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Exodus Chapter
Thirty-three
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
EXODUS 33
This chapter informs us,
that the Lord refusing to go with the people, only sending an angel with them,
they are filled with concern, and troubled, Exodus 33:1. Moses
upon this pitched the tabernacle without the camp, where everyone that sought
the Lord went; Moses entered into it himself, and the Lord talked to him in a
friendly manner in the cloudy pillar that stood at the door of it, and the
people worshipped, every man at his own tent door; all which foreboded good,
and tended to reconciliation, Exodus 33:7. Moses
improved the opportunity, and entreats the presence of God to go with them,
which was granted, Exodus 33:12 and
that he might have a sight of the glory of God; and this is promised to pass
before him, he being put into the cleft of the rock, Exodus 33:18.
Exodus 33:1 Then the Lord said to Moses,
“Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought
out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’
YLT 1And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, `Go, ascend
from this [place], thou and the people, whom thou hast brought up out of the
land of Egypt, unto the land which I have sworn to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, saying, To thy seed I give it,'
And the Lord
said unto Moses, depart, and go up hence,.... Not from the place
where Moses was, which was the top of the mount, but where the camp of Israel
was, at the bottom of the mount; where they had lain encamped some time, but
were now ordered to proceed on their journey:
thou, and the
people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt; though his
wrath was in some measure mitigated, and he had so far forgave their sin, that
he would not cut them off from being a people; yet still he does not call them
his people, or own that he brought them out of Egypt, as he does in the preface
to the commands they had now broke, as if they were not under his care and
conduct; but speaks of them in a different manner, as a people that Moses had
brought out from thence, and whom he orders to go on with:
unto the land
which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, unto thy seed will
I give it: meaning the land of Canaan, which as he had promised with an
oath to their fathers to give it to them, he would faithfully observe it,
though they were unworthy of such a favour.
Exodus 33:2 2 And I will send My
Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the
Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
YLT 2(and I have sent before thee a messenger, and
have cast out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite,
the Hivite, and the Jebusite,)
And I will send
an angel before thee,.... Not the angel before promised, Exodus 23:20 the
Angel of his presence, the eternal Word and Son of God, but a created angel;
and so Aben Ezra observes, he does not say the Angel that was known, that his
name was in him; though even this was to be looked upon as a favour, and showed
that he had not utterly cast them off:
and I will
drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, the Perizzite, the
Hivite, and the Jebusite; who were now the inhabitants of the land, and these he promises
drive out, to make way for their possession of it; and that "by his
hand", as the Targum of Jonathan interprets it, by the hand of the angel.
Only six nations are mentioned, though there were seven; the Girgashite is
omitted, but added in the Septuagint version.
Exodus 33:3 3 Go up
to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest
I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
YLT 3unto a land flowing with milk and honey, for
I do not go up in thy midst, for thou [art] a stiff-necked people -- lest I
consume thee in the way.'
Unto a land
flowing with milk and honey,.... Abounding with all the necessaries and
good things of life, a description of the land of Canaan frequently made, see Exodus 3:8,
for I will not
go up in the midst of thee; would not grant them his presence in so
near, visible, and respectable a manner as he had before done, though he would
not utterly forsake them: the tabernacle was before in the midst of the camp,
that is, that which was erected until the large one, ordered to be made, was
finished, but now it was removed without the camp, Exodus 33:7.
for thou art a
stiffnecked people; See Gill on Exodus 32:9,
lest I consume
them in the way; in the way to the land of Canaan, and so never get there; the
meaning is, that the Lord being in the midst of them, their sin would be the
more aggravated to be committed in his presence, before his face; and the glory
of his majesty would require that immediate notice be taken of it, and just
punishment inflicted; so that by this step God both consulted his own honour
and their safety.
Exodus 33:4 4 And when the people heard
this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments.
YLT 4And the people hear this sad thing, and
mourn; and none put his ornaments on him.
