And he said, You can not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
thou canst not.
Exodus 24:10 And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.
Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Deuteronomy 5:24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.
“You cannot see My face,
In biblical terms, the "face" of God often symbolizes His presence and glory. The request to see God's face is a desire for an intimate and direct encounter with His divine nature. In the ancient Near Eastern context, seeing the face of a king or deity was considered a privilege and a sign of favor. However, in the case of the God of Israel, His holiness and glory are so overwhelming that they cannot be fully comprehended or withstood by mortal beings.
for no one can see Me and live.”
This statement underscores the transcendence and holiness of God. The idea that no one can see God and live is rooted in the understanding of God's absolute purity and the sinful nature of humanity. Theologically, it highlights the separation between God and man due to sin. This concept is echoed in other scriptures, such as John 1:18, which states that no one has seen God, but Jesus, the Son, has made Him known. The necessity of a mediator between God and man is a recurring theme in the Bible, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who provides a way for humanity to approach God.
- The statement follows Moses’ bold request, “Please show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18), reminding us we are listening in on a continuing, personal conversation.
- God is not refusing relationship—He just promised, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14)—but He is clarifying boundaries.
- Similar moments of divine clarification appear when God warns the people at Sinai not to “break through to gaze at the LORD, or many of them will perish” (Exodus 19:21).
- By adding this word, the Lord is emphasizing that intimacy with Him must always be on His terms, never ours.
- “Face” signals the fullest, unveiled display of God’s glory. While Moses has spoken with the LORD “face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11), that communion was still veiled.
- Scripture consistently teaches the impossibility of mortals beholding God’s unveiled essence: “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18); He “dwells in unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16).
- When Jacob declared, “I have seen God face to face” (Genesis 32:30), or Isaiah exclaimed, “My eyes have seen the King” (Isaiah 6:5), each encounter was mediated—a theophany accommodated to human limits.
- God’s words here guard Moses against presumption and preserve the proper awe that attends true worship.
- The absolute holiness of God and the fallen state of humanity cannot coexist unshielded. To behold Him fully would mean instant judgment: “Woe to me... I am ruined! For my eyes have seen the King” (Isaiah 6:5).
- This truth is echoed in Judges 13:22, where Manoah exclaims, “We are going to die... we have seen God!”
- Even righteous Moses needed protection: the LORD would place him “in the cleft of the rock” and cover him with His hand (Exodus 33:22).
- The life–death consequence underscores both God’s transcendence and His mercy: He warns in order to spare.
Exodus 33:20 teaches that while God invites close fellowship, His unfiltered glory remains lethal to fallen humans. By telling Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live,” the LORD affirms His perfect holiness, our creaturely limits, and the necessity of His gracious mediation. The verse calls us to approach Him with grateful reverence, rejoicing that in Christ we will one day see Him “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12) when mortality is swallowed up by life.
Verse 20. - No man can see me and live. The inability proclaimed in these words is not an absolute inability to see God, but an inability to see and survive the sight. Jacob, when he wrestled with the angel, marvelled that he could see God, even in that intermediate way, and live (Genesis 32:30). It may well be that actually to see God, while we are in the flesh, would kill us.