Exodus 33: The Tent of Meeting, Yahweh's presence, and Moses' request to see his glory
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What happens?
Yahweh tells Moses to leave and go up to the land he promised, and says he will send an angel but will not go up among a stiff-necked people. The people mourn, Moses pitches a tent outside the camp called the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh speaks with him there face to face. Moses asks Yahweh to go with them, Yahweh says his presence will go, and Moses asks to see his glory; Yahweh says he will make his goodness pass before Moses, that no man may see his face and live, and that Moses will see his back.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God's own words are in 11 of the 23 verses: Yahweh's words to Moses in verses 1 to 3, what he tells Moses to say to the people in verse 5, and his words to Moses in verses 14, 17 and 19 to 23. Verses 9 and 11 say that Yahweh spoke with Moses but give no words. Moses names the tent in verse 7, and speaks to Yahweh in verses 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18. In verse 12 Moses repeats words he says Yahweh has said, so they are not in gold. Verses 14, 19 and 20 begin "He said" and do not name the speaker. They come in the talk between Moses and Yahweh, and they are shown as Yahweh's. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people that you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh spoke to Moses, "Depart, go up from here, you and the people you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your offspring.'
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2I will send an angel before you; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.God speaks
In plain English: I will send an angel in front of you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
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3Go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”God speaks
In plain English: Go to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up among you, because you are a stiff-necked (stubborn) people, or else I might consume you on the way."
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4When the people heard this evil news, they mourned; and no one put on his jewelry.
In plain English: When the people heard this bad news, they mourned, and no one put on his jewelry.
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5Yahweh had said to Moses, “Tell the children of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go up among you for one moment, I would consume you. Therefore now take off your jewelry from you, that I may know what to do to you.’”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh had said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites, 'You are a stiff-necked (stubborn) people. If I were to go up among you for one moment, I would consume you. So now take off your jewelry, so that I may know what to do to you.'"
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6The children of Israel stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward.
In plain English: The Israelites stripped themselves of their jewelry from Mount Horeb onward (the Hebrew says only: from Mount Horeb).
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7Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it “The Tent of Meeting.” Everyone who sought Yahweh went out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp.
In plain English: Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far away from the camp, and he called it "The Tent of Meeting." Everyone who sought Yahweh went out to the Tent of Meeting, which was outside the camp.
Good to know: The name "Tent of Meeting" is already used in Yahweh's instructions in , before any tent is built. Here Moses gives that name to a tent outside the camp. The tabernacle is made in chapters 35 to 40, and says the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting. This verse does not say how the two tents are related.
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8When Moses went out to the Tent, all the people rose up, and stood, everyone at their tent door, and watched Moses, until he had gone into the Tent.
In plain English: When Moses went out to the Tent, all the people rose up and stood, each at the door of his tent, and watched Moses until he had gone into the Tent.
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9When Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, stood at the door of the Tent, and Yahweh spoke with Moses.
In plain English: When Moses entered the Tent, the pillar of cloud came down and stood at the door of the Tent, and Yahweh spoke with Moses.
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10All the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, and all the people rose up and worshiped, everyone at their tent door.
In plain English: All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the Tent. All the people rose up and worshiped, each at the door of his tent.
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11Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn’t depart from the Tent.
In plain English: Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned back to the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not leave the Tent.
The Hebrew words: "Face to face" is panim el panim, the Hebrew word for face said twice. The dictionary gives panim as "the face (as the part that turns)".
Good to know: The same Hebrew words are in 5 verses of the Bible, this one among them. In Jacob says, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." In Gideon says, "I have seen Yahweh's angel face to face!" says no prophet has risen like Moses, "whom Yahweh knew face to face". has a different phrase: Yahweh says of Moses, "I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see Yahweh's form."
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12Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’
In plain English: Moses said to Yahweh, "Look, you tell me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.'
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13Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your way, now, that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight; and consider that this nation is your people.”
In plain English: Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your way now, so that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight. And consider that this nation is your people."
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14He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”God speaks
In plain English: He said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
The Hebrew word: "Presence" is panim, the Hebrew word for face. Word for word, "My presence will go" is "My face will go". The same word is "face" in ("face to face"), in and in .
How it is translated: In Exodus this Bible says "presence" for panim in only 5 of the 112 verses that use it. Two of them are here: this verse and .
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15Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here.
In plain English: Moses said to him, "If your presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here.
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16For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
In plain English: For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not by your going with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?"
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17Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Moses, "I will do this thing also that you have spoken, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."
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18Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
In plain English: Moses said, "Please show me your glory."
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19He 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.”God speaks
In plain English: He said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim Yahweh's name before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy."
The Hebrew words: "Be gracious" is the verb chanan, which the dictionary gives as "properly, to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition)". "Show mercy" is racham, "to fondle; by implication, to love, especially to compassionate". Each verb is said twice: word for word, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious".
Good to know: Yahweh says here that he will proclaim his name before Moses, and to tell it. The words for "merciful" and "gracious" in , rachum and channun, come from these two verbs. The sentence also has the same shape as "I AM WHO I AM" in : a verb, then asher ("who" or "whom"), then the same verb again.
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20He said, “You cannot see my face, for man may not see me and live.”God speaks
In plain English: He said, "You cannot see my face, for no man (or: person) may see me and live."
Good to know: Verse 11 says Yahweh spoke to Moses "face to face". This verse says no one can see his face and live, and says Moses will see his back but that his face "shall not be seen". to say that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders went up and "saw the God of Israel". The text does not say how these verses fit together.
Church tradition: Jewish and Christian readers take these verses together in different ways. Some take "face to face" to speak of how close the conversation was, and some take it as a sight of God. They also differ on what Moses sees in verse 23. The text does not choose between them.
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21Yahweh also said, “Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock.God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh also said, "Look, there is a place by me, and you are to stand on the rock.
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22It 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;God speaks
In plain English: It will happen, while my glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft (a crack) of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by,
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23then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”God speaks
In plain English: and then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen."
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