Exodus 32:31

Summary

Moses returns to Yehovah after the golden calf incident and speaks to him, opening with an exclamation of distress ('anna', H0577) and stating that the people have committed a great sin by making gods of gold for themselves. The verse reports both Moses' action (returning) and his direct speech to Yehovah.

Key words

• va-yyashov ("and he returned", H7725G) — qal narrative form (vav-consecutive) marking the next event in the sequence: Moses' return to Yehovah.
• 'anna' ("I beg you", H0577) — an interjection expressing entreaty or distress, opening Moses' speech before the report of sin.
• chata' ("it has sinned", H2398) — qal perfect, denoting a completed action: the sinning is presented as an accomplished fact.
• chata'ah gedolah ("a great sin", H2401 + H1419A) — feminine singular noun with feminine singular adjective in agreement, functioning as a cognate-like object describing the nature/scope of the sin.
• 'elohei zahav ("gods of gold", H0430J + H2091) — construct chain: 'elohei ("gods of", plural construct) governs zahav ("gold"), literally "gods of gold" rather than a separate adjective "golden."

What the text says

The verse is built on three narrative-chain verbs joined by the vav-consecutive (va, H9001): va-yyashov ("and he returned"), va-yyomar ("and he said"), and va-yya'asu ("and they have made"). This chain structure ties Moses' physical return, his speech, and the report of the people's action into one continuous narrative sequence, typical of Biblical Hebrew storytelling.

Within Moses' speech, the interjection 'anna' (H0577) introduces emotional weight before the content of the report. The clause chata' ha-'am ha-zeh chata'ah gedolah uses the verb chata' ("it has sinned", H2398) in the qal perfect — indicating the sin is treated as a completed event — followed by chata'ah gedolah ("a great sin", H2401 + H1419A), a noun-adjective pair in feminine singular agreement that intensifies the description of the offense rather than merely restating the verb.

The final clause, va-yya'asu lahem 'elohei zahav ("and they have made for themselves gods of gold"), uses the construct form 'elohei zahav (H0430J + H2091), literally "gods of gold," where 'elohei ("gods of") stands in construct relationship with zahav ("gold"). This construct construction differs from a simple adjectival phrase like "golden gods," instead specifying the material composition through the genitive-like construct chain characteristic of Hebrew grammar.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders 'anna' as Δέομαι, κύριε ("I beg you, lord"), adding an explicit vocative κύριε not present as a separate word in the Hebrew 'anna' itself. The Vulgate's Obsecro similarly captures the entreaty but, like the LXX, integrates it smoothly into the sentence rather than preserving the standalone interjective force visible in the Hebrew text.