Exodus 33:23 (DRB)

Passage

And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face thou canst not see.

Nearby Context

Exodus 33:21 And again he said: Behold there is a place with me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock.

Exodus 33:22 And when my glory shall pass, I will set thee in a hole of the rock, and protect thee with my righthand till I pass:

Exodus 33:23 And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face thou canst not see.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "away", "hand", "thou", "shalt", "back", "parts", and "face". 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 when my glory shall pass I...", 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.