Deuteronomy 9:21

21 And your sinful thing that you had made, the molten calf, I took and I burned it with fire, and I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was crushed to dust, and I threw its dust into {the stream that flowed down the mountain}.

Deuteronomy 9:21 Meaning and Commentary

Deuteronomy 9:21

And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made
Which was the object of their sin, which lay in making and worshipping it; see ( Isaiah 31:7 )

and burnt it with fire, and stamped it;
with his feet after it was burnt, to bring it into small pieces:

and ground it very small;
or, as the Targum of Jonathan,

``ground it in a mortar well;''

the burnt and broken pieces:

even until it was as small as dust;
being ground to powder, as in ( Exodus 32:20 )

and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the
mount;
and made the children of Israel to drink of it, as in the previously mentioned place; (See Gill on Exodus 32:2); all this was done before the prayer for Aaron and the people.

Deuteronomy 9:21 In-Context

19 For {I was in dread} from [being in] the presence of the anger and the wrath [with] which Yahweh was angry with you [so as] to destroy you, but Yahweh listened to me also {at that time}.

20 And with Aaron Yahweh was {angry enough} to destroy him, and I prayed also for Aaron at that time.

21 And your sinful thing that you had made, the molten calf, I took and I burned it with fire, and I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was crushed to dust, and I threw its dust into {the stream that flowed down the mountain}.

22 "And [also] at Taberah and at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah you provoked Yahweh to anger.

23 And when Yahweh sent you [out] from Kadesh Barnea, {saying}, 'Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,' you rebelled against the command of Yahweh your God, and you did not believe him, and you did not listen to his voice.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "the stream the [one] going down from the mountain"