Exodus 32

04 Jun 2026 - Theology

The Golden Bull

Ancient Eastern Weddings:

1. Betrothal (Cup of the Covenant) - Genesis 12
2. Groom leaves to prepare the house - Exodus 1-12
3. Arrival of the bridegroom - Exodus 12
4. Bride is consecrated - Exodus 19:10-15
5. Shofar is sounded (bride’s entrance) - Exodus 19:16
6. Gather under the chuppah - Exodus 19:17
7. Presentation of the ketubah - Exodus 20-23
8. Exchange of wedding gifts - Exodus 25-40, Leviticus
9. Consummation of the marriage
10. “Honeymoon” year (Deuteronomy 24:5)

It is the middle of the wedding ceremony between God and His people. In this chapter, the bride (God’s people) commit the sin of idolatry.

Exodus 32

Exodus 32:1 - “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of 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 wot not what is become of him.”

Moses was taking a long time to return from the mountain, and the people did not know what had happened to him, so they acted out of their uncertainty and worry.

When people gather together unto someone, they become a mob, and mobs can be dangerous. This story shows why Moses was a great leader and Aaron was not. When the Israelites complained to Moses, Moses turned to the Lord. When the Israelites gather togther unto Aaron, they said, “make us gods”, and Aaron listened to the people and created a golden calf.

Exodus 32:3-4 - “And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”

The Hebrew word for “calf” really means a “young bull”. A calf would be a weak symbol, not a god for warriors. People do not respect or fear calves, but people do fear strong young bulls. Archaeologists have found evidence of bull worship among the Canaanites and even among the Israelites.

Exodus 32:9-10 - “And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.”

The Lord threatened to destroy the Israelites and start a new people, with Moses as their father. But Moses reminded the Lord of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (13).

Exodus 32:14 - “ And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”

When Moses and Joshua came down the mountain, they saw the golden calf and the Israelites (who were naked) singing and dancing.

Exodus 32:19-20 - “And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.”

Why did Moses have the Israelites drink the bitter water? This was the punishment for an unfaithful wife (see Numbers 5:11-31)!

Numbers 5:12 - “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,”

Numbers 5:17,24 - “And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water: And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.”

Numbers 5:29 - “This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;”

The sin of creating and worshipping a golden bull was more than idolatry to God, it was adultery by His people, the bride! Today it would be as if a bride committed adultery in the middle of her wedding ceremony.

It is interesting that Moses reminded the Lord of His promises to the Israelites so that the people wouldn’t be destroyed. In the next verses, Moses called out for those who were on the Lord’s side. When the Levites (sons of Levi) came to him, Moses told them to kill those who were responsible for the golden bull, and so the Levites killed 3000 people that day (26-28). Is Moses acting out of his own anger, or was he acting on the Lord’s behalf? Surely the Lord knew what Moses was going to do.

Then Moses returned to the Lord and said “Forgive the people, or else erase me from your plans” (31-32).

Exodus 32:33 - “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”

The Lord promised to punish only those who were guilty and had sinned against Him. It seems then that the actions of Moses in slaying the people must not have been a sin against God, so Moses must have acted on behalf of God.

Exodus 32:34-35 - “Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.”

Notice the phrasing in verse 35 - “because they made the calf, which Aaron made.” Who was responsible for making the calf? While Moses may have commanded the killing of 3000 people, the remaining Israelites still celebrated and validated the idol, making the whole camp complicit. It is for this reason that the Lord sent the plague, even after the 3000 who were primarily responsible were slain.

References:

1. The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
2. The BEMA Podcast, Episode 22: Under the Chuppah
3. The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)