^33:20But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can⁵⁷ see me and live.”⁵⁸^33:21The Lord said, “Here⁵⁹ is a place by me; you will station yourself⁶⁰ on a rock. ^33:22When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and will cover⁶¹ you with my hand⁶² while I pass by.⁶³^33:23Then I will take away my hand, and you will see my back,⁶⁴ but my face must not be seen.”⁶⁵

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Footnotes

57 In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.
58 Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” ( §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33, 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22, 13:22, and Isa 6:5.
59 The deictic particle is used here simply to call attention to a place of God’s knowing and choosing.
60 Heb “and you will,” or interpretively, “where you will.”
61 Note the use in Exod 40:3, “and you will screen the ark with the curtain.” The glory is covered, veiled from being seen.
62 The circumstantial clause is simply, “my hand [being] over you.” This protecting hand of Yahweh represents a fairly common theme in the Bible.
63 The construction has a preposition with an infinitive construct and a suffix: “while [or until] I pass by” (Heb “in the passing by of me”).
64 The plural “my backs” is according to Gesenius an extension plural (compare “face,” a dual in Hebrew). The word denotes a locality in general, but that is composed of numerous parts (see §124.b). W. C. Kaiser says that since God is a spirit, the meaning of this word could just as easily be rendered “after effects” of his presence (“Exodus,” 2:). As S. R. Driver says, though, while this may indicate just the “afterglow” that he leaves behind him, it was enough to suggest what the full brilliancy of his presence must be (Exodus, ; see also Job 26:14).
65 The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”

Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

But he added, “You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.” The Lord said, “Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen.”

NLTNew Living Translation

But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” The Lord continued, “Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But he said, “You are not able to see my face, because a human will not see me and live.” And Yahweh said, “There is a place with me, and you will stand on the rock. And when my glory passes over, I will put you in the rock’s crevice, and I will cover you with my hand until I pass over. And I will remove my hand, and you will see my back, but my face will not be visible.”

KJV 1900King James Version

And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

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