Pentecost Season · Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year C
Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14
The Golden Calf
September 17, 2028
Overview & Insights
“These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:4)
Exodus 32–34 forms an important watershed for understanding God’s relationship to the world. The Creator had sought to redeem, form, and live among the people. To this end God delivered them out of Egypt, brought them to Mt. Sinai by going with them in the fiery cloud, and provided for them in the wilderness. At Sinai God set about forming them into the sort of community originally intended: in trust and fidelity with the Lord, with each other, and with the nonhuman creation.
From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.
Take it further
Commentary
Exodus 32 Commentary: The Golden Calf Enduring Word · David Guzik
Verse by verse evangelical walk through the golden calf narrative.
Commentary on Exodus 32:7-14 Working Preacher
Lutheran scholarly reading of Moses' intercession and God's relenting.
Exodus 32 Commentary Precept Austin
Extensive compiled evangelical commentary excerpts on the chapter.
Exodus 32:7 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregated classic commentary entries verse by verse.
Exodus 32 - Barnes' Notes StudyLight
Barnes' close philological notes on the chapter.
Background & Word Study
Exodus 32:7 Interlinear BibleHub
Hebrew text with parsing for the opening verse of the passage.
Exodus 32:7-14 in Hebrew and English Sefaria
Reads the Masoretic text alongside an English translation.
Exodus 32:7-14 - Whose People? Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary passage study on who claims ownership of the people.
Questions preachers ask
What is the golden calf?
While Moses is on the mountain, Israel makes and worships a golden calf (Exodus 32). God’s anger burns, but Moses intercedes and “the Lord relented.” It is the archetypal story of idolatry and of a mediator who pleads for the people.
Prep at sermons.com
Ready to write?
- Full sermons on Luke 15:1-32 or Luke 15:1-10
- Illustrations cleared for use in worship
- Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Trusted by pastors since 1995.
Free every Tuesday
Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox
The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.