And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
As soon as Moses came close to the camp and saw the golden calf and the people dancing around it, his anger burned hot. He threw the stone tablets out of his hands and shattered them at the bottom of the mountain.
Moses becomes furious when he sees the Israelites worshiping a golden calf, and in his anger he smashes the stone tablets containing God's commandments.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs after Moses had been on Mount Sinai for forty days receiving the Ten Commandments from God. While he was gone, the Israelites grew impatient and convinced Aaron to make them a golden calf to worship, breaking their covenant with God almost immediately after making it. The stone tablets Moses breaks were written by God's own finger and contained the fundamental laws for the nation of Israel.
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