Exodus 33

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:16

So shall we be separated - By having this Divine protection we shall be saved from idolatry, and be preserved in thy truth and in the true worshipping of thee; and thus shall we be separated from all the people that are upon the face of the earth: as all the nations of the world, the Jews only excepted, were at this time idolaters. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:17

I will do this thing also - My presence shall go with thee, and I will keep thee separate from all the people of the earth. Both these promises have been remarkably fulfilled. God continued miraculously with them till he brought them into the promised land; and from the day in which he brought them out of Egypt to the present day, he has kept them a distinct, unmixed people! Who can account for this on any principle but that of a continual especial providence, and a constant Divine... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:18

Show me thy glory - Moses probably desired to see that which constitutes the peculiar glory or excellence of the Divine nature as it stands in reference to man. By many this is thought to signify his eternal mercy in sending Christ Jesus into the world. Moses perceived that what God was now doing had the most important and gracious designs which at present he could not distinctly discover; therefore he desires God to show him his glory. God graciously promises to indulge him in this request... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:19

I will make all my goodness pass before thee - Thou shalt not have a sight of my justice, for thou couldst not bear the infinite splendor of my purity: but I shall show myself to thee as the fountain of inexhaustible compassion, the sovereign Dispenser of my own mercy in my own way, being gracious to whom I will be gracious, and showing mercy on whom I will show mercy. I will proclaim the name of the Lord - See Clarke's note on Exodus 34:6 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:20

No man see me, and live - The splendor would be insufferable to man; he only, whose mortality is swallowed up of life, can see God as he is. See 1 John 3:2 . From some disguised relation of the circumstances mentioned here, the fable of Jupiter and Semele was formed; she is reported to have entreated Jupiter to show her his glory, who was at first very reluctant, knowing that it would be fatal to her; but at last, yielding to her importunity, he discovered his divine majesty, and she was... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:21

Behold, there is a place by me - There seems to be a reference here to a well-known place on the mount where God was accustomed to meet with Moses. This was a rock; and it appears there was a cleft or cave in it, in which Moses was to stand while the Divine Majesty was pleased to show him all that human nature was capable of bearing: but this appears to have referred more to the counsels of his mercy and goodness, relative to his purpose of redeeming the human race, than to any visible... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:1

Verse 1 1.Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people I have used the pluperfect tense; (360) for the reason is here given, whereby Moses was stirred up to such vehemence in prayer, viz., because, although God had not altogether abandoned the care of the people, still He had renounced His covenant, and had proclaimed to them that, after He had once performed His engagement of giving them possession of the land, He would have no more to do with them. Wherefore, what is here related, preceded,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:4

Verse 4 4.And when the people heard these evil tidings Hence it more clearly appears that, as I have said, it was like a thunderbolt to them when God withdrew Himself from the people; for this divorce is more fatal than innumerable deaths. It might indeed at first sight seem delightful to be the masters of a rich and fertile land; but dull as the people generally were, God smote them suddenly, so that all its delights became insipid, and its fruitfulness like famine itself, when they perceived... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:7

Verse 7 7.And Moses took the tabernacle This was a sign of the divorce between God and the Israelites, that the tabernacle should be removed from the camp and pitched at a distance, as if God were tired of His connection with them. He had promised as a special blessing that He would dwell in the midst of the people; and now, by departing elsewhere, He declares them to be polluted. In a word, the removal of the tabernacle was like the breaking of the tables; for, just as by the breaking of the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:11

Verse 11 11.And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face Moses will hereafter be dignified by this distinction, where God would declare the difference between him and other Prophets. (Numbers 12:8.) Familiar intercourse is therefore described in this phrase, as if it were said that God appeared to Moses by an extraordinary mode of revelation. If any object that there is a contradiction between this statement and what we shall presently see, “Thou canst not see my face,” the solution is easy,... read more

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:16

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:17

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:19

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:20

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:21

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:1

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:4

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:7

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Exodus 33:11

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