And when the
people heard these evil tidings,.... That God would withdraw his gracious
presence, and go not up with them himself, only send an angel with them; and
especially this may respect what is threatened, Exodus 33:5 and had
been said at this time:
they mourned; were inwardly
and heartily grieved for their sin, whereby they had provoked the Lord to
depart from them, and gave some outward and open tokens of it:
and no man did
put on his ornaments; they used to wear at other times, their rings and jewels, which
the princes and the chief among the people especially were wont to wear; and in
common the people did not put on their best clothes, or what they usually wore,
but clothed themselves in mournful habits, in sackcloth and ashes, or in some
such like manner.
Exodus 33:5 5 For the Lord had said to
Moses, “Say to the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. I
could come up into your midst in one moment and consume you. Now therefore,
take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do to you.’”
YLT 5And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Say unto the
sons of Israel, Ye [are] a stiff-necked people; one moment -- I come up into
thy midst, and have consumed thee; and now, put down thine ornaments from off
thee, and I know what I do to thee;'
For the Lord
had said to Moses,.... At the same time he had told it to the people:
say unto the
children of Israel: Menachem, as quoted by Ainsworth, observes, that this is said in
a way of mercy; for since their idolatry he had only called them the people of
Moses, and the people, but now calls them by their beloved name, the children
of Israel; but whether this was any hint of mercy and favour, is not very
apparent by what follows:
ye are a
stiffnecked people; obstinate and untractable; see Gill on Exodus 32:9,
I will come up
into the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee; before he
threatens them that he would not go up in the midst of them, that is, in a way
of grace and mercy, to guide, protect, and defend them himself; and now that he
would come up in the midst of them, but in a different manner, in a way of
wrath, and to take vengeance on them for their sins; and the meaning is, either
that should he do so but one moment it would be all over with them, or they
would be utterly consumed; or this is threatened on condition, provided they
did not repent of their sins, and humble themselves:
therefore now
put off thy ornaments from thee; not their armour, as some, nor the clothes
they wore at the festival for the golden calf, for this was long after that;
but the clothes they usually wore, the best they had, with all their
decorations and ornaments, and put on mournful habits as an outward token of
their repentance and mourning for their sins, if they had any real concern:
this shows that these words must have been said before; since the people on
hearing the evil tidings had clothed themselves in a mournful habit, and did
not put on their ornaments, Exodus 33:4,
that I may know
what to do unto thee; which does not suppose ignorance or irresolution in God, but is
said after the manner of men, that he should deal with them in proportion to
their conduct and behaviour, and as that should outwardly appear.
Exodus 33:6 6 So the children of Israel
stripped themselves of their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
YLT 6and the sons of Israel take off their
ornaments at mount Horeb.
And the
children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments,.... Such as
before described, and this they did:
by the Mount
Horeb; before their departure from thence, and where they had been
guilty of the idolatry: the words may be literally rendered, "from Mount
Horeb"F21מהר "a monte", V.
L. Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius; "procul a monte", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscato. ; and Jonathan understands the preceding clause of
something they put off which they received from thence; but the meaning is,
that they went to some distance from Mount Horeb, and there stripped themselves
to show their greater humiliation, and the sense they had of their unworthiness
of being near to the Lord, or enjoying his presence.
Exodus 33:7 7 Moses took his tent and
pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of
meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to
the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp.
YLT 7And Moses taketh the tent, and hath stretched
it out at the outside of the camp, afar off from the camp, and hath called it,
`Tent of Meeting;' and it hath come to pass, every one seeking Jehovah goeth
out unto the tent of meeting, which [is] at the outside of the camp.
