15Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here.16For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
17Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
15 Moses said to him, “If your presence doesn’t go with me, don’t carry us up from here.
16 For how would people know that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Isn’t it that you go with us, so that we are separated, I and your people, from all the people who are on the surface of the earth?”
17 Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
KJVKing James Version
15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
16 For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
15 And he said unto Him: 'If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
16 For wherein now shall it be known that I have found grace in Thy sight, I and Thy people? is it not in that Thou goest with us, so that we are distinguished, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth?'
17 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.'
Exodus 34:9(v15)He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, Lord, please let the Lord go among us, even though this is a stiff-necked people; pardon…
Deuteronomy 4:7(v16)For what great nation is there that has a god so near to them as Yahweh our God is whenever we call on him?
Psalms 4:6(v15)Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
Isaiah 65:24(v17)It will happen that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Exodus 33:3(v15)Go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”
Show all 24 cross-references
Numbers 14:14(v16)They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you Yahweh are among this people; for you Yahweh are seen face to…
1 John 5:14-15(v17)This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he…
1 Kings 8:53(v16)For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your inheritance, as you spoke by Moses your servant, when you…
Matthew 1:23(v16)“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel;” which is, being interpreted,…
Exodus 33:12(v17)Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have…
Exodus 34:10(v16)He said, “Behold, I make a covenant: before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been worked in all the earth, nor in any…
Genesis 19:21(v17)He said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have…
Exodus 8:22(v16)I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, to the end you may know…
Exodus 19:5-6(v16)Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all…
2 Samuel 7:23(v16)What one nation in the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, and to make himself a…
2 Corinthians 6:17(v16)Therefore “ ‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.
Genesis 6:8(v17)But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.
John 16:23(v17)“In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
James 5:16(v17)Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is…
Genesis 18:32(v17)He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it…
Genesis 19:19(v17)See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my…
Numbers 23:9(v16)For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be listed among…
Deuteronomy 4:34(v16)Or has God tried to go and take a nation for himself from among another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand,…
Psalms 147:20(v16)He has not done this for just any nation. They don’t know his ordinances. Praise Yah!
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv15–17Exo 33:15 And he said unto him, If thy…
Exo 33:15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with me], carry us not up hence.
Ver. 15. If thy presence go not with me.] What is it to have the air without light? What was all Mordecai’s honour to him when the king frowned upon him?
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv15–16Let us rather live and die in the wilderness…
Let us rather live and die in the wilderness with thy presence and favour, than go into Canaan without it; for even that promise of rest I value not without thy presence. So he echoes back God’s words to himself, and turns God’s promise into a prayer.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv15–17And he said unto him,.... Moses said unto the…
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:
Read full note →
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 Canaan, the land of rest promised, was nothing in comparison of it: it is not much matter where we are, or what we have, if God is not with us; but if he grants his presence, the greatest hardships in a wilderness are made easy, and difficulties are got through with pleasure; though some read the words in the preceding verse by way of interrogation, "should my face" or "presence go", and "should it give thee rest" (z)? as carrying in it a kind of denial, which makes Moses here more urgent for it, and such a version those words seem to require.
(z) "An facies mea iret et quietem daret tibi?" Noldius, p. 243. so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley1765 · Public DomainOn vv15–17And he said, If thy presence go not with…
And he said, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence - He speaks as one that dreaded the thought of going forward without God's presence.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke1810 · Public DomainOn vv15–17Verse 15. If thy presence go not] אם אין…
Verse 15. If thy presence go not] אם אין פניך הלכים im ein pancycha holechim, if thy faces do not go - if we have not manifestations of thy peculiar providence and grace, carry us not up hence. Without supernatural assistance, and a most particular providence, he knew that it would be impossible either to govern such a people, or support them in the desert; and therefore he wishes to be well assured on this head, that he may lead them up with confidence, and be able to give them the most explicit assurances of support and protection. But by what means should these manifestations take place? This question seems to be answered by the Prophet Isaiah, Isa 63:9: In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence (פניו panaiv, of his faces) saved them. So we find that the goodness and mercy of God were to be manifested by the Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah; and this is the interpretation which the Jews themselves give of this place. Can any person lead men to the typical Canaan, who is not himself influenced and directed by the Lord? And of what use are all the means of grace, if not crowned with the presence and blessing of the God of Israel? It is on this ground that Jesus Christ hath said, Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them, Mt 18:20; without which, what would preachings, prayers, and even SACRAMENTS avail?
