Exodus 33:18
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Exodus 33:18
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Moses isn't just asking for a dazzling light show; he's asking to understand God more deeply, to grasp the very essence of God's being and character that he has experienced but can't fully articulate. He desires not just a glimpse of power, but a revelation of God's inner nature that will empower him to lead the people.
Having just received assurance that God would not abandon His people, Moses, feeling emboldened and desiring a deeper understanding of the Divine, asks to see God's glory directly. This request builds upon his previous desire to "know God's way" and comes after God had already granted him a unique intimacy, speaking with him "face to face." God's response will reveal that while the full glory is too much for human eyes to bear, He will provide a glimpse of His goodness and nature.
Understand the original words
kabod · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the manifestation of God's presence, majesty, splendor, and weightiness. It represents the revelation of His essential character and holiness to humanity.
jfbExodus 33:18: "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory."
18-23. I beseech thee, show me thy glory—This is one of the most mysterious scenes described in the Bible: he had, for his comfort and encouragement, a splendid and full display of the divine majesty, not in its unveiled effulgence, but as far as the weakness of humanity would admit. The face, hand, back parts, are to be understood figuratively.
cambridgeExodus 33:18: "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory."
18 . Shew me ] Here, as a modern English reader would expect, ‘make me to see ,’ not as in v. 13, ‘make me to know .’ thy glory ] Thy full majesty. 18–23 . Moses repeats, in a more definite form, his request of v. 13. He asks to be allowed to see Jehovah’s glory; but is told in reply that he cannot see this in its fulness ( v. 20); he may, however, have a glimpse of it, sufficient to disclose to him God’s moral nature.
Moses isn't just asking for a dazzling light show; he's asking to understand God more deeply, to grasp the very essence of God's being and character that he has experienced but can't fully articulate. He desires not just a glimpse of power, but a revelation of God's inner nature that will empower him to lead the people.
Having just received assurance that God would not abandon His people, Moses, feeling emboldened and desiring a deeper understanding of the Divine, asks to see God's glory directly. This request builds upon his previous desire to "know God's way" and comes after God had already granted him a unique intimacy, speaking with him "face to face." God's response will reveal that while the full glory is too much for human eyes to bear, He will provide a glimpse of His goodness and nature.
Having just received assurance that God would not abandon His people, Moses, feeling emboldened and desiring a deeper understanding of the Divine, asks to see God's glory directly. This request builds upon his previous desire to "know God's way" and comes after God had already granted him a unique intimacy, speaking with him "face to face." God's response will reveal that while the full glory is too much for human eyes to bear, He will provide a glimpse of His goodness and nature.
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"Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”" — Moses isn't just asking for a dazzling light show; he's asking to understand God more deeply, to grasp the very essence of God's being and character that he has experienced but can't fully articula…