Exodus 33.20

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Exodus chapter: 33 verses: "20" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 2 enriched: false

Quoted in

Exodus 33.20

Book: Exodus · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"18. And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. 19. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."

"20. And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live."

"21. And Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: 22. and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by:" (Exodus 33:18-22, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"18. He said, “Please show me your glory.” 19. He said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim Yahweh’s name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”"

"20. He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”"

"21. Yahweh also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock. 22. It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;" (Exodus 33:18-22, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"18. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19. 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."

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

"21. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22. 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:" (Exodus 33:18-22, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"18. And he saith, 'Shew me, I pray Thee, Thine honour;' 19. and He saith, 'I cause all My goodness to pass before thy face, and have called concerning the Name of Jehovah before thee, and favoured him whom I favour, and loved him whom I love.'"

"20. He saith also, 'Thou art unable to see My face, for man doth not see Me, and live;'"

"21. Jehovah also saith, 'Lo, a place [is] by Me, and thou hast stood on the rock, 22. and it hath come to pass, in the passing by of Mine honour, that I have set thee in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My hands over thee, until My passing by," (Exodus 33:18-22, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Moses (traditional)
Audience: Israelite congregation post-Exodus
Location: Egypt → Sinai wilderness
Time period: events c. 1446-1445 BC; composed c. 1446-1406 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H0120 - adam, adam (Strong's H120). Also appears in: Genesis 1.26, Genesis 1.27, Genesis 2.7.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.