And Moses took
the tabernacle,.... Not that, the pattern of which he had been shown in the
mount, for that was not as yet made, rather his own tabernacle or tent, Exodus 18:7 or one
that was erected for worship before the large one was ordered, and while that
was building; for it can hardly be thought they should have no place of worship
for a whole year after they were come out of Egypt; though this might be not a
place on purpose, or only erected for that use, but might be one of the
apartments of Moses; who, besides what he had for the use and convenience of
his family, had a special and peculiar one, hath on a religious account, where
he and the people sometimes worshipped, and God met with them, and on a civil
account, to hear and judge the causes of the people, and resolve their doubts,
and remove their difficulties, and make inquiries of God for them:
and pitched it
without the camp, afar off from the camp; 2000 cubits distant from
it, as the Targum of Jonathan, and so Jarchi, which he endeavours to confirm
from Joshua 3:4 and was
what was afterwards called a sabbath day's journey: this was done partly that
he might have the opportunity of conversing with God, and bringing about a
thorough reconciliation between him and the people, who declared he would not
go up in the midst of them; and partly that this might be a symbol to the
people of the Lord's departure from the midst of them; that so they might be
brought to a thorough humiliation for their sin, who might fear that he would
not only stand at a distance, but entirely remove from them: it might be
considered as a token of his displeasure with them, and yet be a door of hope
unto them; since he was not wholly gone from them, but might be sought unto by
them as follows:
and called it
the tabernacle of the congregation; as the great tabernacle
was afterwards called, and as this might be before, though now renewed, to give
the people some encouragement to resort here; because here he and they met
together, both on civil and religious accounts, and God met with them:
and it came to
pass, that everyone which sought the Lord: about any affair of
moment and importance, to know his will, and to have instruction and direction
what to do; or that sought to him for peace and reconciliation, for the pardon
of their sins, and the acceptance of their persons, repenting of their sins,
and confessing the same:
went out unto
the tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp; these went
out of the camp, from their tents there, to this; who were not the body of the
people, but either such who had difficult matters to inquire about, or were
seriously and heartily concerned for the evil they had committed, and for the
removal of the divine Presence from them.
Exodus 33:8 8 So it was, whenever Moses
went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood
at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the
tabernacle.
YLT 8And it hath come to pass, at the going out of
Moses unto the tent, all the people rise, and have stood, each at the opening
of his tent, and have looked expectingly after Moses, until his going into the
tent.
And it came to
pass, when Moses went out of the tabernacle,.... For when he had
pitched it he did not continue there; which shows it was not the tent or
tabernacle he dwelt in, but whither he went to and fro, both to meet the Lord
in it, and transact the affairs of the people, and especially the great affair
now depending between God and them:
that all the people rose up: in reverence of him as
their ruler, and the minister of God, and as their Mediator between God and
them, though they had but lately thought and spoke very meanly and contemptibly
of him, Exodus 32:1 see Job 29:8.
and stood every
man at his tent door; none offering to go in, nor to sit down until he was gone into
the tabernacle, which was an instance of their respect to him:
and looked
after Moses until he was gone into the tabernacle; kept their
eye on him as long as they could see him, thereby expressing their esteem of
him, signifying their desire that he would intercede for them, and wishing him
success therein: the Targum of Jonathan interprets all this of the ungodly
among them that looked after Moses with an evil eye.
Exodus 33:9 9 And it came to pass, when
Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at
the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with
Moses.
YLT 9And it hath come to pass, at the going in of
Moses to the tent, the pillar of the cloud cometh down, and hath stood at the
opening of the tent, and He hath spoken with Moses;
And it came to
pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended,.... From the
top of the mount in which Jehovah was:
and stood at
the door of the tabernacle; where Moses was just entered, and in sight
of the people, which was a token of grace and favour both to him and them:
and the Lord
talked with Moses; not the cloudy pillar, but the Lord in it, as we rightly supply
it: what he talked with him about is not said, very probably concerning the
children of Israel, their conduct and behaviour, and what was his will further
concerning them.
Exodus 33:10 10 All the people saw the
pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose
and worshiped, each man in his tent door.
YLT 10and all the people have seen the pillar of
the cloud standing at the opening of the tent, and all the people have risen
and bowed themselves, each at the opening of his tent.
And all the
people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door,.... They
being every man at his tent door; and this must be a pleasing sight to them,
and give them some hope that God would be merciful to them, forgive their sin,
and not depart from them:
and all the
people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door; not Moses,
nor the cloudy pillar, but the Lord in it; it was not a civil bow they made to
Moses, and in respect to him, for he was gone into the tabernacle out of sight,
but a religious adoration of the Lord in the pillar of cloud.
Exodus 33:11 11 So
the Lord
spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return
to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart
from the tabernacle.
