A calf-shaped idol made from gold jewelry given by the Israelites (Exodus 32:1–4). The people asked Aaron to make this idol while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God. When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw the people worshiping the golden calf and celebrating in immoral ways. So, he broke the stone tablets that had the commandments written on them. Then he ground the golden calf into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the people drink it (Exodus 32:15–20). Some of the people who worshiped the idol were killed (Exodus 32:25–29). Others were punished by God with a plague (Exodus 32:33–35).
Aaron's golden calf was probably based on Apis, an Egyptian bull god. Apis was connected to another Egyptian god named Osiris. When these bulls died, they were buried as Osiris-Apis. This name later became Serapis during the time between the Old and New Testaments. The serious nature of Aaron's golden calf is shown by several mentions of it in other parts of the Bible (Deuteronomy 9:16, 21; Nehemiah 9:18, Psalm 106:19–20; Acts 7:39–41).
Jeroboam I was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the nation divided. He ruled from 930 to 909 BC. Jeroboam set up worship centers (shrines) at Dan in the far north and at Bethel in the south. He placed a golden calf in each shrine (1 Kings 12:26–33; 2 Chronicles 11:13–15). The prophets of Israel knew that these calves were not the one true God (Hosea 8:5–6). The prophet Hosea called the calf at Bethel (which means "house of God") the calf of "Beth-aven" (which means "house of wickedness," Hosea 10:5–6). Within 200 years of Jeroboam’s rule, people had begun to show such devotion that they even kissed the calves (Hosea 13:2). Jeroboam's sinful act was listed as one of the main reasons for the destruction of Samaria (Israel's capital city) and the exile of the northern kingdom in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:16).