30 Bible Verses about Calves

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Exodus 32:2-8

And Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that [are] on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring [it] to me." And all the people took off the rings of gold that [were] on their ears and brought [it] to Aaron. And he took from their hand, and he shaped it with a tool, and he made it a cast-image bull calf, and they said, "These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."read more.
And Aaron saw, and he built an altar before it, and Aaron called, and he said, "A feast for Yahweh tomorrow." And they started early the next day, and they offered burnt offerings, and they presented fellowship offerings, and the people sat to eat and drink, and they rose up to revel. And Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Go, go down because your people behave corruptly, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt. They have turned aside quickly from the way that I commanded them; they have made for themselves a cast-image bull calf, and they bowed to it, and they sacrificed to it, and they said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.'"

1 Kings 12:28-29

And the king had decided, so he made two golden calves and he said to them, "{You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough}; here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." He put one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.

Exodus 32:19-24

{And} as he came near to the camp, he saw the bull calf and dancing, and {Moses became angry}, and he threw the tablets from his hand, and he broke them under the mountain. And he took the bull calf that they had made, and he burned [it] with the fire, and he crushed [it] until it became fine, and he scattered [it] on the surface of the water, and he made the {Israelites} drink. And Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you that you brought on them [such] a great sin?"read more.
And Aaron said, "{Let not my lord become angry}. You yourself know the people, that {they are intent on evil}. And they said to me, 'Make for us gods who will go before us, because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' And I said to them, 'Whoever [has] gold, take [it] off.' And they gave [it] to me, and I threw it in the fire, and out came this bull calf."

Deuteronomy 9:16-21

And I looked, and indeed you had sinned against Yahweh your God; you [had] made for yourselves an image of a calf [of] cast metal; you [had] turned quickly from the way that Yahweh had commanded [for] you. And I took hold of the two tablets, and I threw them out {of} my two hands and smashed them before your eyes. And [then] I lay prostrate {before} Yahweh, as earlier, forty days and forty nights; I did not eat food and I did not drink water because of all your sins that you committed, by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh [and so] provoking him.read more.
For {I was in dread} from [being in] the presence of the anger and the wrath [with] which Yahweh was angry with you [so as] to destroy you, but Yahweh listened to me also {at that time}. And with Aaron Yahweh was {angry enough} to destroy him, and I prayed also for Aaron at that time. And your sinful thing that you had made, the molten calf, I took and I burned it with fire, and I crushed it, grinding it thoroughly until it was crushed to dust, and I threw its dust into {the stream that flowed down the mountain}.

2 Kings 10:28-29

So Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. Only Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat [by] which he caused Israel to sin; [namely,] the calf-shaped idols of gold which [were in] Bethel and Dan.

2 Kings 17:16

They abandoned all the commands of Yahweh their God and made for themselves two molten calf-shaped idols; they made a pole of Asherah worship and bowed down to the army of the heavens and served Baal.

2 Chronicles 11:15

And he appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat idols and for the bull calves that he had made.

Nehemiah 9:16-18

"But they and our ancestors acted arrogantly and stiffened their neck and did not listen to your commandments. They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders that you did among them. They stiffened their neck and in their rebellion {determined} to return to their slavery. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, {slow to anger}, abundant in loyal love, so you did not abandon them. Even when they made for themselves a molten idol of a calf and said, 'This is your God who brought you out from Egypt,' and committed great blasphemies.

Psalm 106:19-20

They made a calf at Horeb and bowed down to a cast image. And [so] they exchanged their glory for an image of an ox that eats grass.

Hosea 8:5-6

Your calf is rejected, Samaria; my anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence? Because [it is] from Israel, an artisan made it, it [is] not a god; for the calf of Samaria will be broken [to] pieces.

Hosea 10:5

The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. Indeed, his people will mourn for it, and his idolatrous priests will wail over it-- over its glory because it has departed from it.

Hosea 13:2

And now they sin again, and they make for themselves a molten idol, idols from their silver metal according to their understanding, all of them the work of skilled craftsmen. To these they say, "Sacrifice!" People are kissing bull calves.

Acts 7:41

And they manufactured a calf in those days, and offered up a sacrifice to the idol, and began rejoicing in the works of their hands.

Micah 6:6

With what shall I approach Yahweh, and bow down to God on high? Shall I approach him with burnt offerings, with bull calves a year old?

Leviticus 9:1-4

Then on the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and Israel's elders, and he said to Aaron, "Take for yourself {a bull calf} as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without defect, and present [them] {before} Yahweh. Then you must speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'Take {a he-goat} as a sin offering and a bull calf and a male sheep, {yearlings} without defect, as a burnt offering,read more.
and an ox and a ram as fellowship offerings to sacrifice {before} Yahweh, and a grain offering mixed with oil, because today Yahweh will appear to you."

2 Samuel 6:12-13

It [was] told to King David, "Yahweh has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that [is] his because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with jubilation. It happened [that] when the carriers of the ark of Yahweh had marched six steps that he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

1 Kings 1:9-10

And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened animals near the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel. He invited all of his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king. But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty warriors or Solomon his brother.

Hebrews 9:11-12

But Christ has arrived [as] a high priest of the good [things] to come. Through the greater and more perfect tent not made by hands, that is, not of this creation, and not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered once for all into the [most] holy place, obtaining eternal redemption.

