And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
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Commentary
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Gill's Exposition
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…
But his request could not be granted in accordance with the conditions of human existence. The glory of the Almighty in its fulness is not to be revealed to the eye of man. Compare Jdg 6:22; Isa 6:5.…
Adam Clarke
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 Jo1 3:2. From some disguised relation of the…
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…
Cambridge Bible
The thought that no one could -see God," at least in His full glory, -and live," is often expressed in the OT.: cf. Gen 32:30; Deu 4:33; Deu 5:24; Deu 5:26; Jdg 6:22 f., Exo 13:22; Isa 6:5.
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