YLT 11And Jehovah hath spoken unto Moses face unto
face, as a man speaketh unto his friend; and he hath turned back unto the camp,
and his minister Joshua, son of Nun, a youth, departeth not out of the tent.
And the Lord
spake unto Moses face to face,.... Not by an angel, but he himself in
person; not by a dream or vision, but apparently, in real visible appearance;
not in dark speeches, but clearly in plain words, easy to be understood; and
not by a voice from heaven at a distance, but mouth to mouth, being very near,
as when on the mount, and now at the door of the tabernacle:
as a man
speaketh unto his friend; freely, familiarly, plainly, cordially, openly, without any
reserve or show of authority, or causing dread and fear; for he also spake to
the children of Israel "face to face", but then it was out of the
fire in a terrible manner which they could not bear, Deuteronomy 5:4.
and he turned
again into the camp; to acquaint the people, the heads and elders of them, what
discourse he had with God, what success he had met with on their behalf, and
how the Lord stood affected to them, or what was his will concerning them:
but his servant
Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle; who is here
described by his name, Joshua; by his descent, the son of Nun; by his relation
to Moses, a servant of his, who waited on him wherever he went, when upon the
mount and now at the tabernacle; and by his age, a young man, as he was in
comparison of Moses, and is so called chiefly because he was his servant, it
being usual to call servants young men, of whatsoever age; for Joshua, strictly
speaking, could not be a young man in years; he was the general of the army at
the battle with Amalek; and, according to Aben Ezra, was now fifty six years of
age, which he collects from his living to the age of one hundred and ten years;
now to fifty six add the forty years in the wilderness, seven years, in which
he subdued the land of Canaan, and seven more in dividing it, as say their wise
men, the sum is one hundred an ten years: and it not being easy to account for
it, that Moses should depart alone, unaccompanied by Joshua, who always
attended him, and no sufficient reason is given why he should stay behind in
the tabernacle; as for private devotion, which this was not a place for; or for
judging the causes of the people in the absence of Moses, which we never find
he did or to guard the tabernacle, to be a watchman in it, or even at the head
of a watch over it, which, as it seemed unnecessary, so was an employment too
mean for him; the words therefore may be rendered as they are by some, and the
rather, as there is an accent which makes a considerable stop on the word נער, translated a "young man"F23So
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Rivet. , "and he turned again to the
camp", and "his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man";
that is, along with him; they both returned to the camp, and then it follows,
"he", i.e. the Lord, "departed not out of the tabernacle",
but continued there; to whom Moses afterwards returned and had the following
discourse: a learned manF24Clayton's Chronology of the Hebrew Bible,
p. 343. thinks that the grand tabernacle is here meant, yet unfinished, though
not the final erection of it; and that here is a dislocation in the history,
and supposes that Moses having been forty days absent, found upon his return a
good progress made in the work of the tabernacle, and the ornaments and
utensils belonging thereunto: and as soon as the wood work of the tabernacle
was finished, he ordered it to be put together; but because the tabernacle had
neither a door to it, nor were the hangings of the outer court finished,
therefore Joshua the servant of Moses, the son of Nun, a young man, departed
not out of the tabernacle, but remained there to preserve it from being
polluted: but it is a mistake of his that the tabernacle had not a door to it,
and it is strange he should make it, when it is twice mentioned in the
preceding verses; and since the pillar of cloud and the Lord in it were there,
no man durst draw near to pollute it, so that there was no need of Joshua's
being there to preserve it; and besides, it was after this Moses went up to the
mount and stayed another forty days and forty nights, see Exodus 34:4.
Exodus 33:12 12 Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say
to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send
with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace
in My sight.’
YLT 12And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `See, Thou art
saying unto me, Bring up this people, and Thou hast not caused me to know whom
Thou dost send with me; and Thou hast said, I have known thee by name, and also
thou hast found grace in Mine eyes.