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv15, 17Exo 33:15-16. If thy presence go not with me,…
Exo 33:15-16. If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence — Let us rather live and die in the wilderness, with thy presence and favour, than go into Canaan without it; for even that promise of rest I regard not unless thou be with us, and accept us. Thus he shows how highly he valued the special presence of God. He dreaded the very thought of going forward without it. For wherein shall it be known — To the nations that have their eyes upon us, and to future ages: by what other token shall it be manifest to them; that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? — That we really are thy people, and under thy peculiar protection and care? Is it not that thou goest with us? — Can any thing short of this answer this end? So shall we be separated, I and thy people — Distinguished by thy peculiar kindness, and the privileges vouchsafed to us; or shall be made wonderful, eminent, and glorious, (as the word נפלינו, niphlinu, rather means,) above all other people.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv16–17Thou goest with us - It was this which…
Thou goest with us - It was this which alone distinguished (rather than “separated”) them from other nations, and which alone would render the land of promise a home to be desired. Compare 2Sa 7:23.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn v15Thyself. Moses desires a farther explanation, or a positive…
Thyself. Moses desires a farther explanation, or a positive assurance that God would conduct them. --- By all, ab omnibus, distinguished in glory from all others. (Chaldean)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn v1616. So shall we be separated — That is,…
16. So shall we be separated — That is, notably distinguished from all the people that are upon the face of the earth, in having the manifest presence of Jehovah among them. If this glorious presence was not to go with them and thus distinguish them from all other peoples, Moses prefers not to go up from Sinai. Here we notice, further, the persistency of Moses’s intercession, and in the next verse we observe how powerfully it prevails with God.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv15–1715. Moses replies that if Jehovah will not go…
15. Moses replies that if Jehovah will not go with them, they prefer to remain where they are, in the neighbourhood of their God (Exo_19:4), at Sinai.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn v17(17) I will do this thing also that thou…
(17) I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken.—At length the promise is unambiguously given. Moses is rewarded for his importunity. God’s people have found grace in His sight. He will “go up” with them, and so “separate them,” or distinguish them, from “all the people that are on the face of the earth.” Now at last Moses is satisfied.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv15–17Vers. 15, 16And he said. Still Moses is not…
Vers. 15, 16And he said. Still Moses is not quite satisfied. God had said will give thee rest not "I will give you rest." Moses must see distinctly that the people are associated with him before he desists. So he replies thy presence go not up, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us?" The reply in ver. 17 sets his doubt finally at rest.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator1887 · Public DomainOn v15If Thy presence go not with me, carry us…
Exo_33:15-17
If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
Read full note →
The withdrawal of Gods presence deprecated
What was the special grace desired by Moses in these memorable words? What withdrawal of honour and privilege was threatened? If we had only this chapter, we might infer that the difference in Gods future dealings with Israel would be, that He would henceforth commit them to the care of an angel--some messenger of His providence less holy than Himself--and that the honour and privilege which His personal presence implied would be withdrawn (Exo_33:1-3). Apart, however, from the fact that it is difficult to conceive of any real difference between Gods personal and instrumental superintendence, we no sooner turn our attention to the account of His proposed dealings with Israel before they fell into the idolatry of the golden calf, than we find that the handing over of the command of their hosts to an angel could not have been the change of treatment that filled Moses with such dismay. There is no warrant for the supposition that the angel of this chapter is an inferior being to the angel of the Divine presence spoken of in chap. 33. Indeed, there can be no reasonable doubt that when God says, Must My presence (literally, My face) go with thee, that I may give thee rest? the reference is to the angel in whom Gods name was, and whose visible symbol was the pillar of cloud and of fire. And of course the reference will be the same in Moses reply: If Thy presence go not, etc. What, then, was the grace which God proposed to withdraw from Israel? By their shameful apostasy after the manifestation of the Divine glory at Sinai, they had shown that the grandest and most awful signs of the Divine Majesty could easily be forgotten; and it really seemed that the presence of the pillar of cloud and of fire in their midst would not, when once it should become familiar, deter them from rebellion. It would be better not to give them the opportunity of openly insulting the Divine Majesty. A grace which failed to inspire awe would inevitably harden. God intimated, therefore, that the angel of