And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”
- BSB But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
- NKJV But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
- NASB He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!”
- NLT But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God says no one can see His face and live, for His full glory is unbearable to sinful humanity. God's holiness is too great for mortals to behold directly.
Overview
Sinful human beings cannot survive the unveiled presence of God's holy glory. This both protects Moses and humbles all who would presume upon God. The truth heightens the wonder of the incarnation, where in Christ the glory of God is revealed in a way humanity can behold and live (John 1:14, 18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
- Gen 32:30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
- 1 Tim 6:16Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
- Isa 6:5Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
- Judg 6:22And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
- Judg 13:22And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
- Deut 5:24And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.
- Rev 1:16–17And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
- Exod 24:10And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
- Heb 1:13But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Passover lamb whose blood turns away death, the exodus through the sea, the manna, the rock, and the tabernacle where God dwells with his people all foreshadow Jesus — our Passover, our redemption, the bread from heaven, and God-with-us in the flesh.
How Exodus 33:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.