Exodus 33:23 (YLT)

Passage

and I have turned aside My hands, and thou hast seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.'

Nearby Context

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,

Exodus 33:23 and I have turned aside My hands, and thou hast seen My back parts, and My face is not seen.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turned", "aside", "hands", "thou", "hast", "seen", "back", and "parts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turned" and "aside", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "and it hath come to pass in...", giving immediate footing for "turned" and "aside". In Exodus context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "turned" and "aside" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.