His face, instead of having His holy tent in the midst of the tents of the congregation, should simply go before them to prepare their way. If, now, we look at Exo_29:42-45, we shall see of what they would be deprived by the threatened change in Gods dealings. Evidently they would lose the sanctuary which was to be their peculiar glory. To the nations they would appear a people that not only had no visible God, but no public religious rites. Moses, their leader, instead of being able to commune with God and ask counsel of Him, would be left to the guidance of his own sagacity. The Children of Israel could not come to inquire of God; no atonement could be carried into the presence of His mercy-seat; and no blessing could be spoken by the priests, conveying peace to the hearts of the thousands of Israel. They were to be left to follow their own desires and the counsels of their own hearts. God would fill them with their own ways. Only His providence engaged to direct their path and prepare their way to enter the Promised Land. The effect of this terrible reservation in the conditions on which God pardoned their apostasy, would have resembled the effect of a papal interdict in mediaeval times, when nations were denied the public offices of religion and shut up to a life almost without God in the world. It was this terrible prospect that called forth Moses passionate entreaty, If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence. Better that we should remain in the wilderness, better that we should die where we are, than live under such perpetual discouragement, so manifestly forsaken of God! The lesson God desired to teach was conveyed by the mere threatening, and, in answer to the intercession of Moses, He consents to the construction and erection of the Sanctuary. When completed, He solemnly took possession of it, and Jehovahs sacred tent became the visible centre of the camp of Israel (Exo_40:34-38). The application of this incident is obvious, though, since we live under a new and better covenant, we are in a somewhat different case from the children of Israel. The Shekinah has been set up in the family of man, and can never be removed. Immanuel, God with us, is the imperishable possession of the human family. Atonement for the sins of mankind has been made; Divine forgiveness has been pronounced; God and man are reconciled. The question for us is, Are we content to live without a personal sense of the Divine presence, without tasting for ourselves that the Lord is gracious, without seeking counsel and guidance from the oracles of God and obtaining answers of peace to our prayers? Does a life of practical atheism seem to us something too terrible to be endured? Would an interdict of our sanctuary services, a prohibition laid upon private prayer, a withdrawal of Divine promises, fill us with heart-felt dismay? (E. W. Shalders, B.A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On v17General Information:
General Information:
When Yahweh uses the word "you" in this verse, it is singular and refers to Moses. (See: Forms of You)
Read full note →
you have found favor in my eyes
Here "found favor" is an idiom that means that God is pleased with Moses. Here "eyes" are a metonym for sight, and sight is a metaphor representing his evaluation. See how you translated this in Exodus 33:12. AT: "I am pleased with you" or "I approve of you" (See: Idiom and Metonymy and Metaphor)
I know you by name
To know someone by name is to know them well. See how you translated this in Exodus 33:12. AT: "I know you well" (See: Idiom)
Tyndale Open Study Notes2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv15, 1733:15-16 Moses made his request even more direct. Again…
33:15-16 Moses made his request even more direct. Again he showed his understanding of what God was doing. The Exodus was not merely about getting the Israelites out of Egypt so they could go to Canaan. It was about a personal experience of God that would change how they lived. If that was not possible, then they might just as well have stayed at Sinai. Going on to Canaan would be disastrous without the Lord.
GEBible — Godless Engineer's Bible App
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Exo 33:15 And he said unto him, If thy…
Exo 33:15 And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with me], carry us not up hence.
Ver. 15. If thy presence go not with me.] What is it to have the air without light? What was all Mordecai’s honour to him when the king frowned upon him?
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv15–16 Let us rather live and die in the wilderness…
Let us rather live and die in the wilderness with thy presence and favour, than go into Canaan without it; for even that promise of rest I value not without thy presence. So he echoes back God’s words to himself, and turns God’s promise into a prayer.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv15–17 And he said unto him,.... Moses said unto the…
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:
Read full note →
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 Canaan, the land of rest promised, was nothing in comparison of it: it is not much matter where we are, or what we have, if God is not with us; but if he grants his presence, the greatest hardships in a wilderness are made easy, and difficulties are got through with pleasure; though some read the words in the preceding verse by way of interrogation, "should my face" or "presence go", and "should it give thee rest" (z)? as carrying in it a kind of denial, which makes Moses here more urgent for it, and such a version those words seem to require.
