TRV
Translation
King James Version
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
KJV (with Strong's)
Remember H2142 Abraham H85, Isaac H3327, and Israel H3478, thy servants H5650, to whom thou swarest H7650 by thine own self, and saidst H1696 unto them, I will multiply H7235 your seed H2233 as the stars H3556 of heaven H8064, and all this land H776 that I have spoken H559 of will I give H5414 unto your seed H2233, and they shall inherit H5157 it for ever H5769.
Complete Jewish Bible
Remember Avraham, Yitz'chak and Isra'el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, 'I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.'"
Berean Standard Bible
Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’”
American Standard Version
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
World English Bible Messianic
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Remember Abraham, Izhak, and Israel thy seruants, to whom thou swarest by thine owne selfe, and saydest vnto them, I wil multiply your seede, as the starres of the heauen, and all this land, that I haue spoken of, wil I giue vnto your seede, and they shall inherit it for euer.
Young's Literal Translation
`Be mindful of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou hast sworn by Thyself, and unto whom Thou speakest: I multiply your seed as stars of the heavens, and all this land, as I have said, I give to your seed, and they have inherited to the age;'
See on the biblical-era map
In the KJVVerse 2,452 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Exodus 32 verses 7–14
7 ¶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
10 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.
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Here, I. God acquaints Moses with what was doing in the camp while he was absent, Exo 32:7, Exo 32:8. He could have told him sooner, as soon as the first step was taken towards it, and have hastened him down to prevent it; but he suffered it to come to this height, for wise and holy ends, and then sent him down to punish it. Note, It is no reproach to the holiness of God that he suffers sin to be committed, since he knows, not only how to restrain it when he pleases, but how to make it serviceable to the designs of his own glory. Observe what God here says to Moses concerning this sin. 1. That they had corrupted themselves. Sin is the corruption or depravation of the sinner, and it is a self-corruption; every man is tempted when he is drawn aside of his own lust. 2. That they had turned aside out of the way. Sin is a deviation from the way of our duty into a by-path. When they promised to do all that God should command them, they set out as fair as could be; but now they missed their way, and turned aside. 3. That they had turned aside quickly, quickly after the law was given them and they had promised to obey it, quickly after God had done such great things for them and declared his kind intentions to do greater. They soon forgot his works. To fall into sin quickly after we have renewed our covenants with God, or received special mercy from him, is very provoking. 4. He tells him particularly what they had done: They have made a calf, and worshipped it. Note, Those sins which are concealed from our governors are naked and open before God. He sees that which they cannot discover, nor is any of the wickedness in the world hidden from him. We could not bear to see the thousandth part of that provocation which God sees every day and yet keeps silence. 5. He seems to disown them, in saying to Moses, They are thy people whom thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt; as if he had said, "I will not own any relation to them, or concern for them; let it never be said that they are my people, or that I brought them out of Egypt." Note, Those that corrupt themselves not only shame themselves, but even make God himself ashamed of them and of his kindness to them. 6. He sends him down to them with all speed: Go, get thee down. He must break off even his communion with God to go and do his duty as a magistrate among the people; so must Joshua, Jos 7:10. Every thing is beautiful in its season.
II. He expresses his displeasure against Israel for this sin, and the determination of his justice to cut them off, Exo 32:9, Exo 32:10. 1. He gives this people their true character: "It is a stiff-necked people, unapt to come under the yoke of the divine law, and governed as it were by a spirit of contradiction, averse to all good and prone to evil, obstinate against the methods employed for their cure." Note, The righteous God sees, not only what we do, but what we are, not only the actions of our lives, but the dispositions of our spirits, and has an eye to them in all his proceedings. 2. He declares what was their just desert - that his wrath should wax hot against them, so as to consume them at once, and blot out their name from under heaven (Deu 9:14); not only cast them out of covenant, but chase them out of the world. Note, Sin exposes us to the wrath of God; and that wrath, if it be not allayed by divine mercy, will burn us up as stubble. It were just with God to let the law have its course against sinners, and to cut them off immediately in the very act of sin; and, if he should do so, it would be neither loss nor dishonour to him. 3. He holds out inducements to Moses not to intercede for them: Therefore, let me alone. What did Moses, or what could he do, to hinder God from consuming them? When God resolves to abandon a people, and the decree of ruin has gone forth, no intercession can prevent it, Eze 14:14; Jer 15:1. But God would thus express the greatness of his just displeasure against them, after the manner of men, who would have none to intercede for those they resolve to be severe with. Thus also he would put an honour upon prayer, intimating that nothing but the intercession of Moses could save them from ruin, that he might be a type of Christ, by whose mediation alone God would reconcile the world unto himself. That the intercession of Moses might appear the more illustrious, God fairly offers him that, if he would not interpose in this matter, he would make of him a great nation, that either, in process of time, he would raise up a people out of his loins, or that he would immediately, by some means or other, bring another great nation under his government and conduct, so that he should be no loser by their ruin. Had Moses been of a narrow selfish spirit, he would have closed with this offer; but he prefers the salvation of Israel before the advancement of his own family. Here was a man fit to be a governor.