Luke 15:22-23

But [his] father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put [it] on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on [his] feet! And bring the fattened calf--kill [it] and let us eat [and] celebrate,

Genesis 18:6-8

Then Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and he said, "Quickly--make three seahs of fine flour for kneading and make bread cakes!" And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a {calf}, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk, and the calf which he prepared, and set [it] before them. And he was standing by them under the tree while they ate.

1 Samuel 14:31-32

They defeated [the] Philistines that day from Micmash to Aijalon, and the troops were very weary. Then the troops took the plunder: they took sheep and cattle and {calves} and slaughtered [them] on the ground and the troops ate [them all] with the blood.

1 Samuel 28:24-25

Now the woman had a fattened bull calf in the house, {so she quickly slaughtered it} and took flour, kneaded [dough], and baked him [some] unleavened bread. She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and went away that [very] night.

Jeremiah 31:18

Indeed I heard Ephraim pitying themselves, 'You disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like a calf that is not trained. Bring me back and let me return, for you [are] Yahweh my God.

Psalm 29:6

And he makes them skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

Psalm 68:30

Rebuke [the] beasts in [the] reeds, [the] herd of bulls with [the] calves of [the] peoples, trampling the pieces of silver. Scatter [the] nations [who] delight in battles.

Jeremiah 34:18

And I will make the men who transgressed my covenant, who have not kept the words of the covenant that they {made} {before me}, [like] the calf which they cut in two and they passed between its parts--

Jeremiah 46:20-21

Egypt [is] a beautiful heifer, [but] a gadfly from [the] north [will] come against her. Even her mercenaries in her midst [are] like calves of fattening, for they also have turned away, they have fled together. They stand not, for the day of their calamity has come, the time of their punishment.

From Thematic Bible


Animals » Names of » Calves

Genesis 18:7

And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a {calf}, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it.

1 Samuel 28:24

Now the woman had a fattened bull calf in the house, {so she quickly slaughtered it} and took flour, kneaded [dough], and baked him [some] unleavened bread.

Amos 6:4

[Alas for] those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from [the] sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of [the] animal stall.

Calves » Illustrative of » Patient endurance

Ezekiel 1:7

And their legs [were] straight legs, and the sole of their feet [was] like the sole of [the] foot of a calf, and [they] were sparkling like the outward appearance of polished bronze.

Revelation 4:7

And the first living creature [was] similar to a lion, and the second living creature [was] similar to an ox, and the third living creature had a face like a man's, and the fourth living creature [was] similar to an eagle flying.

Calves » The young of the herd

Job 21:10

His bull breeds and does not fail; his cow calves and does not miscarry.

Jeremiah 31:12

And they will come, and they will sing for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the goodness of Yahweh, over [the] grain, and over [the] wine, and over [the] olive oil, and over [the] young ones of [the] flock, and over [the] cattle. And their life will become like a well-watered garden, and they will never languish again."

Calves » Illustrative of » Sacrifices of praise

Hosea 14:2

Take words with you, and return to Yahweh. Say to him, "Take away all guilt; accept good, and we will offer the fruit of our lips.

Calves » Fattened in stalls, &c

1 Samuel 28:24

Now the woman had a fattened bull calf in the house, {so she quickly slaughtered it} and took flour, kneaded [dough], and baked him [some] unleavened bread.

Amos 6:4

[Alas for] those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from [the] sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of [the] animal stall.

Calves » When fattened considered a delicacy

1 Samuel 28:24-25

Now the woman had a fattened bull calf in the house, {so she quickly slaughtered it} and took flour, kneaded [dough], and baked him [some] unleavened bread. She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and went away that [very] night.

Calves » Offered in sacrifice

Leviticus 9:2-3

and he said to Aaron, "Take for yourself {a bull calf} as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without defect, and present [them] {before} Yahweh. Then you must speak to the {Israelites}, saying, 'Take {a he-goat} as a sin offering and a bull calf and a male sheep, {yearlings} without defect, as a burnt offering,

Calves » Eaten in the patriarchal age

Genesis 18:7-8

And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a {calf}, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk, and the calf which he prepared, and set [it] before them. And he was standing by them under the tree while they ate.

Calves » Fed on » Milk

1 Samuel 6:10

So the men did so; they took two milking cows and harnessed them to the utility cart, but they shut up their calves in the stall.

Calves » If first-born not redeemed

Numbers 18:17

Only the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat you will not redeem; they [are] holy. Their blood you will sprinkle over the altar, and their fat you will turn into smoke [as] an offering made by fire, a fragrance of appeasement for Yahweh.

Calves » Fed on » Branches of trees, &c

Isaiah 27:10

For [the] fortified city [is] solitary, a settlement deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness; [the] calf grazes there, lies down there and destroys its branches.

Calves » Illustrative of » Saints nourished by grace

Calves » Playfulness of, alluded to

Psalm 29:6

And he makes them skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox.

Calves » Of a year old best for sacrifice

Micah 6:6

With what shall I approach Yahweh, and bow down to God on high? Shall I approach him with burnt offerings, with bull calves a year old?

Calves » Names of

Genesis 18:7

And Abraham ran to the cattle and took a {calf}, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, and he made haste to prepare it.

1 Samuel 28:24

Now the woman had a fattened bull calf in the house, {so she quickly slaughtered it} and took flour, kneaded [dough], and baked him [some] unleavened bread.

Amos 6:4

[Alas for] those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from [the] sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of [the] animal stall.

Topics on Calves

Golden Calves

Exodus 32:13

Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by yourself, and you told them, 'I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and all this land that I promised I will give to your offspring, and they will inherit [it] forever.'"

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