And the LORD sent a plague upon the people is literally “And Yahweh plagued the people.” The word for plague means to injure (as in 21.22, “hurt”) or to strike with a disaster (as in 8.2). Good News Translation interprets it to mean “the LORD sent a disease upon the people,” and Contemporary English Version has “So the LORD punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease.” Many scholars believe this verse originally followed verse 20, suggesting that the “disease” was the result of the people having to drink the water mixed with the powder from the golden bull-calf. In its present position, however, the nature of the plague cannot be determined.

Because they made the calf which Aaron made is literally “over which they made the bull-calf which Aaron made.” This is confusing, for it says that both the people and Aaron made the calf. Since the word for made also means “do,” New International Version has “because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.” New English Bible and Translator’s Old Testament suggest the meaning of “they worshiped,” but this may be following a different text. Good News Translation interprets the meaning differently: “because they had caused Aaron to make the gold bull-calf.” Contemporary English Version similarly has “for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .