Aaron and all the Israelites looked at Moses, and behold, his face was radiant. And they were afraid to approach him.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come near him.
- KJV And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
- NKJV So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
- NASB So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to approach him.
- NLT So when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they were afraid to come near him.
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
Aaron and the people see Moses' shining face and are afraid to come near him.
Overview
The glory on Moses' face provoked fear, for sinful people instinctively shrink from the reflected holiness of God. This reverent dread showed both the majesty of God and the distance sin creates. In Christ, however, the glory of God draws near in grace, so that we may behold it and not be consumed (John 1:14).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Mark 9:3His clothes became radiantly white, brighter than any launderer on earth could bleach them.
- Luke 5:8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.”
- Mark 9:15As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were filled with awe and ran to greet Him.
- Num 12:8I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 34:30 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.