Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” New Living Translation But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” English Standard Version But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” Berean Standard Bible But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” King James Bible And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. New King James Version But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” New American Standard Bible He further said, “You cannot see My face, for mankind shall not see Me and live!” NASB 1995 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” NASB 1977 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Legacy Standard Bible But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Amplified Bible But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man shall see Me and live!” Christian Standard Bible But he added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.” Holman Christian Standard Bible But He answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” American Standard Version And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live. Contemporary English Version but I won't let you see my face, because anyone who sees my face will die. English Revised Version And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for man shall not see me and live. GOD'S WORD® Translation But you can't see my face, because no one may see me and live." Good News Translation I will not let you see my face, because no one can see me and stay alive, International Standard Version But," he said, "You cannot see my face, because a man cannot see me and live." NET Bible But he added, "You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live." New Heart English Bible He said, "You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live." Webster's Bible Translation And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleBut He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” World English Bible He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.” Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionHe also says, “You are unable to see My face, for man does not see Me and live”; Young's Literal Translation He saith also, 'Thou art unable to see My face, for man doth not see Me, and live;' Smith's Literal Translation And he will say, Thou shalt not be able to see my face: for none shall see my face, and live. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd again he said: Thou canst not see my face: for man shall not see me and live. Catholic Public Domain Version And again he said: “You are not able to see my face. For man shall not see me and live.” New American Bible But you cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live. New Revised Standard Version But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd he said, You cannot see my face; for no man can see me and live. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And he said, “I shall make all my goodness pass before you and I shall call out the Name LORD JEHOVAH before you and I shall take pity on him on whom I shall take pity and I shall love him whom I shall love.” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And He said: 'Thou canst not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.' Brenton Septuagint Translation And God said, Thou shalt not be able to see my face; for no man shall see my face, and live. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Glory of the LORD…19“I will cause all My goodness to pass before you,” the LORD replied, “and I will proclaim My name—the LORD—in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 20But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” 21The LORD continued, “There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock,… Cross References John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known. 1 Timothy 6:16 He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. 1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us. John 6:46 not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God; only He has seen the Father. Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Revelation 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, Isaiah 6:5 Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” Genesis 32:30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Judges 13:22 “We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!” Deuteronomy 4:12 And the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of the words but saw no form; there was only a voice. Deuteronomy 5:24 and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. Isaiah 64:4 From ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. Ezekiel 1:28 The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking. Treasury of Scripture And he said, You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. thou canst not. Exodus 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. Deuteronomy 5:24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Jump to Previous Face Live Possible UnableJump to Next Face Live Possible UnableExodus 33 1. The Lord refuses to go as he had promised with the people4. The people mourn there 7. The tabernacle is removed out of the camp 9. The Lord talks familiarly with Moses 12. Moses prevails with God, and desires to see his glory But He added, This phrase indicates a continuation of a conversation between God and Moses. In the context of Exodus 33, Moses is interceding for the Israelites after the incident of the golden calf. God’s response here is part of a larger dialogue where Moses seeks assurance of God’s presence with His people. The use of "He added" suggests that God is providing further clarification or instruction beyond what was previously discussed. “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.” Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt. In this chapter, Moses is interceding for the Israelites and seeking God's presence. 2. God (Yahweh) The one true God, who is holy and whose glory is beyond human comprehension. He speaks directly to Moses in this passage. 3. Mount Sinai The mountain where Moses meets with God and receives the Law. It is a place of divine revelation and covenant. 4. The Tent of Meeting A temporary place where Moses would meet with God before the construction of the Tabernacle. It symbolizes God's presence among His people. 5. The Israelites The chosen people of God, who are on their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. They are the recipients of God's covenant and law. Teaching Points The Holiness of GodGod's holiness is so profound that no sinful human can see His face and live. This calls us to reverence and awe in our relationship with Him. The Mediator Role of Moses Moses acts as a mediator between God and the Israelites, foreshadowing Christ's ultimate mediation for humanity. The Desire for God's Presence Moses' request to see God's glory reflects a deep desire for intimacy with God, which should inspire our own pursuit of His presence. The Limitations of Human Understanding Our finite nature limits our ability to fully comprehend God's glory, reminding us to trust in His revelation through Scripture and Christ. The Promise of Future Revelation While we cannot see God's face now, there is a promise of seeing Him in eternity, encouraging us to live in hope and faith. Lists and Questions Top 10 Lessons from Exodus 33How does the account in Exodus 24 align or conflict with other passages describing God’s nature and appearance? In Judges 13:22–23, does Manoah’s fear of dying upon seeing God conflict with later portrayals of divine encounters? If Psalm 17:15 suggests seeing God’s face, how does that reconcile with passages stating no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20)? How could Jacob wrestle with God (Gen. 32:24–30) when Exodus 33:20 states no one can see God and live? Verse 20. - No man can see me and live. The inability proclaimed in these words is not an absolute inability to see God, but an inability to see and survive the sight. Jacob, when he wrestled with the angel, marvelled that he could see God, even in that intermediate way, and live (Genesis 32:30). It may well be that actually to see God, while we are in the flesh, would kill us. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew And He added,וַיֹּ֕אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “You cannot לֹ֥א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no see לִרְאֹ֣ת (lir·’ōṯ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 7200: To see My face, פָּנָ֑י (pā·nāy) Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular Strong's 6440: The face for כִּ֛י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction no לֹֽא־ (lō-) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no one הָאָדָ֖ם (hā·’ā·ḏām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being can see [Me] יִרְאַ֥נִי (yir·’a·nî) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular | first person common singular Strong's 7200: To see and live.” וָחָֽי׃ (wā·ḥāy) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 2425: To live, to revive Links Exodus 33:20 NIVExodus 33:20 NLT Exodus 33:20 ESV Exodus 33:20 NASB Exodus 33:20 KJV Exodus 33:20 BibleApps.com Exodus 33:20 Biblia Paralela Exodus 33:20 Chinese Bible Exodus 33:20 French Bible Exodus 33:20 Catholic Bible OT Law: Exodus 33:20 He said You cannot see my face (Exo. 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