Exodus 33:21
ESV
And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,
NIV
Then the Lord said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
NASB
Then the Lord said, 'Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;
CSB
The Lord said, "Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock,
NLT
The Lord continued, 'Look, stand near me on this rock.
KJV
And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:
NKJV
And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.
What does Exodus 33:21 mean?
Moses asked to "see" God (Exodus 33:18). This suggests that Moses wanted to know God even more intimately (Exodus 33:11); to experience God in His completeness. But exposure to the unguarded nature of the Creator would be fatal (Exodus 33:20). Instead, the Lord explains how Moses can experience this indirectly (Exodus 34:5–7).The plan is for Moses to come to a rocky place, where God will place him in a crevice or narrow cave (Exodus 33:22). God will not remove His "hand" from over that space until His glory is receding, so Moses can see the Lord's "back" (Exodus 33:23) Since God is not a physical being (John 4:24), these are analogies for our benefit, not literal descriptions of God's anatomy.