And Moses said
unto the Lord,.... Having returned from the camp to the tabernacle again:
see, thou
sayest unto me, bring up this people: from hence to the land
of Canaan, as in Exodus 33:1.
and thou hast not
let me know whom thou wilt send with me; to guide and direct him,
help and assist him, protect and defend him, and the people with him; he had
signified something of this kind, but by some expressions, and by his present
conduct, he was at a loss to know who was to go with him: he had told him that
the uncreated Angel, in whom his name and he himself were, should go with them;
but now it had been declared that he would not go up in the midst of them
himself, but send an angel, a created one, but who that was he knew not; he
thought he had reason to expect the pillar of the cloud and fire by day and
night; but that had had so many motions that he could not be assured of the
continuance of it:
yet thou hast
said, I know thee by name; have a particular and special knowledge of
thee, and distinguished thee from others, and have a personal affection for
thee:
and thou hast
also found grace in my sight: had an interest in his special favour and
good will, was acceptable unto him, had received an abundance of spiritual
grace, and many very extraordinary gifts from him, and had had many benefits
bestowed on him, which were proofs of his being grateful and well pleasing to
him.
Exodus 33:13 13 Now therefore, I pray, if
I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and
that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is
Your people.”
YLT 13`And now, if, I pray Thee, I have found grace
in Thine eyes, cause me to know, I pray Thee, Thy way, and I know Thee, so that
I find grace in Thine eyes, and consider that this nation [is] Thy people;'
Now therefore,
I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight,.... Which he said, not as
doubting whether he had or not, but as taking it for granted he had, and so
argues from it, and improves his interest in it, in his pleading with God:
shew me now thy
way: either the way which he himself would take, the way of his
providence in bringing the children of Israel into the land of Canaan; or the
way he would have him take, the way of his duty, how he would have him behave
in conducting them thither; unless he means the Messiah, Christ, the way to the
heavenly Canaan, to whom he seems greatly to have respect in the following part
of this chapter:
that I may know
thee, that I may find grace in thy sight; by which he might have a
further evidence of his being acceptable to God, and having a share in his good
will; as well as he would better know in what way grace is communicated, Christ
being the way both of access into the grace of God, and of acceptance with him,
and of the communication of grace from him:
and consider
that this nation is thy people; though they had sinned
against him in the manner they had done, they were a people he had chosen above
all people to be his; he had made a covenant with them, and was their covenant
God; he had redeemed them out of Egypt, and had called them from thence, and
had wrought a great salvation for them, and had bestowed many peculiar favours
upon them; and though for this their gross idolatry and sad apostasy from him
they were unworthy of the relation, and he had thought fit not to call them his
people, but the people, or the people of Moses, yet they still were his people,
and he entreats he would consider the relation they stood in to him, and show
mercy to them.
Exodus 33:14 14 And He said, “My Presence
will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
YLT 14and He saith, `My presence doth go, and I
have given rest to thee.'
And he said,.... In answer
to his request:
my presence
shall go with thee; or before thee, both with Moses and before
the people; meaning the Angel of his presence he had before promised, the
eternal Word and Son of God, who saved them, redeemed them, bore and carried
them all the days of old: or "my faces shall go"F25פני ילכו "facies meae
ibunt", Montanus, Vatablus. ; all the three divine Persons, Father, Son,
and Spirit; there was Jehovah the Father, whose the Angel of his presence was;
and there was Jehovah the Son, Christ, whom they tempted in the wilderness; and
there was Jehovah the Holy Spirit, whom they vexed, see Isaiah 63:9.
and I will give
thee rest; not ease, and peace and tranquillity of mind, or a freedom from
the fear of enemies, and all dangers by them, much less rest in the grave, before
Israel should be brought into Canaan's land; but rather the promised land
itself, which was "the rest" that was promised, and would be given,
and was typical of that eternal rest which remains for the people of God in
heaven, and is a pure gift; for this promise is not personal and peculiar to
Moses, but belonged to all the people, to whom God would give the typical rest,
see Deuteronomy 12:9.
