Bible Strands
Deuteronomy 9:16
And I saw how you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves a molten calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Moses addresses the Israelites in the wilderness after descending Mount Sinai, recounting his immediate discovery of their idolatry before he shatters the covenant tablets. He speaks to the generation that witnessed the incident and their descendants.
The words — חֲטָאתֶם (cha.ta.Tem) means "you had sinned," and עֲשִׂיתֶם עֵגֶל מַסֵּכָה ('a.si.Tem 'E.gel ma.se.Khah) translates literally to "you had made a molten calf." These verbs emphasize deliberate action and immediate transgression.
The thread — This account parallels Moses’ reaction in Exodus 32:19 when he first encounters the idolatry and shatters the tablets. Stephen later cites the people’s demand for visible gods in Acts 7:40 to illustrate their persistent rebellion.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment of swift rebellion against direct divine command and the rejection of established covenant paths. It requires readers to confront the reality of abandoning prescribed obedience for immediate, self-directed worship.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the Lord had commanded you.
Cross-references
- Exodus 32:19 As Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he burned with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands, shattering them at the base of the mountain.
- Acts 7:40 They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods who will go before us! As for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’