For they said unto me, 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.
EXODUS 32:23KJVWhat does Exodus 32:23 mean?
Exodus 32:23 records Aaron’s explanation to Moses of what the people had asked him to do. Aaron says they wanted gods to lead them because they did not know what had happened to Moses, whom they identified as the man who brought them out of Egypt.
Aaron is answering Moses after being confronted about the people’s wrongdoing. The phrase “go before us” pictures a leader going ahead of a traveling group. The people’s request connects their uncertainty about Moses with their desire for someone or something to lead them onward.
The Hebrew behind Exodus 32:23
- “gods” — אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim): This Hebrew word can refer to God or to gods, depending on the setting. Here the KJV renders Aaron’s account of the request as “gods.”
- “wot” — יָדַע (yadaʿ): This word means “know.” “We wot not” is an older way of saying “we do not know.”
Why Exodus 32:23 matters
- Aaron’s words closely echo the people’s request in Exodus 32:1. That helps the reader see that Aaron is reporting what the people said, even as he gives his own account of the events.
- The people describe Moses by his role in their journey: “the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt.” Their words show why his absence was important to their request for a leader.
- Aaron’s account places the people’s demand before his description of making the calf in Exodus 32:24. The order is part of how Aaron explains his actions to Moses.