Exodus 33:20 kjv
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Exodus 33:20 nkjv
But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live."
Exodus 33:20 niv
But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
Exodus 33:20 esv
But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."
Exodus 33:20 nlt
But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live."
Exodus 33 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 4:24 | For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. | God's holiness as fire |
| Deut 5:24 | "Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice...live." | Fear of death from God's presence |
| Heb 12:29 | For our "God is a consuming fire." | Reiterates God's consuming holiness |
| Hab 1:13 | You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity... | God's incompatibility with sin |
| Isa 6:5 | "Woe is me! For I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips...For my eyes have seen the King..." | Isaiah's conviction seeing God's glory |
| Exo 24:9-11 | Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up. And they saw the God of Israel... | Partial, mediated seeing of God without "face" |
| Exo 19:21-22 | Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people lest they break through...to gaze, and many of them perish." | Danger of unauthorized approach to God |
| Judg 6:22-23 | Now when Gideon perceived that he was the Angel of the LORD, Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen..." | Fear of death upon seeing a divine messenger |
| Judg 13:22 | Then Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God." | Similar fear of death after encountering God |
| Exo 33:21-23 | And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock...you shall see My back..." | God's protective partial revelation |
| Exo 34:5-7 | Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. | God's revelation of His character, not His face |
| Jn 1:18 | No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. | Jesus as the unique revealer of God |
| Jn 14:9 | Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long...He who has seen Me has seen the Father..." | Seeing Jesus is seeing God the Father |
| Col 1:15 | He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. | Christ as the visible image of invisible God |
| Heb 1:3 | who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person... | Christ reflects God's glory and essence |
| Matt 5:8 | Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. | Promise of future vision for the purified |
| 1 Jn 3:2 | Beloved, now we are children of God...when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. | Future vision of God in glorified state |
| Rev 22:4 | They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. | Ultimate, future vision of God's face in New Creation |
| Isa 45:15 | Truly, You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior. | God's self-concealment |
| Job 9:11 | If He goes by me, I do not perceive Him; if He moves past, I do not see Him. | God's ungraspable nature |
| 1 Cor 13:12 | For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. | Future clarity of divine perception |
| 1 Tim 6:16 | who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see... | God's dwelling in unapproachable light |
Exodus 33 verses
Exodus 33 20 Meaning
Exodus 33:20 declares God's absolute holiness and transcendence, stating that no human being in their mortal state can directly behold His unveiled, full glory—His "face"—and survive. It underscores the immense qualitative difference between the infinitely pure and powerful Creator and finite, fallen humanity, acting as a protective boundary to prevent human destruction by divine majesty.
Exodus 33 20 Context
This verse is situated immediately after Moses' fervent intercession for Israel following the golden calf idolatry (Exo 32). Despite the nation's severe sin, God graciously agreed to restore His presence with them (Exo 33:14-17). Emboldened by this renewed favor, Moses made an audacious request: "Please, show me Your glory" (Exo 33:18). Exodus 33:20 is God's direct and crucial response, setting a fundamental boundary for the theophany. It defines what can and cannot be revealed of God's infinite majesty to a mortal, protecting Moses from the destructive intensity of God's unmediated being while also confirming God's willingness to reveal aspects of His character (Exo 34:6-7) within safe parameters.
Exodus 33 20 Word analysis
- And He said: Hebrew wayyo'mer (וַיֹּאמֶר). This phrase introduces a direct divine declaration from YHWH, highlighting His authority and the definitive nature of the statement. It is God Himself responding personally to Moses' bold request.
- You cannot: Hebrew lo' tukal (לֹא תוּכַל). This strong negative prefix "lo" combined with "tukal" (from yakol, to be able) emphatically conveys absolute impossibility for Moses. It is not a suggestion, but a divine decree signifying that a mortal human simply does not possess the capacity to endure what follows.
- see: Hebrew ra'ah (רָאָה). This verb for "seeing" implies more than mere optical perception. In a theological context, it often refers to a full, direct, experiential encounter or comprehensive understanding, a beholding of the essence. Here, it denotes direct communion with God's absolute being.
- My face: Hebrew panai (פָּנַי). The "face" of God is an anthropomorphism used to signify His direct, immediate, unveiled, and essential presence or His full radiant glory (kavod). It does not imply a physical face in human terms but rather the concentrated, pure manifestation of His very being, which is too intense for creation to bear.
- for no man: Hebrew ki lo'-yir'ani 'adam (כִּי לֹא-יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם). The particle "ki" introduces the reason or explanation. The universal term "adam" (אָדָם) signifies "humanity" or "mankind," making the prohibition applicable to all people, not just Moses.
- shall see Me: A reiteration of "ra'ah" combined with the direct object pronoun "Me," emphatically confirming the comprehensive nature of the prohibition against any direct observation of God's unmediated being.
- and live: Hebrew vaḥai (וָחָי). This succinct phrase describes the direct, fatal consequence. It implies that to behold God's full, unmediated glory in a fallen, mortal state would result in instantaneous death, either from being overwhelmed or utterly consumed by His infinite purity and power. This serves as a protective boundary for humanity.
- You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me and live: This is a complete divine pronouncement. It simultaneously limits human capacity, defines the boundary of revelation for mortals, and provides the dire consequence for transgression. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty and transcendence while implicitly expressing His protective love, preserving human life by withholding an experience that would annihilate it.
Exodus 33 20 Bonus section
- Theology of Theophany: This verse clarifies why most divine appearances (theophanies) in the Old Testament are veiled, symbolic, or mediated forms (e.g., burning bush, cloud, fire, angelic manifestations) rather than God's full "face" or essence. It sets the ontological limit for direct divine revelation to finite creation.
- Necessity of Mediation: The radical unapproachability of God's glory implied by this verse points to the essential need for a mediator. Moses functioned as a mediator for Israel (Gal 3:19), but ultimately, Jesus Christ fulfills this role perfectly, bridging the chasm between God's transcendent holiness and human limitation (1 Tim 2:5).
- God's Holiness as Protective: The prohibition against seeing God's face is not an act of withholding or harshness, but rather a profound act of divine love and protection. God's holiness, though unendurable for sin, acts to preserve the existence of His creation rather than destroying it through unmitigated exposure.
- Eschatological Hope: The ultimate hope of believers is to "see His face" (Rev 22:4) and be "like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 Jn 3:2). This eschatological promise implies a transformative work of grace in which believers, in glorified bodies, will finally be able to withstand and rejoice in God's unveiled presence, a state not possible in the present age.
Exodus 33 20 Commentary
Exodus 33:20 serves as a pivotal theological statement on the nature of God and His relationship with humanity. It unequivocally declares God's incomprehensible transcendence and overwhelming holiness. The "face" of God symbolizes His unveiled, immediate, and full essence or glory. For mortal, fallen humanity, a direct, unmediated encounter with this divine essence is lethal, not out of malevolence from God, but due to the inherent incompatibility between His infinite purity and our finite, sinful nature. This verse teaches us that God's being is not merely glorious, but gloriously consuming for anything less than pure. While Moses was a unique friend of God, this boundary highlights the fundamental distinction between Creator and creation. It reveals God's self-protective posture toward humanity, as well as His protective love for them, by veiling Himself in such a way that human beings can still exist in His presence (e.g., cloud, fire, angel of the LORD) and receive His revelation without being consumed. This theological truth lays foundational groundwork for understanding the necessity of a mediator and prepares the way for the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, who as "the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15) would make God known in a way humanity could "see" and live.