Exodus 33:20
ESV
But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."
NIV
But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."
NASB
He further said, 'You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!'
CSB
But he added, "You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live."
NLT
But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.'
KJV
And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
NKJV
But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.”
What does Exodus 33:20 mean?
God is not a physical being (John 4:24). He created the physical world (Genesis 1:1) and is not bound by it. This verse is not about visually detecting God's eyes, ears, and lips. The "face" is a biblical analogy of closeness and honesty. Moses and God have spoken "face to face" (Exodus 33:11). To "see a person's face" meant direct contact (Genesis 43:3; Exodus 10:28). What God refers to is a mortal man being exposed to the pure, unfiltered divinity of the Creator (1 Timothy 6:16).Exposure to perfect holiness, absolute power, and all knowledge would destroy a mortal's mind and body. God interacts with mortals through less direct means. To "see the face of God" as Moses requests (Exodus 33:18) would be like standing in the exposed core of a nuclear reactor, rather than using sensors from behind a steel barrier. Both before and after Moses, much less dramatic encounters left men surprised to still be alive (Genesis 32:30; Judges 6:22; 13:22).
In this case, God offers to give Moses an unusually close look at Divinity. The Lord will cover Moses in a rocky crevice, pass by (Exodus 34:5–7), then allow Moses to "see" Him from the back (Exodus 33:21–23).