(z) "An facies mea iret et quietem daret tibi?" Noldius, p. 243. so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv15–17 And he said, If thy presence go not with…
And he said, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence - He speaks as one that dreaded the thought of going forward without God's presence.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Verse 15. If thy presence go not] אם אין…
Verse 15. If thy presence go not] אם אין פניך הלכים im ein pancycha holechim, if thy faces do not go - if we have not manifestations of thy peculiar providence and grace, carry us not up hence. Without supernatural assistance, and a most particular providence, he knew that it would be impossible either to govern such a people, or support them in the desert; and therefore he wishes to be well assured on this head, that he may lead them up with confidence, and be able to give them the most explicit assurances of support and protection. But by what means should these manifestations take place? This question seems to be answered by the Prophet Isaiah, Isa 63:9: In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his presence (פניו panaiv, of his faces) saved them. So we find that the goodness and mercy of God were to be manifested by the Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah; and this is the interpretation which the Jews themselves give of this place. Can any person lead men to the typical Canaan, who is not himself influenced and directed by the Lord? And of what use are all the means of grace, if not crowned with the presence and blessing of the God of Israel? It is on this ground that Jesus Christ hath said, Where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am in the midst of them, Mt 18:20; without which, what would preachings, prayers, and even SACRAMENTS avail?
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv15, 17 Exo 33:15-16. If thy presence go not with me,…
Exo 33:15-16. If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence — Let us rather live and die in the wilderness, with thy presence and favour, than go into Canaan without it; for even that promise of rest I regard not unless thou be with us, and accept us. Thus he shows how highly he valued the special presence of God. He dreaded the very thought of going forward without it. For wherein shall it be known — To the nations that have their eyes upon us, and to future ages: by what other token shall it be manifest to them; that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? — That we really are thy people, and under thy peculiar protection and care? Is it not that thou goest with us? — Can any thing short of this answer this end? So shall we be separated, I and thy people — Distinguished by thy peculiar kindness, and the privileges vouchsafed to us; or shall be made wonderful, eminent, and glorious, (as the word נפלינו, niphlinu, rather means,) above all other people.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv16–17 Thou goest with us - It was this which…
Thou goest with us - It was this which alone distinguished (rather than “separated”) them from other nations, and which alone would render the land of promise a home to be desired. Compare 2Sa 7:23.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v15 Thyself. Moses desires a farther explanation, or a positive…
Thyself. Moses desires a farther explanation, or a positive assurance that God would conduct them. --- By all, ab omnibus, distinguished in glory from all others. (Chaldean)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On v16 16. So shall we be separated — That is,…
16. So shall we be separated — That is, notably distinguished from all the people that are upon the face of the earth, in having the manifest presence of Jehovah among them. If this glorious presence was not to go with them and thus distinguish them from all other peoples, Moses prefers not to go up from Sinai. Here we notice, further, the persistency of Moses’s intercession, and in the next verse we observe how powerfully it prevails with God.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15. Moses replies that if Jehovah will not go…
15. Moses replies that if Jehovah will not go with them, they prefer to remain where they are, in the neighbourhood of their God (Exo_19:4), at Sinai.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v17 (17) I will do this thing also that thou…
(17) I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken.—At length the promise is unambiguously given. Moses is rewarded for his importunity. God’s people have found grace in His sight. He will “go up” with them, and so “separate them,” or distinguish them, from “all the people that are on the face of the earth.” Now at last Moses is satisfied.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Vers. 15, 16And he said. Still Moses is not…
Vers. 15, 16And he said. Still Moses is not quite satisfied. God had said will give thee rest not "I will give you rest." Moses must see distinctly that the people are associated with him before he desists. So he replies thy presence go not up, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with us?" The reply in ver. 17 sets his doubt finally at rest.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v15 If Thy presence go not with me, carry us…
Exo_33:15-17
If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.
