Exodus 33:14

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(14) My presence shall go with thee.—There is no “with thee” in the original, and consequently the phrase is ambiguous. Moses could not tell whether it was a personal promise to himself, or a renewal of the old engagement to go with the people. He consequently requires something more explicit. Will God go, not merely with him, but with the people? (Exodus 33:15-16).

Benson Commentary

Exodus 33:14. My presence shall go with thee — Hebrew, My face, I myself, my own person, as the same phrase is translated 2 Samuel 17:11. Or, the angel of my presence, Isaiah 63:9. The meaning is, I will conduct you myself, as I have done hitherto, by my glorious presence in the tabernacle. So that this is a revocation of the sentence pronounced Exodus 33:3. And will give thee rest — Not only thee, Moses, from thy present perplexity, but in due time will bring thy people to their rest and settlement in the promised land. For it is evident that Moses’s care and prayer were more for the people than for himself.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

33:12-23 Moses is very earnest with God. Thus, by the intercession of Christ, we are not only saved from ruin, but become entitled to everlasting happiness. Observe here how he pleads. We find grace in God's sight, if we find grace in our hearts to guide and quicken us in the way of our duty. Moses speaks as one who dreaded the thought of going forward without the Lord's presence. God's gracious promises, and mercy towards us, should not only encourage our faith, but also excite our fervency in prayer. Observe how he speeds. See, in a type, Christ's intercession, which he ever lives to make for all that come to God by him; and that it is not by any thing in those for whom he intercedes. Moses then entreats a sight of God's glory, and is heard in that also. A full discovery of the glory of God, would overwhelm even Moses himself. Man is mean, and unworthy of it; weak, and could not bear it; guilty, and could not but dread it. The merciful display which is made in Christ Jesus, alone can be borne by us. The Lord granted that which would abundantly satisfy. God's goodness is his glory; and he will have us to know him by the glory of his mercy, more than by the glory of his majesty. Upon the rock there was a fit place for Moses to view the goodness and glory of God. The rock in Horeb was typical of Christ the Rock; the Rock of refuge, salvation, and strength. Happy are they who stand upon this Rock. The cleft may be an emblem of Christ, as smitten, crucified, wounded, and slain. What follows, denotes the imperfect knowledge of God in the present state, even as revealed in Christ; for this, when compared with the heavenly sight of him. is but like seeing a man that is gone by, whose back only is to be seen. God in Christ, as he is, even the fullest and brightest displays of his glory, grace, and goodness, are reserved to another state.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rest - This was the common expression for the possession of the promised land. Deuteronomy 3:20; Joshua 1:13, Joshua 1:15; compare Hebrews 4:8.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9-11. the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle—How would the downcast hearts of the people revive—how would the tide of joy swell in every bosom, when the symbolic cloud was seen slowly and majestically to descend and stand at the entrance of the tabernacle!

as Moses entered—It was when he appeared as their mediator, when he repaired from day to day to intercede for them, that welcome token of assurance was given that his advocacy prevailed, that Israel's sin was forgiven, and that God would again be gracious.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

My presence, Heb. my face, i.e. I myself, by comparing this with 2 Samuel 17:11. The Angel of my presence, Isaiah 63:9; the pledge of my presence, the cloudy pillar; and I will not turn thee over to an angel, as I threatened, Exodus 34:2. See Deu 4:34.

I will give thee rest; not only rest from thy present anguish and perplexity of mind for thy people, but in due time I will bring them to their resting-place and settled habitation; for it is evident from Exodus 34:15,16, that Moses’s care and prayer was more for the people than for himself.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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" (y); all the three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit; there was Jehovah the Father, whose the Angel of his presence was; and there was Jehovah the Son, Christ, whom they tempted in the wilderness; and there was Jehovah the Holy Spirit, whom they vexed, see Isaiah 63:9.

and I will give thee rest; not ease, and peace and tranquillity of mind, or a freedom from the fear of enemies, and all dangers by them, much less rest in the grave, before Israel should be brought into Canaan's land; but rather the promised land itself, which was "the rest" that was promised, and would be given, and was typical of that eternal rest which remains for the people of God in heaven, and is a pure gift; for this promise is not personal and peculiar to Moses, but belonged to all the people, to whom God would give the typical rest, see Deuteronomy 12:9.

(y) "facies meae ibunt", Montanus, Vatablus.

