Exodus — Chapter 33
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1And the LORD said unto Moses, Depart,
2And I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
3Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou
4And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
5For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye
6And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.
7And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it came to pass,
8And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle,
9And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood
10And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand
11And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
12And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.
13Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation
14And he said, My presence shall go
15And he said unto him, If thy presence go not
16For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight?
17And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
18And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
19And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
20And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21And the LORD said, Behold,
22And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
23And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, Depart, go up hence, thou and the people that thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land of which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed will I give it:
2and I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
3unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiffnecked people, lest I consume thee in the way.
4And when the people heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments.
5And Jehovah said unto Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people; if I go up into the midst of thee for one moment, I shall consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee.
6And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from mount Horeb onward.
7Now Moses used to take the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he called it, The tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought Jehovah went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the camp.
8And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the Tent, that all the people rose up, and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the Tent.
9And it came to pass, when Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the Tent: and [Jehovah] spake with Moses.
10And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door.
11And Jehovah spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tent.
12And Moses said unto Jehovah, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found favor in my sight.
13Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found favor in thy sight, show me now thy ways, that I may know thee, to the end that I may find favor in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
14And he said, My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest.
15And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with me], carry us not up hence.
16For wherein now shall it be known that I have found favor in thy sight, I and thy people? is it not in that thou goest with us, so that we are separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?
17And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found favor in my sight, and I know thee by name.
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.
20And 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:
23and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen.
1The Lord said to Moses, “Go up from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’
2I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
3Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you on the way.”
4When the people heard this troubling word they mourned; no one put on his ornaments.
5For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments that I may know what I should do to you.’”
6So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
7Moses took the tent and pitched it outside the camp, at a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. Anyone seeking the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting that was outside the camp.
8And when Moses went out to the tent, all the people would get up and stand at the entrance to their tents and watch Moses until he entered the tent.
9And whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses.
10When all the people would see the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people, each one at the entrance of his own tent, would rise and worship.
11The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, the way a person speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his servant, Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the tent.
12Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have been saying to me, ‘Bring this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. But you said, ‘I know you by name, and also you have found favor in my sight.’
13Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your way, that I may know you, that I may continue to find favor in your sight. And see that this nation is your people.”
14And the Lord said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15And Moses said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not take us up from here.
16For how will it be known then that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we will be distinguished, I and your people, from all the people who are on the face of the earth?”
17The Lord said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have requested, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
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.”
20But 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.
23Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face must not be seen.”
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people that you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’
2I will send an angel before you; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite:
3to a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”
4When the people heard this evil news, they mourned: and no one put on his jewelry.
5Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go up among you for one moment, I would consume you. Therefore now take off your jewelry from you, that I may know what to do to you.’”
6The children of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.
7Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it “The Tent of Meeting.” Everyone who sought Yahweh went out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp.
8When Moses went out to the Tent, all the people rose up, and stood, everyone at their tent door, and watched Moses, until he had gone into the Tent.
9When Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, stood at the door of the Tent, and spoke with Moses.
10All the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, and all the people rose up and worshiped, everyone at their tent door.
11Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn’t depart from the Tent.
12Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people:’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’
13Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your way, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight: and consider that this nation is your people.”
14He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15He said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here.
16For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
17Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
18He said, “Please show me your glory.”
19He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim Yahweh’s name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”
20He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”
21Yahweh also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock.
22It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;
23then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
Summary
God threatens to withdraw His presence; Moses intercedes and asks to see God's glory; God reveals Himself while hiding Moses in the rock.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Mount Sinai / the camp: God threatens to withdraw His presence from among Israel. The "tent of meeting" is pitched "without the camp, afar off" (v.7) — symbolizing the distance sin creates.
- "The cleft of the rock" (v.22): God places Moses in a rock on Sinai to reveal His glory.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes Moses' refusal to go without God's presence as a model for believers. He notes the "cleft of the rock" as a picture of Christ — we can only see God's glory safely when hidden in Him.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "Show Me Thy Glory" on v.18 (MTP Vol. 34, No. 2029) "Show me thy glory! It is the cry of every renewed heart. We have tasted and we want more. We have seen the skirts of His garment and we long to see His face. But notice — God did not rebuke the request. He did not say, 'How dare you ask so great a thing?' He said, 'I will make all my goodness pass before thee.' God loves to be wanted. He delights in the soul that pants after Him. Ask largely. Ask boldly. He will answer beyond your asking — though not always in the way you expect." Sermon: "The Cleft of the Rock" on v.22 (MTP Vol. 7, No. 370) "There is a cleft in the Rock of Ages, and that cleft was made by the spear that pierced His side. Hidden there, we can behold the glory of God and live. Apart from Christ, the glory would consume us. In Christ, the glory transforms us."
Reflection
- 1. Moses said, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence" (v.15). Do you value God's presence more than His blessings? Would you choose a harder path with God over an easier path without Him?
- 2. God spoke with Moses "as a man speaketh unto his friend" (v.11). What characterized Moses' relationship with God that made this possible? What would it look like to pursue that kind of intimacy with God?
- 3. "Shew me thy glory" (v.18). What is the deepest desire of your heart? Is it for God Himself, or for what God can give you? How do you cultivate a hunger for God's presence?
- 4. God placed Moses in the cleft of the rock (v.22). How does being "in Christ" enable you to encounter God's holiness without being consumed? What does it mean to be hidden in the Rock?
- 5. God revealed His glory through His "goodness" and His "name" (v.19). How does this reshape your understanding of glory — not just power and splendor, but character and kindness?