Exodus 33:19 (GNV)

Passage

And he answered, I wil make all my good go before thee, and I wil proclaime the Name of the Lord before thee: for I will shewe mercy to whom I will shewe mercy, and will haue compassion on whom I will haue compassion.

Nearby Context

Exodus 33:17 And the Lord sayde vnto Moses, I will doe this also that thou hast saide: for thou hast founde grace in my sight, and I knowe thee by name.

Exodus 33:18 Againe he sayde, I beseech thee, shewe me thy glory.

Exodus 33:19 And he answered, I wil make all my good go before thee, and I wil proclaime the Name of the Lord before thee: for I will shewe mercy to whom I will shewe mercy, and will haue compassion on whom I will haue compassion.

Exodus 33:20 Furthermore he sayde, Thou canst not see my face, for there shall no man see me, and liue.

Exodus 33:21 Also the Lord sayd, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand vpon the rocke:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mercy", "answered", "make", "good", "before", "thee", "proclaime", and "name". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "answered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Againe he sayde I beseech thee shewe..." into verse 20's "Furthermore he sayde Thou canst not see...", so "mercy" and "answered" 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 "answered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.