Bible Strands
Exodus 33:23
Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God addresses Moses at the moment He promises to shield him with His hand while His glory passes by.
The words — וַהֲסִרֹתִי (ha.si.ro.Ti) translates literally as "and I will remove," and אֲחֹרָי ('a.cho.Ra/i) means "my back parts."
The thread — The prohibition against seeing God’s face appears in Exodus 33:20, John 1:18 states that no one has seen God, and Job 11:7 asks whether humans can discover the limits of the Almighty.
Why it lands — The text states that God will remove His covering to reveal His back but explicitly forbids seeing His face. It requires the reader to accept that divine revelation operates on God’s terms, not human capacity.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
Cross-references
- Exodus 33:20 But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
- John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.
- Job 11:7 Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
- 1 Timothy 6:16 He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
- Job 26:14 Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”