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The withdrawal of Gods presence deprecated
What was the special grace desired by Moses in these memorable words? What withdrawal of honour and privilege was threatened? If we had only this chapter, we might infer that the difference in Gods future dealings with Israel would be, that He would henceforth commit them to the care of an angel--some messenger of His providence less holy than Himself--and that the honour and privilege which His personal presence implied would be withdrawn (Exo_33:1-3). Apart, however, from the fact that it is difficult to conceive of any real difference between Gods personal and instrumental superintendence, we no sooner turn our attention to the account of His proposed dealings with Israel before they fell into the idolatry of the golden calf, than we find that the handing over of the command of their hosts to an angel could not have been the change of treatment that filled Moses with such dismay. There is no warrant for the supposition that the angel of this chapter is an inferior being to the angel of the Divine presence spoken of in chap. 33. Indeed, there can be no reasonable doubt that when God says, Must My presence (literally, My face) go with thee, that I may give thee rest? the reference is to the angel in whom Gods name was, and whose visible symbol was the pillar of cloud and of fire. And of course the reference will be the same in Moses reply: If Thy presence go not, etc. What, then, was the grace which God proposed to withdraw from Israel? By their shameful apostasy after the manifestation of the Divine glory at Sinai, they had shown that the grandest and most awful signs of the Divine Majesty could easily be forgotten; and it really seemed that the presence of the pillar of cloud and of fire in their midst would not, when once it should become familiar, deter them from rebellion. It would be better not to give them the opportunity of openly insulting the Divine Majesty. A grace which failed to inspire awe would inevitably harden. God intimated, therefore, that the angel of His face, instead of having His holy tent in the midst of the tents of the congregation, should simply go before them to prepare their way. If, now, we look at Exo_29:42-45, we shall see of what they would be deprived by the threatened change in Gods dealings. Evidently they would lose the sanctuary which was to be their peculiar glory. To the nations they would appear a people that not only had no visible God, but no public religious rites. Moses, their leader, instead of being able to commune with God and ask counsel of Him, would be left to the guidance of his own sagacity. The Children of Israel could not come to inquire of God; no atonement could be carried into the presence of His mercy-seat; and no blessing could be spoken by the priests, conveying peace to the hearts of the thousands of Israel. They were to be left to follow their own desires and the counsels of their own hearts. God would fill them with their own ways. Only His providence engaged to direct their path and prepare their way to enter the Promised Land. The effect of this terrible reservation in the conditions on which God pardoned their apostasy, would have resembled the effect of a papal interdict in mediaeval times, when nations were denied the public offices of religion and shut up to a life almost without God in the world. It was this terrible prospect that called forth Moses passionate entreaty, If Thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence. Better that we should remain in the wilderness, better that we should die where we are, than live under such perpetual discouragement, so manifestly forsaken of God! The lesson God desired to teach was conveyed by the mere threatening, and, in answer to the intercession of Moses, He consents to the construction and erection of the Sanctuary. When completed, He solemnly took possession of it, and Jehovahs sacred tent became the visible centre of the camp of Israel (Exo_40:34-38). The application of this incident is obvious, though, since we live under a new and better covenant, we are in a somewhat different case from the children of Israel. The Shekinah has been set up in the family of man, and can never be removed. Immanuel, God with us, is the imperishable possession of the human family. Atonement for the sins of mankind has been made; Divine forgiveness has been pronounced; God and man are reconciled. The question for us is, Are we content to live without a personal sense of the Divine presence, without tasting for ourselves that the Lord is gracious, without seeking counsel and guidance from the oracles of God and obtaining answers of peace to our prayers? Does a life of practical atheism seem to us something too terrible to be endured? Would an interdict of our sanctuary services, a prohibition laid upon private prayer, a withdrawal of Divine promises, fill us with heart-felt dismay? (E. W. Shalders, B.A.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v17 General Information:
General Information:
When Yahweh uses the word "you" in this verse, it is singular and refers to Moses. (See: Forms of You)
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you have found favor in my eyes
Here "found favor" is an idiom that means that God is pleased with Moses. Here "eyes" are a metonym for sight, and sight is a metaphor representing his evaluation. See how you translated this in Exodus 33:12. AT: "I am pleased with you" or "I approve of you" (See: Idiom and Metonymy and Metaphor)
I know you by name
To know someone by name is to know them well. See how you translated this in Exodus 33:12. AT: "I know you well" (See: Idiom)
translationWords
Yahweh
Moses
favor
name
glory
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv15, 17 33:15-16 Moses made his request even more direct. Again…
33:15-16 Moses made his request even more direct. Again he showed his understanding of what God was doing. The Exodus was not merely about getting the Israelites out of Egypt so they could go to Canaan. It was about a personal experience of God that would change how they lived. If that was not possible, then they might just as well have stayed at Sinai. Going on to Canaan would be disastrous without the Lord.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.