III. Moses earnestly intercedes with God on their behalf (Exo 32:11-13): he besought the Lord his God. If God would not be called the God of Israel, yet he hoped he might address him as his own God. What interest we have at the throne of grace we should improve for the church of God, and for our friends. Now Moses is standing in the gap to turn away the wrath of God, Psa 106:23. He wisely took the hint which God gave him when he said, Let me alone, which, though it seemed to forbid his interceding, did really encourage it, by showing what power the prayer of faith has with God. In such a case, God wonders if there be no intercessor, Isa 59:16. Observe, 1. His prayer (Exo 32:12): Turn from thy fierce wrath; not as if he thought God was not justly angry, but he begs that he would not be so greatly angry as to consume them. "Let mercy rejoice against judgment; repent of this evil; change the sentence of destruction into that of correction." 2. His pleas. He fills his mouth with arguments, not to move God, but to express his own faith and to excite his own fervency in prayer. He urges, (1.) God's interest in them, the great things he had already done for them, and the vast expense of favours and miracles he had been at upon them, Exo 32:11. God had said to Moses (Exo 32:7), They are thy people, whom thou broughtest up out of Egypt; but Moses humbly turns them back upon God again: "They are thy people, thou art their Lord and owner; I am but their servant. Thou broughtest them forth out of Egypt; I was but the instrument in thy hand; that was done in order to their deliverance which thou only couldest do." Though their being his people was a reason why he should be angry with them for setting up another god, yet it was a reason why he should not be so angry with them as to consume them. Nothing is more natural than for a father to correct his son, but nothing more unnatural than for a father to slay his son. And as the relation is a good plea ("they are thy people"), so is the experience they had had of his kindness to them: "Thou broughtest them out of Egypt, though they were unworthy, and had there served the gods of the Egyptians, Jos 24:15. If thou didst that for them, notwithstanding their sins in Egypt, wilt thou undo it for their sins of the same nature in the wilderness?" (2.) He pleads the concern of God's glory (Exo 32:12): Wherefore should the Egyptians say, For mischief did he bring them out? Israel is dear to Moses as his kindred, as his charge; but it is the glory of God that he is most concerned for; this lies nearer his heart than any thing else. If Israel could perish without any reproach to God's name, Moses could persuade himself to sit down contented; but he cannot bear to hear God reflected on, and therefore this he insists upon, Lord, what will the Egyptians say? Their eyes, and the eyes of all the neighbouring nations, were now upon Israel; from the wondrous beginnings of that people, they raised their expectations of something great in their latter end; but, if a people so strangely saved should be suddenly ruined, what would the world say of it, especially the Egyptians, who have such an implacable hatred both to Israel and to the God of Israel? They would say, "God was either weak, and could not, or fickle, and would not, complete the salvation he began; he brought them forth to that mountain, not to sacrifice (as was pretended), but to be sacrificed." They will not consider the provocation given by Israel, to justify the proceeding, but will think it cause enough for triumph that God and his people could not agree, but that their God had done that which they (the Egyptians) wished to see done. Note, The glorifying of God's name, as it ought to be our first petition (it is so in the Lord's prayer), so it ought to be our great plea, Psa 79:9 Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory, Jer 14:21; and see Jer 33:8, Jer 33:9. And, if we would with comfort plead this with God as a reason why he should not destroy us, we ought to plead it with ourselves as a reason why we should not offend him: What will the Egyptians say? We ought always to be careful that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed through us. (3.) He pleads God's promise to the patriarchs that he would multiply their seed, and give them the land of Canaan for an inheritance, and this promise confirmed by an oath, an oath by himself, since he could swear by no greater, Exo 32:13. God's promises are to be our pleas in prayer; for what he has promised he is able to perform, and the honour of this truth is engaged for the performance of it. "Lord, if Israel be cut off, what will become of the promise? Shall their unbelief make that of no effect? God forbid." Thus we must take our encouragement in prayer from God only.
IV. God graciously abated the rigour of the sentence, and repented of the evil he thought to do (Exo 32:14); though he designed to punish them, yet he would not ruin them. See here, 1. The power of prayer; God suffers himself to be prevailed with by the humble believing importunity of intercessors. 2. The compassion of God towards poor sinners, and how ready he is to forgive. Thus he has given other proofs besides his own oath that he has no pleasure in the death of those that die; for he not only pardons upon the repentance of sinners, but spares and reprieves upon the intercession of others for them.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 7–14. Public domain.