Geneva Study Bible

And he said, My {f} presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

(f) Signifying that the Israelites would exceed all other people, through God's favour; Ex 33:16.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

14. Jehovah promises that His presence shall go with Moses (as the representative of His people), and that He will give him—and with him the people—rest. The words do not however seem very suitable as an answer to v. 13; and Di.’s suggestion is a plausible one, that vv. 14–16 are misplaced, and should follow Exodus 34:9 (so also McNeile, p. xxxvi), where, it may be noticed, Moses is still praying for what, if Exodus 33:14 is in its right place, has been already granted (cf. p. 367).

presence] lit. face, i.e. the person himself (2 Samuel 17:11), in so far as he is present (LXX. αὐτὸς προπορεύσομαι): cf., of God, Deuteronomy 4:37 (‘brought thee out with his presence’ [LXX. αὐτός]), Isaiah 63:9 (‘the angel of his presence saved them,’ i.e. the angel in whom His presence was manifest, cf. Exodus 23:21; but LXX. ‘No messenger or angel, (but) his presence (αὐτὸς) saved them’). The expression can hardly, however, have been intended to denote Jehovah’s entire Being: it must rather (DB. v. 639b) have denoted His Being either as manifested in an angel more fully than in the ordinary ‘angel of Jehovah’ (Bä.), or as others think (Lagrange, Rev. Bibl. 1903, p. 215; Kennedy, Samuel, p. 323 f.), as attaching to the Ark (cf. p. 280).

give thee rest] viz. in the assured possession of Canaan: cf. Deuteronomy 3:20; Deuteronomy 12:10, Joshua 22:4.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 14. - My presence shall go with thee. Literally," My presence shall go up" - my own presence, not that of an angel. That for which Moses had been so earnestly pleading is, seemingly, granted. God will go up. I will give thee rest. - i.e. "bring thee to Canaan." (Compare Deuteronomy 3:20; Hebrews 4:8.) Exodus 33:14

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Jehovah had commanded Moses to lead the people to Canaan, and promised him the guidance of an angel; but He had expressly distinguished this angel from His own personal presence (Exodus 33:1-3). Moreover, though it has not been mentioned before, Jehovah had said to Moses, "I have known thee by name," - i.e., I have recognised thee as Mine, and chosen and called thee to execute My will (cf. Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 49:1), or put thee into "a specifically personal relation to God, which was peculiar to Moses, and therefore was associated with his name" (Oehler); - "and thou hast also found grace in My eyes," inasmuch as God had granted a hearing to his former intercession. Moses now reminded the Lord of this divine assurance with such courage as can only be produced by faith, which wrestles with God and will not let Him go without a blessing (Genesis 32:27); and upon the strength of this he presented the petition (Exodus 33:13), "Let me know Thy way (the way which Thou wilt take with me and with this people), that I may know Thee, in order that I may find grace in Thine eyes, and see that this people is Thy people." The meaning is this: If I have found grace in Thy sight, and Thou hast recognised me as Thy servant, and called me to be the leader of this people, do not leave me in uncertainty as to Thine intentions concerning the people, or as to the angel whom Thou wilt give as a guide to me and the nation, that I may know Thee, that is to say, that my finding grace in Thine eyes may become a reality;

(Note: Domine fac ut verbis tuis respondeat eventus. Calvin.)

and if Thou wilt lead the people up to Canaan, consider that it is Thine own people, to whom Thou must acknowledge Thyself as its God. Such boldness of undoubting faith presses to the heart of God, and brings away the blessing. Jehovah replied (Exodus 33:14), "My face will go, and I shall give thee rest," - that is to say, shall bring thee and all this people into the land, where ye will find rest (Deuteronomy 3:20). The "face" of Jehovah is Jehovah in His own personal presence, and is identical with the "angel" in whom the name of Jehovah was (Exodus 23:20-21), and who is therefore called in Isaiah 63:9 "the angel of His face."

With this assurance on the part of God, the covenant bond was completely restored. But to make more sure of it. Moses replied (Exodus 33:15, Exodus 33:16), "If Thy face is not going (with us), lead us not up hence. And whereby shall it be known that I have found grace in thine eyes, I and Thy people, if not (lit., is it not known) in Thy going with us, that we, I and Thy people, are distinguished (see at Exodus 8:18) before every nation upon the face of the earth?" These words do not express any doubt as to the truth of the divine assurance, "but a certain feeling of the insufficiency of the assurance," inasmuch as even with the restoration of the former condition of things there still remained "the fear lest the evil root of the people's rebellion, which had once manifested itself, should bread forth again at any moment" (Baumgarten). For this reason Jehovah assured him that this request also should be granted (Exodus 33:17). "There was nothing extraordinary in the fact that Moses desired for himself and his people that they might be distinguished before every nation upon the face of the earth; this was merely the firm hold of faith upon the calling and election of God (Exodus 19:5-6)."