Exodus 33:23

Exodus 33:23 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
• New International Version (NIV)Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Context of Exodus 33:23

21Then the Lord said, ‘Look! There is a place near to me. You can stand there on a rock. 22When my glory passes in front of you, I will put you in a hole in the rock. I will cover your eyes with my hand as I pass by there. Then I will remove my hand so that you will see my back. But nobody must ever see my face.’

Exodus 33:23 word by word

וַהֲסִרֹתִי֙ אֶת־כַּפִּ֔י וְרָאִ֖יתָ אֶת־אֲחֹרָ֑י וּפָנַ֖י לֹ֥א יֵרָאֽוּ׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And I will takeסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: removeH5493
• away mine handכַּףkaph · palmH3709
• and thou shalt seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• my back partsאָחוֹר'âchôr 'âchôr · backH268
• but my faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440

Cross-references for Exodus 33:23

• Exodus 33:20But you will never see my face. Nobody can see my face and still be alive.’
• Job 11:7You cannot discover everything about God. You cannot know how powerful he is.
• Job 26:14These are only a few of the things that God does. We only know about a few small things. If he used all of his power, we could never understand.’
• John 1:18Nobody has ever seen God. But God's only Son has shown God to us. He is very near to the Father, and he himself is God.
• 1 Corinthians 13:12At this time, we see things as if we were looking at them in a mirror. What we see now is not clear. But the time will come when we do not need a mirror. We will see everything clearly. Now we know only a part of what is true. But then we will know everything completely. We will understand completely, just as God understands us completely.
• 1 Timothy 6:16God alone lives for ever. He lives in very bright light that nobody can come near. Nobody has ever seen God. Nobody is able to see him. So we praise him! He will rule for ever with great authority! Amen! This is true.

Commentaries on Exodus 33:23

• 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 33:23

• Condescension of God
• Glory
• God
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Proclaim
• Back, Back Parts
• Covenant, Book of the
• Exodus, the Book of
• God
• Mediation; Mediator
• Moses
• Pentateuch
• Tabernacle

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