Deuteronomy 9:20

20 And the Lord, in his wrath, would have put Aaron to death: and I made prayer for Aaron at the same time.

Deuteronomy 9:20 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:20

And the Lord was very angry with Aaron, to have destroyed him,
&c.] For complying with the request of the people in making a calf for them, and for that miserable shift he made to excuse himself; which so provoked the Lord, that he threatened to destroy him, and he was in danger of being cut off, had it not been for the intercession of Moses:

and I prayed for Aaron also the same time:
who either was included in the general prayer for the people, ( Exodus 32:31 ) or a particular prayer was made for him, though not recorded, and which also succeeded.

Deuteronomy 9:20 In-Context

18 And I went down on my face before the Lord, as at the first, for forty days and forty nights, without taking food or drinking water, because of all your sin, in doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and moving him to wrath.

19 For I was full of fear because of the wrath of the Lord which was burning against you, with your destruction in view. But again the Lord's ear was open to my prayer.

20 And the Lord, in his wrath, would have put Aaron to death: and I made prayer for Aaron at the same time.

21 And I took your sin, the image which you had made, and put it in the fire and had it hammered and crushed very small till it was only dust: and the dust I put in the stream flowing down from the mountain.

22 Again at Taberah and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you made the Lord angry.