Exodus 33:23
ESV
Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
NIV
Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
NASB
Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.'
CSB
Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen."
NLT
Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.'
KJV
And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
NKJV
Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
What does Exodus 33:23 mean?
God often depicts Himself using human terms. While God is a person, He is not material (John 4:24). Nor is He limited and fallible like human beings (Psalm 113:4–6; Isaiah 55:8–9; 1 Timothy 6:15–16). When Scripture speaks of things like God's eyes (Proverbs 15:3), ears (Psalm 34:15), hands (John 10:28–29), or mouth (Deuteronomy 8:3), they are metaphors for His awareness, power, and words. In the same way, God describes His own thoughts and emotions using parallels to human thinking. A recent example described the direct communication between God and Moses as "face to face" (Exodus 33:11).Here, Moses can see the Lord's unveiled glory in some way without being destroyed (Exodus 33:18–22). God explains this in humanlike ideas, not meaning them in the most literal sense. God will cover Moses in a rocky crevice as the Lord's glory approaches (Exodus 34:5–7). As it moves away, the cover will lift, and Moses will experience something of that glory as it recedes. Or, in human terms, God will put His "hand" over Moses until it is safe for Moses to see God's "back."
