas delayingבֹשֵׁשׁto come downלָרֶדֶתfrom the mountain,מִן הָהָרthe peopleהָעָםgatheredוַיִּקָּהֵלaroundעַלAaronאַהֲרֹןand saidוַיֹּאמְרוּto him,אֵלָיו“Get up,קוּםmakeעֲשֵׂהfor usלָנוּgodsאֱלֹהִיםwhoאֲשֶׁרwill goיֵלְכוּbefore us;לְפָנֵינוּforכִּיthisזֶהMoses,מֹשֶׁהthe manהָאִישׁwhoאֲשֶׁרbrought us upהֶעֱלָנוּout of the landמֵאֶרֶץof Egypt,מִצְרַיִםwe do notלֹאknowיָדַעְנוּwhatמֶהhas happenedהָיָהto him.”לוֹ

Quotation · Acts 7:40

Go to Acts 7:40

Stephen quotes the words of the people to Aaron almost as in Exodus 32:1.

Formula: εἰπόντες τῷ Ἀαρών “saying to Aaron” (Acts 7:40)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: εἰπόντες τῷ Ἀαρών Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεοὺς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν ὁ γὰρ Μωϋσῆς οὗτος ὃς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί ἐγένετο αὐτῷ

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַיַּרְא הָעָם כִּי בֹשֵׁשׁ מֹשֶׁה לָרֶדֶת מִן הָהָר וַיִּקָּהֵל הָעָם עַל אַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו קוּם עֲשֵׂה לָנוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר יֵלְכוּ לְפָנֵינוּ כִּי זֶה מֹשֶׁה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לֹא יָדַעְנוּ מֶה הָיָה לוֹ

Septuagint (Exodus 32:1 in the Septuagint numbering): Καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ λαὸς ὅτι κεχρόνικεν Μωυσῆς καταβῆναι ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους, συνέστη ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Ἀνάστηθι καὶ ποίησον ἡμῖν θεοὺς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν· ὁ γὰρ Μωσῆς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὅς ἐξήγαγεν ἡμᾶς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί γέγονεν αὐτῷ.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 8 consecutive words: “Ποίησον ἡμῖν θεοὺς οἳ προπορεύσονται ἡμῶν ὁ γὰρ.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Exodus 32:1, word by word

When the people sawיַּרְאyar

realize

To realize: "he saw that it was good".

Where else “yar” appears

When the people sawעָםam

people

A group of people united by family, land and customs: a nation.

Where else “am” appears

Mosesמֹשֶׁהmoshe

Moses

Moses, the man God called to bring Israel out of Egypt and through whom he gave the Law. His name sounds like "draw out" (Exodus 2:10).

Where else “moshe” appears

was delayingבֹשֵׁשׁvoshesh

delay

To delay so long that others grow impatient.

Where else “voshesh” appears

to come downרֶדֶתredet

go down

To go from a higher place to a lower one, like from the mountain to the valley.

Where else “redet” appears

from the mountainהָרhar

mountain

A great rise of land, like Sinai or Zion.

Where else “har” appears

gatheredיִּקָּהֵלyikahel

assemble

Assemble people, call them together; gather.

Where else “yikahel” appears

Aaronאַהֲרֹןaharon

Aaron

Aaron, the older brother of Moses, his spokesman before Pharaoh and the first high priest of Israel.

Where else “aharon” appears

and saidיֹּאמְרוּyomru

say

To say with the mouth to someone what one thinks or wants, or to answer him.

Where else “yomru” appears

“Get upקוּםkum

rise

To go from sitting or lying to standing, or to set out.

Where else “kum” appears

makeעֲשֵׂהase

make

To build or create something.

Where else “ase” appears

godsאֱלֹהִיםelohim

gods

The gods of other peoples.

Where else “elohim” appears

will goיֵלְכוּyelchu

To head for a place, to leave where one is in order to reach another.

Where else “yelchu” appears

before usפָנֵיfane

before

Literally "to the face of": in sight of someone, or on account of something.

Where else “fane” appears

the manאִישׁish

man

An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.

Where else “ish” appears

brought us upהֶעֱלָheela

bring up

To make someone go up: "I led you up from Egypt".

Where else “heela” appears

out of the landאֶרֶץerets

land

A region or nation, above all Israel's.

Where else “erets” appears

of Egyptמִצְרַיִםmitsrayim

Egypt, Mizraim

See it on the map Where else “mitsrayim” appears

knowיָדַעְנוּyadanu

know

To know something, realize.

Where else “yadanu” appears

has happenedהָיָהhaya

happen

For something to occur or take place; many stories open with this word.

Where else “haya” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Acts 7:40

Stephen quotes the words of the people to Aaron almost as in Exodus 32:1.

See them side by side

Exodus 32:1

¹When the people saw that Moses was delaying to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up, make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.”

Acts 7:40

⁴⁰saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

Places in this verse

Approximate location. A “?” means it is not known for sure where it was.

Egypt
Today: Egypt (Nile Valley)
A country in northeast Africa along the Nile River, southwest of Israel.
Joseph was sold into it, and his family went down to live there (Gen 37:28; 46:6). God brought Israel out of it with a mighty hand (Exod 12:41). The child Jesus fled there with his parents (Matt 2:14).
Genesis 12:10 Genesis 37:28 Exodus 12:41 Matthew 2:14

The context

1 · This verse (above)

2And Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold earrings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

Read all of Exodus 32

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