Passage
Exodus 33.23
Book: Exodus · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT
Immediate context (±2 verses)
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ASV (ASV)
"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 33:21-23, ASV)
WEB (WEB)
"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 33:21-23, WEB)
KJV (KJV)
"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 33:21-23, KJV)
YLT (YLT)
"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 33:21-23, 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
No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)
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.