Exodus 33:15 15 Then he said to Him, “If
Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
YLT 15And he saith unto Him, `If Thy presence is
not going -- take us not up from this [place];
And he said
unto him,.... Moses said unto the Lord:
if thy presence
go not with me; or with us, as it may be as well supplied, and which agrees with
what follows:
carry us not up
hence; from the mount to the land of Canaan; though God had promised
his presence, which was the thing requested, Moses could not forbear expressing
himself after this manner, to show the high esteem he had of this blessing, and
how worthless and insignificant everything else was without it; that even
Canaan, the land of rest promised, was nothing in comparison of it: it is not
much matter where we are, or what we have, if God is not with us; but if he
grants his presence, the greatest hardships in a wilderness are made easy, and
difficulties are got through with pleasure; though some read the words in the
preceding verse by way of interrogation, "should my face" or
"presence go", and "should it give thee rest"F26"An
facies mea iret et quietem daret tibi?" Noldius, p. 243. so Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator. ? as carrying in it a kind of denial, which makes Moses
here more urgent for it, and such a version those words seem to require.
Exodus 33:16 16 For how then will it be
known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with
us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are
upon the face of the earth.”
YLT 16and in what is it known now, that I have found
grace in Thine eyes -- I and Thy people -- is it not in Thy going with us? and
we have been distinguished -- I and Thy people -- from all the people who [are]
on the face of the ground.'
For wherein
shall it be known here,.... At Sinai, among the mountains in the wilderness:
that I and thy
people have found grace in thy sight: were acceptable to him,
highly esteemed by him, and had received peculiar favours from him; what
evidence would there be of this? how would it appear to others? what knowledge
could they have of it?
is it not in that thou goest with us? in such a grand majestic
manner, and so visible as in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by
night: this is a full proof, and a strong and convincing argument, even to a
demonstration, that they were a special and peculiar people, the favourites of
God, highly esteemed and honoured by him; but should this be discontinued, as
seemed to be threatened, there would be nothing to demonstrate that they had
found more grace and favour than other people; but this being the case:
so shall we be
separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face
of the earth; distinguished by this favour from them, and that in a very
wonderful and marvellous manner, as the word signifies; and so some render it,
"marvellously separated"F1נפלינו
"marvellously separated", Ainsworth. ; for the pillar of cloud and
fire was a very marvellous thing, and distinguished the people of Israel from
all others in a surprising manner, none having been ever favoured in the like
manner.
Exodus 33:17 17 So the Lord said to Moses,
“I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My
sight, and I know you by name.”
YLT 17And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Even this
thing which thou hast spoken I do; for thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and
I know thee by name.'
And the Lord
said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken,.... Or asked
for, namely, go with them himself in this amazing and distinguished manner, in
the pillar of the cloud and fire; this he would do as well as show him his way
and his works, and indeed all this he did by granting that:
for thou hast
found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name; he owns the truth of the
thing, on which Moses had formed his plan, and by granting his request gave a
fresh proof and evidence of it; and what can be a greater blessing than to
partake of the special grace, favour, and good will of God, and to be
particularly and personally known to him, with such a knowledge as has
connected with it the strongest affection and highest esteem?
Exodus 33:18 18 And he said, “Please, show
me Your glory.”
YLT 18And he saith, `Shew me, I pray Thee, Thine
honour;'
And he said, I
beseech thee, show me thy glory. Not any visible lustre,
splendour, and brightness, as a symbol of the divine Presence, that he had
seen, Exodus 16:7 nor the
glorious essence of God, as MaimonidesF2Yesude Hatorah, c. 1. sect.
10. , which is invisible and cannot be seen, and of which Moses could not be
ignorant; nor the glory of the heavenly state, which also he must know he could
not see until he came thither; but he seems to mean some visible glorious
representation of God, such as he had never seen, though he had been with him
so long on the mount in the cloud, and heard his voice, and saw some
appearances of brightness and glory, yet not in any form that he could frame
any idea of; perhaps he may mean the Angel of God's presence, called his face,
the promised Messiah and glorious Redeemer and Saviour, in whom there is such a
bright display of the glory of the divine perfections; yea, is the brightness
of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person; and this favour was
granted him, with some proper limitations and restrictions; for though this
request was, no doubt, sincere and upright, it might be attended with frailty
and weakness; yet it is not utterly denied, but with some explanation is
allowed, and perhaps was the highest favour ever granted to any before the
incarnation of our Lord, at least in so full and glorious a manner as this was;
Moses having by his suit obtained much, wants more and is emboldened to ask it,
and in a good measure had it, as the following words show.
