Exodus 33:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

NIV: And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

NASB: And He said, 'I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion.'

CSB: He said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

NLT: The Lord replied, 'I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.

KJV: And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

NKJV: Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

This response is part of the Lord's answer to Moses' wish. After being reassured (Exodus 33:12–17), Moses has made a bold request. He has experienced God's presence in unique ways (Exodus 3:1–6; 24:18). Now he wants the Lord to show His "glory." Moses wants to see the Lord's unfiltered, unrestrained divinity. God has no intentions of granting that request; being in the pure presence of God would destroy a mortal man (Exodus 32:30).

Still, the Lord will grant Moses a special display. He will cover Moses inside a mountainside crevice as the Lord passes by. Then Moses will be allowed to see a muted version of the Lord's glory, but not His unblocked face (Exodus 33:20–23). God makes good on this promise when the covenant is renewed (Exodus 34:5–7).

This verse also highlights that the Lord is "sovereign." This means that He has supreme authority; God has no obligations to His creation and His power is unchecked. God would be justified in condemning the entire human race (Romans 3:23, 26), or in arranging that the entire race be saved (2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2). How and where He applies mercy is His choice alone (Romans 9:15–18).

Exodus 33:17–23 is God's response to Moses' plea in the prior section (Exodus 33:12–16). The Lord agrees that He will go with Israel on their journey to the Promised Land (Genesis 15:18–21; Exodus 33:1–3). Though Moses and God are speaking face-to-face (Exodus 33:11), the Lord's full glory is hidden. When Moses asks to see God's glory—to know Him perfectly—God points out that this would destroy a mortal man. Rather, the Lord plans to reveal Himself in a more limited way (Exodus 34:5–7).

God commands Israel to leave the Sinai region. They are to move on towards the Promised Land, but without the Lord's usual presence. Moses meets with God outside the camp and the Lord says He will once again accompany Israel. Moses asks to see the full glory of God. Since this would kill Moses, God arranges for a much more limited experience.

Israel fell into idolatry (Exodus 32:1–6) very soon after receiving God's laws against it (Exodus 20:3–6). Yet the Lord still plans to bring them into a Promised Land. In this chapter, the people are commanded to leave Sinai and head towards Canaan. But the covenant must be renewed (Exodus 34). Until then, there is a level of separation between the nation and their God.

The book of Exodus establishes God's covenant relationship with the full-fledged nation of Israel. The descendants of Abraham prosper after settling in Egypt, only to be enslaved by a fearful, hateful Egyptian Pharaoh. God appoints Moses to lead the people out of this bondage. Moses serves as God's spokesman, as the Lord brings plagues and judgments on Egypt, leading to the release of Israel.