New English Translation
Exodus 33:20
20But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can 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 Moses said, “Show me your glory.” 19And the Lord said, “I will make all my goodness pass before your face, and I will proclaim the Lord by name before you; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy.” But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live.” 21The Lord said, “Here is a place by me; you will station yourself on a rock. 22When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover you with my hand while I pass 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
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Exodus 33:20
- Exodus 24:10and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself.
- Genesis 32:30So Jacob named the place Peniel, explaining, “Certainly I have seen God face to face and have survived.”
- Deuteronomy 5:24You said, “The Lord our God has shown us his great glory and we have heard him speak from the middle of the fire. It is now clear to us that God can speak to human beings and they can keep on living.
- Judges 6:22When Gideon realized that it was the Lord’s messenger, he said, “Oh no! Master, Lord! I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!”
- Judges 13:22Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die, because we have seen a supernatural being!”
- Isaiah 6:5I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.”
- John 1:18No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.
- 1 Timothy 6:16He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.
- Hebrews 1:13But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
- Revelation 1:16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full 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
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