Exodus 33:20 (LSB)

Passage

But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Nearby Context

Exodus 33:18 Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”

Exodus 33:19 And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

Exodus 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”

Exodus 33:21 Then Yahweh said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

Exodus 33:22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "face", and "live". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "face", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "And He said I Myself will make..." into verse 21's "Then Yahweh said Behold there is a...", so "said" and "face" 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 "said" and "face" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.