Copy as
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
Copy as
Continue studying Exodus 32:13 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Exodus 32:13 presents Moses' profound and strategic intercession on behalf of a rebellious Israel, who had just committed egregious idolatry with the Golden Calf. In the face of God's righteous anger and His stated intent to destroy the nation, Moses appeals not to Israel's merit, but to the immutability of God's own character and His unchangeable, self-sworn covenant promises made to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. This pivotal verse underscores the absolute faithfulness of God to His Word, the power of a mediator standing in the gap, and the foundational nature of God's redemptive plan for His chosen people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Exodus 32:13 is a masterful display of Rhetorical Appeal, as Moses employs highly persuasive language to intercede with God. His central act is one of Intercession, where he courageously stands as a mediator between a holy God and a rebellious people, pleading for mercy and the preservation of the covenant. The verse is saturated with Covenant Language, directly quoting and recalling the foundational, unconditional promises made to the patriarchs, thereby appealing to God's own established character and faithfulness. The vivid imagery of "multiplying your seed as the stars of heaven" serves as a powerful example of Hyperbole, emphasizing the immense scope of the promised descendants and contrasting it sharply with the immediate threat of annihilation. Furthermore, Moses' "Remember" is a form of Anthropomorphism, attributing a human cognitive function (remembering) to God, not to suggest divine forgetfulness but to emphasize God's consistency with His revealed character and past actions. The entire passage functions as a fervent Plea, a reasoned and desperate argument designed to avert divine wrath and secure the continuation of God's redemptive plan for Israel.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Exodus 32:13 profoundly reveals the unwavering nature of God's covenant faithfulness and the immense power of intercessory prayer that is firmly grounded in His revealed character and promises. Despite Israel's egregious and immediate sin, Moses' appeal reminds us that God's ultimate promises are not contingent upon human perfection or performance, but upon His own immutable nature and His self-sworn oath. This passage underscores the vital theological truth that while God is perfectly just and righteous in His anger against sin, His ultimate disposition is one of steadfast faithfulness to His redemptive purposes, often mediated through His chosen servants. It teaches us that God's commitment to His word is absolute and provides an unshakeable foundation for faith, even when human unfaithfulness abounds and circumstances appear dire. This divine faithfulness serves as a beacon of hope, assuring believers that God's ultimate plan will prevail.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Moses' intercession in Exodus 32:13 serves as an enduring and profound model for believers today, illuminating the transformative power of prayer that aligns not with our desires alone, but with God's revealed character and His eternal promises. In moments of personal failure, communal sin, or societal brokenness, we are called to emulate Moses, remembering God's steadfast faithfulness and appealing to His unchanging nature and His sworn commitments, rather than relying on our own merit or perceived deservingness. This passage profoundly encourages us to stand in the gap for others, to plead for mercy and divine intervention, and to trust implicitly that even when circumstances appear overwhelming or hopeless, God remains utterly true to His word. It powerfully reminds us that our ultimate hope and security are not found in our ability to perfectly obey or perform, but in God's steadfast love, His unbreakable covenant, and His sovereign will to redeem.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did Moses "remind" God of His promises? Does God forget?
Answer: God, being omniscient and eternal, does not forget anything. Moses' "reminding" is a deeply significant rhetorical and theological device, not an attempt to inform God of something He is unaware of. Instead, it is an earnest appeal to God's own character, His established covenant relationship with Israel, and His divine reputation. Moses is essentially asking God to act in accordance with His revealed nature and His sworn word, to demonstrate His faithfulness to His promises despite Israel's profound unfaithfulness. It is a plea for God to remember His redemptive purposes and to consider the implications for His name and glory among the surrounding nations (Exodus 32:12). This type of prayer, where a supplicant appeals to God's attributes, past actions, or covenant commitments, is a common and powerful motif throughout Scripture, demonstrating a profound understanding of God's heart and His commitment to His own Word.
What is the significance of God swearing "by thine own self"?
Answer: The phrase "to whom thou swarest by thine own self" carries immense theological weight, signifying the absolute and unchangeable nature of God's oath. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, an oath was typically sworn by a greater authority to guarantee its truthfulness and binding nature. However, since there is no authority greater than God Himself, He swears by His own being, His own character, and His own eternal existence. This makes His promise utterly immutable, providing the highest possible assurance and rendering His word as reliable and unassailable as His very being. The author of Hebrews later expounds on this profound truth in Hebrews 6:13-18, highlighting that God's oath serves as an unchangeable guarantee, offering strong encouragement and a secure anchor for the soul for all who have fled to Him for refuge.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Exodus 32:13, with Moses' powerful and effective intercession grounded in God's immutable covenant promises, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Moses, standing as a courageous mediator between a holy God and a sinful, rebellious people, serves as a powerful type and foreshadowing of Christ, who is the perfect, eternal, and ultimate Mediator of a new and superior covenant (Hebrews 8:6). While Moses appealed to God's past promises and reputation, Christ's intercession is based on His fully accomplished work on the cross, an eternal and perfect sacrifice that completely atones for sin and satisfies divine justice. The "seed" promised to Abraham, which Moses so earnestly recalls, is ultimately fulfilled in Christ, the singular "seed" through whom all the promises of God find their definitive "Yes" and "Amen" (Galatians 3:16 and 2 Corinthians 1:20). The inheritance of the land, promised "for ever" to Abraham's seed, points forward to the spiritual inheritance and the new heavens and new earth that believers, as co-heirs with Christ, will receive eternally (Ephesians 1:3 and Revelation 21:1). Christ's ongoing, ceaseless intercession for His people at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25) ensures that God's unwavering covenant faithfulness, so vividly displayed in Moses' plea in Exodus 32:13, is eternally secured and perfectly realized for all who are found in Him.