And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Moses took the golden calf they had made and burned it in the fire. Then he ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
Moses completely destroyed the golden idol the people had made and forced them to drink the powdered remains as a consequence of their betrayal.
📚 Historical Context
This happened while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God. In his absence, the Israelites had convinced Aaron to make a golden calf to worship, breaking their covenant with God. When Moses returned and saw their idolatry, he destroyed the tablets and then dealt severely with the idol and the people's sin.
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