Exodus 32:1

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה ׀ מֹשֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ׃

Transliteration

And wayyarʾ the hāʿām that bōšēš Mōšeh to lāredet from the hāhār, and wayyiqqāhēl the hāʿām upon ʾAhărōn and wayyōmərū to him, Rise, ʿăśēh for us ʾĕlōhîm who yēlkū before us, for this Mōšeh, the hāʾîš who heʿĕlānū from ʾereṣ Miṣrayim, not yādaʿnū what hāyāh to him.

Grammar Details

• *wayyarʾ*: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular with waw consecutive - and he saw
• *hāʿām*: definite noun, masculine singular - the people
• *bōšēš*: Piel perfect 3rd masculine singular - delayed/tarried
• *Mōšeh*: proper noun - Moses
• *lāredet*: Qal infinitive construct with preposition lamed - to come down
• *hāhār*: definite noun, masculine singular - the mountain
• *wayyiqqāhēl*: Niphal imperfect 3rd masculine singular with waw consecutive - and gathered together
• *wayyōmərū*: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural with waw consecutive - and they said
• *ʿăśēh*: Qal imperative masculine singular - make
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: plural noun - gods/God/divine beings
• *yēlkū*: Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural - they will go
• *hāʾîš*: definite noun, masculine singular - the man
• *heʿĕlānū*: Hiphil perfect 3rd masculine singular with 1st person plural suffix - he brought us up
• *ʾereṣ*: construct noun, feminine singular - land of
• *Miṣrayim*: proper noun - Egypt
• *yādaʿnū*: Qal perfect 1st person plural - we know
• *hāyāh*: Qal perfect 3rd masculine singular - happened/became

Word Meanings

• *bōšēš*: delayed/tarried/was shamefully late
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: gods/God/divine beings/mighty one(s)
• *heʿĕlānū*: brought us up/caused us to ascend
• *yādaʿnū*: we know/we understand

Referenced Verses

• Exod 24:18 : 18 And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
• Acts 7:40 : 40 saying unto Aaron, Make us gods that shall go before us: for as for this Moses, who led us forth out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
• 2 Pet 3:4 : 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
• Deut 9:9 : 9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which Jehovah made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water.
• Exod 32:7 : 7 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
• Exod 13:21 : 21 And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night:
• Exod 14:11 : 11 And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt?
• Exod 16:3 : 3 and the children of Israel said unto them, Would that we had died by the hand of Jehovah in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
• Exod 20:3-5 : 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness [of any thing] that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I Jehovah thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate me,
• Gen 19:14 : 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons-in-law, who married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for Jehovah will destroy the city. But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked.
• Gen 21:26 : 26 And Abimelech said, I know not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day.
• Gen 39:8 : 8 But he refused, and said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand:
• Gen 44:4 : 4 [ And] when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
• Gen 44:15 : 15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I can indeed divine?
• Exod 32:11 : 11 And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
• Exod 33:3 : 3 unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee in the way.
• Exod 33:14-15 : 14 And he said, My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest. 15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with me], carry us not up hence.
• Deut 4:15-18 : 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of form on the day that Jehovah spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire. 16 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flieth in the heavens, 18 the likeness of anything that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;
• Deut 9:11-12 : 11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that Jehovah gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12 And Jehovah said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.
• Josh 7:13 : 13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow: for thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the devoted thing from among you.
• Hos 12:13 : 13 And by a prophet Jehovah brought Israel up out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.
• Mic 6:4 : 4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage; and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
• Acts 17:29 : 29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.
• Acts 19:26 : 26 And ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands:
• Matt 24:43 : 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through.
• Matt 24:48 : 48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;