Exodus 33:19 (DBY)

Passage

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thy face, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Nearby Context

Exodus 33:17 And Jehovah said to Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast said; for thou hast found grace in mine eyes, and I know thee by name.

Exodus 33:18 And he said, Let me, I pray thee, see thy glory.

Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thy face, and I will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for Man shall not see me, and live.

Exodus 33:21 And Jehovah said, Behold, [there is] a place by me: there shalt thou stand on the rock.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "said", "make", "goodness", "pass", "before", "face", and "proclaim". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And he said Let me I pray..." into verse 20's "And he said Thou canst not see...", so "mercy" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mercy" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.