Exodus 33:20-22 New English Translation
20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can[a] see me and live.”[b] 21 The Lord said, “Here[c] is a place by me; you will station yourself[d] on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover[e] you with my hand[f] while I pass by.[g]
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- Exodus 33:20 tn In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.
- Exodus 33:20 tn Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” (GKC 498 §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33; 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22; 13:22, and Isa 6:5.
- Exodus 33:21 tn The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.
- Exodus 33:21 tn Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”
- Exodus 33:22 sn Note the use in Exod 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.
- Exodus 33:22 tn The circumstantial clause is simply, “my hand [being] over you.” This protecting hand of Yahweh represents a fairly common theme in the Bible.
- Exodus 33:22 tn The construction has a preposition with an infinitive construct and a suffix: “while [or until] I pass by” (Heb “in the passing by of me”).
New English Translation (NET)
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