Exodus 33:19 19 Then He said, “I will make
all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom
I will have compassion.”
YLT 19and He saith, `I cause all My goodness to
pass before thy face, and have called concerning the Name of Jehovah before
thee, and favoured him whom I favour, and loved him whom I love.'
And he said, I
will make all my goodness pass before thee,.... Which is his glory;
the glory of the Lord lies in his goodness, and that appears in the works of
his hands, in the methods of his providence, especially in the distribution of
his sovereign grace and mercy, and particularly in his pardoning grace and
mercy, through the blood of Christ; for as it is "the glory" of a man
"to pass over a transgression", Proverbs 19:11 much
more it is the glory of God, of which this goodness is afterwards interpreted;
and may be understood of Christ himself, who is the goodness of God itself, is
not only good, but the Lord's good One, emphatically good; as he is called his
holy One, so his good One; because all his goodness is laid up in him, is
prevented and filled as Mediator, with the blessings of his goodness; all are
proclaimed in him, displayed through him, and communicated by him; and he is
that glorious Personage that Moses might be desirous of having a view of, and
was favoured with; however, with a view of the divine goodness, as it is
conspicuous in him, in what he is, and has done for his people; for God has
shown forth the exceeding riches of his grace and goodness in him:
and I will
proclaim the name of the Lord before thee: his name and his nature,
his perfections, and the glory of them, as displayed in Christ; or when he is
about to pass, or while he is passing by, lest he should pass by unobserved, I
will proclaim aloud and give thee notice that he is now passing by thee, whose
name is Jehovah, and whose nature, glory, and goodness, are as follow:
and will be
gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy: signifying that notwithstanding the children of Israel had
sinned against him in such a manner as they had, yet he should show favour,
grace, and mercy to them, in pardoning their sins; and it should be
distributed, not according to any merits of theirs, but according to his
sovereign will and pleasure, and not to all, but to whomsoever he thought fit;
and in this would be seen his glory: and so it is with respect to grace and
mercy, as displayed in Christ to sinful men; it is not in proportion to their
deserts, but according to the purpose and good will of God, and that not unto
all, but unto some whom he has appointed, not unto wrath, but unto salvation by
Jesus Christ, and which is to the glory of his grace; and the more enlarged
view men have of this, the more clearly and fully does the goodness and glory
of God pass before them.
Exodus 33:20 20 But He said, “You cannot
see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
YLT 20He saith also, `Thou art unable to see My
face, for man doth not see Me, and live;'
And he said,
thou canst not see my face,.... Meaning not his form, his essence, his
very nature, and the glory of it, that Moses must know he could never see; but
the brightest displays of his grace and goodness in Christ, the fullest
discoveries of it, which are too much for man, in the present state of things,
to have, who sees in part, and but through a glass darkly, not face to face, or
in the most complete and perfect manner; it is but a small part and portion of
God, and of his ways and works, as of creation and providence, so more
especially of grace, salvation, and redemption by Jesus Christ, that is known
of him; the things of the Gospel in their full perfection are what eye has not
seen; and particularly were more hidden and unseen under the legal
dispensation; this face was covered with types and shadows, and dark
representations of things; though, in comparison of that state, we now, with
open face, behold the glory of the Lord, yet still it is through a glass
darkly, and we have not the clear and full view of things as will be hereafter:
for there shall
no man see me and live: if there was to be such a revelation made of the grace and
goodness, and glory of God in Christ, as it really is in itself, it would be
too much for mortals in the present state to bear; it would break their earthen
vessels in pieces; the full discovery therefore is reserved to a future state,
when these things will be seen as they are, and men will be in a condition to receive
them; otherwise we find that men have, in a sense, seen the face of God in this
life, and have lived; though many, and even good men, have been possessed with
such a notion, that if a man saw God he must die, see Genesis 32:30.
