Exodus 33:21 (KJV)

Passage

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Nearby Context

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

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

Exodus 33:21 And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Exodus 33:22 And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "said", "behold", "place", "thou", "shalt", "stand", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And he said Thou canst not see..." into verse 22's "And it shall come to pass while...", so "lord" 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 "lord" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.