Exodus 33:12-23 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 33:12-23

Moses, having returned to the door of the tabernacle, becomes a humble and importunate supplicant there for two very great favours, and as a prince he has power with God, and prevails for both: herein he was a type of Christ the great intercessor, whom the Father heareth always. I. He is very earnest with God for a grant of his presence with Israel in the rest of their march to Canaan, notwithstanding their provocations. The people had by their sin deserved the wrath of God, and for the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:12

And Moses said unto the Lord ,.... Having returned from the camp to the tabernacle again: see, thou sayest unto me, bring up this people : from hence to the land of Canaan, as in Exodus 33:1 . and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me ; to guide and direct him, help and assist him, protect and defend him, and the people with him; he had signified something of this kind, but by some expressions, and by his present conduct, he was at a loss to know who was to go with... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:13

Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight ,.... Which he said, not as doubting whether he had or not, but as taking it for granted he had, and so argues from it, and improves his interest in it, in his pleading with God: shew me now thy way : either the way which he himself would take, the way of his providence in bringing the children of Israel into the land of Canaan; or the way he would have him take, the way of his duty, how he would have him behave in conducting... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:14

And he said ,.... In answer to his request: my presence shall go with thee ; or before thee, both with Moses and before the people; meaning the Angel of his presence he had before promised, the eternal Word and Son of God, who saved them, redeemed them, bore and carried them all the days of old: or "my faces shall go" F25 פני ילכו "facies meae ibunt", Montanus, Vatablus. ; all the three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit; there was Jehovah the Father, whose the Angel of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:15

And he said unto him ,.... Moses said unto the Lord: if thy presence go not with me ; or with us, as it may be as well supplied, and which agrees with what follows: carry us not up hence ; from the mount to the land of Canaan; though God had promised his presence, which was the thing requested, Moses could not forbear expressing himself after this manner, to show the high esteem he had of this blessing, and how worthless and insignificant everything else was without it; that even... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:16

For wherein shall it be known here ,.... At Sinai, among the mountains in the wilderness: that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight : were acceptable to him, highly esteemed by him, and had received peculiar favours from him; what evidence would there be of this? how would it appear to others? what knowledge could they have of it? is it not in that thou goest with us ? in such a grand majestic manner, and so visible as in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:17

And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken ,.... Or asked for, namely, go with them himself in this amazing and distinguished manner, in the pillar of the cloud and fire; this he would do as well as show him his way and his works, and indeed all this he did by granting that: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name ; he owns the truth of the thing, on which Moses had formed his plan, and by granting his request gave a fresh proof... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:18

And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. Not any visible lustre, splendour, and brightness, as a symbol of the divine Presence, that he had seen, Exodus 16:7 nor the glorious essence of God, as Maimonides F2 Yesude Hatorah, c. 1. sect. 10. , which is invisible and cannot be seen, and of which Moses could not be ignorant; nor the glory of the heavenly state, which also he must know he could not see until he came thither; but he seems to mean some visible glorious representation... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:19

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee ,.... Which is his glory; the glory of the Lord lies in his goodness, and that appears in the works of his hands, in the methods of his providence, especially in the distribution of his sovereign grace and mercy, and particularly in his pardoning grace and mercy, through the blood of Christ; for as it is "the glory" of a man "to pass over a transgression", Proverbs 19:11 much more it is the glory of God, of which this goodness is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:20

And he said, thou canst not see my face ,.... Meaning not his form, his essence, his very nature, and the glory of it, that Moses must know he could never see; but the brightest displays of his grace and goodness in Christ, the fullest discoveries of it, which are too much for man, in the present state of things, to have, who sees in part, and but through a glass darkly, not face to face, or in the most complete and perfect manner; it is but a small part and portion of God, and of his ways... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Exodus 33:12-23

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:14

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:16

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:17

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:18

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Exodus 33:20

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