Exodus 32:8

32:8 They have quickly turned aside ¹  from the way that I commanded them – they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”

Exodus 32:19-20

32:19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry. ²  He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. ³  32:20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it ⁴  to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. ⁵ 

¹ tn The verb is a perfect tense, reflecting the present perfect nuance: “they have turned aside” and are still disobedient. But the verb is modified with the adverb “quickly” (actually a Piel infinitive absolute). It has been only a matter of weeks since they heard the voice of God prohibiting this.

² tn Heb “and the anger of Moses burned hot.”

³ sn See N. M. Waldham, “The Breaking of the Tablets,” Judaism 27 (1978): 442-47.

³ tn Here “it” has been supplied.

⁴ tn Here “it” has been supplied.