Exodus 33:23 (DBY)

Passage

And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see me from behind; but my face shall not be seen.

Nearby Context

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

Exodus 33:22 And it shall come to pass, when 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.

Exodus 33:23 And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see me from behind; but my face shall not be seen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "away", "hand", "thou", "shalt", "behind", "face", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "away", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "And it shall come to pass when...", giving immediate footing for "take" and "away". In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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