Exodus 33:20 (YLT)

Passage

He saith also, `Thou art unable to see My face, for man doth not see Me, and live;'

Nearby Context

Exodus 33:18 And he saith, `Shew me, I pray Thee, Thine honour;'

Exodus 33:19 and He saith, `I cause all My goodness to pass before thy face, and have called concerning the Name of Jehovah before thee, and favoured him whom I favour, and loved him whom I love.'

Exodus 33:20 He saith also, `Thou art unable to see My face, for man doth not see Me, and live;'

Exodus 33:21 Jehovah also saith, `Lo, a place <FI>is<Fi> by Me, and thou hast stood on the rock,

Exodus 33:22 and it hath come to pass, in the passing by of Mine honour, that I have set thee in a cleft of the rock, and spread out My hands over thee, until My passing by,

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "and He saith I cause all My..." into verse 21's "Jehovah also saith Lo a place FI...", so "saith" and "thou" 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 "saith" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.