Passage

Exodus 33.22-23

Book: Exodus · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"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: 23. and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:20-23, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"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; 23. then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”" (Exodus 33:20-23, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"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: 23. And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:20-23, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"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, 23. and I have turned aside My hands, and thou hast seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.'" (Exodus 33:20-23, 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

• H3519 - kavod, kavod (Strong's H3519). Also appears in: Exodus 33.18, Psalms 8.5, Psalms 19.1.

Quoted in

• Exodus 33.18
• Ezekiel 39
• Isaiah 21
• Isaiah 40.3-5
• Isaiah 6
• Isaiah 6.1-8
• Isaiah 6.3
• Isaiah 61.1-6
• Isaiah 62
• Malachi 1.6
• Proverbs 26.1
• Psalms 24.10
• Psalms 24.8
• Psalms 29.1-2
• Psalms 8.5
• Zechariah 2.7-11

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.