Exodus 33:20 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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:

Exodus 33:22 And while my glory passeth by, I will put thee in a cleft of the rocke, and will couer thee with mine hand whiles I passe by.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "furthermore", "sayde", "thou", "canst", "face", "shall", and "liue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "furthermore" and "sayde", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And he answered I wil make all..." into verse 21's "Also the Lord sayd Behold there is...", so "furthermore" and "sayde" 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 "furthermore" and "sayde" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.