Exodus 33:19-23

 

Moses was favored by Yahweh and become his intime friend, but when Moses asked to see God’s face, Yahweh declined, answering that no man can see the divine countenance directly and live. It would seem that our consciousness and level of strength and capacity to encounter pure truth or near truth is not unlimited, and seeing God’s face directly is more than a mere mortal can handle and live.

 

Here are the passages from The New American Bible: “Then Moses said, ‘Do let me see your glory. He answered, ‘I will make all my beauty pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce my name, ‘Lord’; I show favors to whom I will, I will grant mercy to whom I will. But my face you cannot see, for no man sees me and lives.’ ‘Here,’ continued the Lord, ‘is a place near me where you shall station yourself on the rock. When my glory passes I will set you in the hollow of the rock and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, so that you may see my back* (*Translators’ Note: 33,23: You may see my back: mn can see God’s glory as reflected in creation, but his ‘face’, that is, God as he is in himself, mortal man cannot behold . . . .)  but my face is not to be seen.’”

 

Here are same passages from the Holy Bible (KJV): “And he said, I beseech thee, let me see thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee,”

 

My response: God in the The New American Bible translation refers to his own beauty, which seems apt, but I prefer the Holy Bible translation when God refers to his own goodness, his spiritual and moral goodness, which is beautiful in many ways.

 

Holy Bible: “and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy upon whom I will show mercy.

 

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live.

 

And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

 

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by.

 

And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”