American Standard Version
Exodus 33:20
20And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live.
Exodus 33:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
- New International Version (NIV)But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."
- New King James Version (NKJV)But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
Context of Exodus 33:20
18And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. 19And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live. 21And Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: 22and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by:
Read all of Exodus 33Exodus 33:20 word by word
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לִרְאֹ֣ת אֶת־פָּנָ֑י כִּ֛י לֹֽא־יִרְאַ֥נִי הָאָדָ֖ם וָחָֽי׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Exodus 33:20
- Exodus 24:10and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the very heaven for clearness.
- Genesis 32:30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
- Deuteronomy 5:24and ye said, Behold, Jehovah our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth speak with man, and he liveth.
- Judges 6:22And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face.
- Judges 13:22And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
- Isaiah 6:5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of hosts.
- John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
- 1 Timothy 6:16who only hath immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power eternal. Amen.
- Hebrews 1:13But of which of the angels hath he said at any time, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?
- Revelation 1:16And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
Commentaries on Exodus 33:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20No man see me, and live - The splendor would be insufferable to man; he only, whose mortality is swallowed up of life, can see God as he is. See 1 John 3:2. From some disguised relation of the circumstances mentioned here, the fable of Jupiter and Semele was formed; she is reported to have entreated Jupiter to show her his glory, who was at first very reluctant, knowing that it would be fatal to her; but at last, yielding to her importunity, he discovered…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-23Verses 12-23 Moses is very earnest with God. Thus, by the intercession of Christ, we are not only saved from ruin, but become entitled to everlasting happiness. Observe here how he pleads. We find grace in God's sight, if we find grace in our hearts to guide and quicken us in the way of our duty. Moses speaks as one who dreaded the thought of going forward without the Lord's presence. God's gracious promises, and mercy towards us, should not only…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-23God desires to reveal his character to his people. However, to see his face means to see his full being (his true and complete nature). No human can see God in this way and live. God’s glorious presence is described in 33:22. That kind of direct encounter would bring death to a human person. God allowed Moses to see only a small part of his glory. Moses was given a brief glimpse, but nothing more.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2318-23. I beseech thee, show me thy glory--This is one of the most mysterious scenes described in the Bible: he had, for his comfort and encouragement, a splendid and full display of the divine majesty, not in its unveiled effulgence, but as far as the weakness of humanity would admit. The face, hand, back parts, are to be understood figuratively.Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 33:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 33
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries