Exodus 32:26
ESV
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, "Who is on the Lord 's side? Come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
NIV
So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him.
NASB
Moses then stood at the gate of the camp, and said, 'Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!' And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.
CSB
And Moses stood at the camp’s entrance and said, "Whoever is for the Lord, come to me." And all the Levites gathered around him.
NLT
So he stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, 'All of you who are on the Lord’s side, come here and join me.' And all the Levites gathered around him.
KJV
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
NKJV
then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side— come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
What does Exodus 32:26 mean?
Israel disobeyed God's instructions about idolatry (Exodus 20:3–6) not long after those laws were given (Exodus 32:1–6). Moses was furious to find the people engaged in such an obvious sin (Exodus 32:19–20). He has already scolded Aaron for giving in to the people's demands (Exodus 32:21–24). Now, Moses calls for people willing to act on behalf of God.This is the beginning of an incident which leaves many unanswered questions. Crucial details are there, while others are left unresolved. Moses will assign those who respond to kill some of their own people (Exodus 32:27–28). Exactly how this was done, the Bible does not say. But the punishment is tied to Israel's choice to defy their God and His law.
Scripture does not explain why only the tribe of Levi responded to Moses. The term "all" is probably poetic, not meant to mean that every male of Levi attended. Nor does Scripture say, explicitly, that not a single person from any other tribe answered the call. But clearly, the response was overwhelmingly from Moses' own tribe (Exodus 2:1, 10; 6:16–20, 26). This tribe's namesake was connected to an incident of drastic, vengeful violence (Genesis 34:1–2, 24–26). This suggests a tribal tradition of deep passion for protecting God's holiness.
