Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Exodus 33:23 "Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Exodus 33:23 "Then I will take away My hand and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen." |
Bible Question: Please explain, why in Exodus 33:11 it states that Moses spoke with God face to face, as a friend and then in Exodus 33:21-22 it states no one can see God's face and live? |
Bible Answer: Greetings MsWings4Him, In Exodus 33:18, Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" But God warned Moses, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" (33:20) So the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen." We know from other passages that God is spirit and He is formless (Isaiah 31:3; John 4:24), and no one can see God and live (1 Tim. 6:16; John 1:18; 6:46; 1 Tim. 1:17; 1 John 4:12). So, are we to take Moses at his word? Of course! :) Just as the word "hand" (v.23) is an anthropomorphism (*), so the word "back" is an anthropomorphism. And what does the word "back" indicate? The Hebrew word 'achor' could be taken to mean "hereafter." Therefore, Moses did not see the glory of God directly, but once it had gone past him, God did allow him to view the results, or the afterglow, that His presence had produced. As we can see, Moses had an intimate relationship with his Creator, so much so that it could said that "the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face" (33:11); that Moses interacted with God on a personal and intimate basis. The word 'face' in verse 11 when used of God is an arthropomorphism (*). God granted Moses' request for a vision of Him in Exodus 33. But Moses' prayer would not be fully answered until the Mount of Transfiguration, which happened centuries later (Luke 9:32). (*) "anthropomorphism- n., the attributing of human shape or characteristics to a god, animal, or inanimate thing" (1) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed., pg. 60, 2000, IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. |