Exodus 33:21 21 And
the Lord
said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
YLT 21Jehovah also saith, `Lo, a place [is] by Me,
and thou hast stood on the rock,
And the Lord
said, behold, there is a place by me,.... Near him, not in or
by the tabernacle, where it may be the pillar of cloud now was, as it had been,
Exodus 33:9 but
upon the rock, where it had been for many days, and near to which there was a
fit place for Moses to be in, and have that view of the goodness and glory of
God he would favour him with:
and thou shall
stand upon a rock; in Horeb, typical of Christ the rock, the rock of Israel, and
the rock of ages, the rock of refuge, salvation, and strength; comparable to
one for shelter, solidity, firmness, strength, and duration; and happy are they
who stand upon this rock; they are safe and secure, they stand on high, and
have noble prospects of the perfections of God, and of the riches of his grace
and goodness, see Psalm 50:2.
Exodus 33:22 22 So it shall be, while My
glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover
you with My hand while I pass by.
YLT 22and it hath come to pass, in the passing by
of Mine honour, that I have set thee in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My
hands over thee, until My passing by,
And it shall
come to pass, while my glory passeth by,.... The displays of his
grace and goodness are made:
that I will put
thee in a clift of the rock; in one of the clefts, made by smiting it,
through which the waters gushed out for the relief of the Israelites, and their
flocks: and we are toldF3Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 2. p.
167. see a Journal from Cairo, &c. p. 28, 29. Ed. 2. , that to this day, on
the summit of Mount Sinai, by the Arabians called Gibel el Mousa, or the
mountain of Moses, is perceived a large chasm in the rock, said to be the cave
where Moses hid himself from God, when the glory of the Lord passed before him.
Now this cleft may be an emblem of Christ, as crucified, smitten, wounded and
slain; who was smitten by the law and justice of God, as this rock was smitten
by the rod of Moses: and had gashes and wounds made in him like the clefts of a
rock, being pierced with the nails and spear: and in these clefts of the rock
saints dwell by faith, Song of Solomon 2:14,
and will cover
thee with my hand; with his cloud, as Ben Melech, and so may denote the cloudiness,
obscurity, and darkness of the legal dispensation: but here it seems to denote
imperfection, not being able to bear the full sight of the divine glory, and
which angels themselves cannot bear, but cover their faces; and also the danger
of being consumed, were it not that saints are in Christ, and covered and
secured in him, otherwise God is a consuming fire:
while I pass by
thee; or his glory, the glory of all his perfections, wisdom,
holiness, justice, power, and faithfulness, and especially of his grace, mercy,
and goodness in Christ.
Exodus 33:23 23 Then I will take away My
hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
YLT 23and I have turned aside My hands, and thou
hast seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.'
And I will take
away mine hand,.... As being covered with the hand may signify the obscurity of
the former dispensation, the taking of it away may denote a more clear
revelation of the grace and goodness of God in Christ, and so of the glory of
it under the Gospel dispensation; and yet what is seen in this, in comparison
of the reality of things as they are, or of the heavenly state, are but as next
expressed:
and thou shalt
see my back parts; which some understand of the humanity of Christ, and his
sufferings in it, sometimes expressed by his heel, and the bruising of it, Genesis 3:15 or
else the works of God in creation, by which the invisible things of God are
seen, and which give a knowledge of him "a posteriori"; and so
MaimonidesF4Moreh Nevochim, par. 1. c. 38. interprets the phrase,
which follow me, flow from my will, i.e. all my creatures: or rather it denotes
the imperfect knowledge of God in the present state, even as revealed in Christ,
in whom there are the clearest and brightest displays of his glory; yet this,
in comparison of the beatific sight of him, is but like seeing a man that is
gone by, whose back is only to be seen:
but my face
shall not be seen; in the present state, the face of God, that is, his favour,
communion with him, and the light of his countenance, are to be sought for, and
may be enjoyed; the glory of himself is to be seen in the face or person of
Christ, and the glory of that face or person is to be seen in the glass of the
Gospel, but at present imperfectly; God in Christ as he is, the fullest and
brightest displays of his glory, grace, and goodness, are reserved to another
state, see 1 Corinthians 13:9
or it may regard the divine nature of Christ, which could not be seen by Moses,
but his back parts, or human; Christ as clothed with flesh might, and would be
seen by him, as he was seen by him on the mount, Matthew 17:3.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》