He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man 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 one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
- Gen 32:30Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
- 1 Tim 6:16who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.
- Isa 6:5Then I said, “Woe is me! For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!”
- Judg 6:22Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to face!”
- Judg 13:22Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God.”
- Deut 5:24and you said, “Behold, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives.
- Rev 1:16–17He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Exod 24:10They saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was like a paved work of sapphire stone, like the skies for clearness.
- Heb 1:13But which of the angels has he told at any time, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.