Moses’ Prayer after the Sin of the Golden Calf
Pseudo-Philo
Biblical Antiquities 12.8–9
1st Century
And then Moses went up to the mountain and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Behold now, you O God, who have planted this vine and set its roots into the abyss and stretched out its shoots to your most high seat, look upon it in this time, because that vine has lost its fruit and has not recognized its cultivator. And now, if you are angry at your vine…
Expanding on Moses’ remonstrance with God in Exodus 32:11–14, Biblical Antiquities frames Moses’ words as a formal prayer. As in the biblical text, Moses appeals to God’s self-interest, asking who will trust God again if Israel is destroyed.
Related Guide
Ancient Jewish Literature
Related Guide
Prayers of Biblical Characters in Postbiblical Literature
Related Guide
Noncanonical Prayers of Biblical Characters
Creator Bio
Pseudo-Philo
Pseudo-Philo is the name given to the otherwise unknown, anonymous author of Biblical Antiquities, which may have been written in Hebrew but survives only in Latin. The text was originally attributed to Philo of Alexandria, but that has been disproven. Biblical Antiquities is a retelling of the biblical narrative filled with literary reworkings, including many traditions not found in other sources.