Exodus 33:21

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD also said, "Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock.

King James Version
And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said, "There is a place with me, and you will stand on the rock.

New Century Version
"There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.

New English Translation
The Lord said, "Here is a place by me; you will station yourself on a rock.

Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place beside Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

Geneva Bible (1587)
Also the Lord sayd, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand vpon the rocke:

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

Contemporary English Version
There is a rock not far from me. Stand beside it,

Complete Jewish Bible
Here," he said, "is a place near me; stand on the rock.

Darby Translation
And Jehovah said, Behold, [there is] a place by me: there shalt thou stand on the rock.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord said, "Here is a place for you to stand by me on this large rock.

English Standard Version
And the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock,

George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, there is a place in front of me, and you shall stand upon the rock;

Good News Translation
but here is a place beside me where you can stand on a rock.

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord said, “Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock,

Literal Translation
And Jehovah said, Behold, a place by Me! And you shall stand on a rock.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye LORDE sayde farthermore: beholde, there is a place by me, there shalt thou stode vpon the rocke.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:

Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said, See, there is a place near me, and you may take your place on the rock:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lorde sayd: Beholde, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stande vpon a rocke.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said: 'Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock.

King James Version (1611)
And the Lord said, Beholde, there is a place by mee, and thou shalt stand vpon a rocke.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me: thou shalt stand upon the rock;

English Revised Version
And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock:

Berean Standard Bible
The LORD continued, "There is a place near Me where you are to stand upon a rock,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And eft God seide, A place is anentis me, and thou schalt stonde on a stoon;

Young's Literal Translation
Jehovah also saith, `Lo, a place [is] by Me, and thou hast stood on the rock,

Update Bible Version
and Yahweh said, Look, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock:

Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said, Behold, [there is] a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

World English Bible
Yahweh also said, "Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock.

New King James Version
And the LORD said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.

New Living Translation
The Lord continued, "Look, stand near me on this rock.

New Life Bible
Then the Lord said, "See, there is a place beside Me. You stand there on the rock.

New Revised Standard
And the Lord continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh, said, Lo! a place near me, - So then thou shalt station thyself upon the rock:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And again he said: Behold there is a place with me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock.

Revised Standard Version
And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand upon the rock;

THE MESSAGE
God said, "Look, here is a place right beside me. Put yourself on this rock. When my Glory passes by, I'll put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I've passed by. Then I'll take my hand away and you'll see my back. But you won't see my face."

Contextual Overview

¹² Then Moses said to the LORD, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people!' But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, 'I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.' ¹³ "Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people." ¹⁴ And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest." ¹⁵ Then he said to Him, "If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. ¹⁶ "For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?" ¹⁷ The LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name." ¹⁸ Then Moses said, "I pray You, show me Your glory!" ¹⁹ And He said, "I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion." ²⁰ But He said, "You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!" ²¹ Then the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

place by: Deuteronomy 5:31, Joshua 20:4, Isaiah 56:5, Zechariah 3:7, Luke 15:1

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 19:9 - unto a cave 1 Kings 19:11 - the Lord passed 1 John 3:18 - let

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said, behold, [there is] a place by me,.... Near him, not in or by the tabernacle, where it may be the pillar of cloud now was, as it had been, Exodus 33:9 but upon the rock, where it had been for many days, and near to which there was a fit place for Moses to be in, and have that view of the goodness and glory of God he would favour him with:

and thou shall stand upon a rock; in Horeb, typical of Christ the rock, the rock of Israel, and the rock of ages, the rock of refuge, salvation, and strength; comparable to one for shelter, solidity, firmness, strength, and duration; and happy are they who stand upon this rock; they are safe and secure, they stand on high, and have noble prospects of the perfections of God, and of the riches of his grace and goodness, see Psalms 50:2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 33:21. Behold, there is a place by me — There seems to be a reference here to a well-known place on the mount where God was accustomed to meet with Moses. This was a rock; and it appears there was a cleft or cave in it, in which Moses was to stand while the Divine Majesty was pleased to show him all that human nature was capable of bearing: but this appears to have referred more to the counsels of his mercy and goodness, relative to his purpose of redeeming the human race, than to any visible appearance of the Divine Majesty itself. Exodus 33:18.

1. THE conclusion of this chapter is very obscure: we can scarcely pretend to say, in any precise manner, what it means; and it is very probable that the whole concerned Moses alone. He was in great perplexity and doubt; he was afraid that God was about to abandon this people; and he well knew that if he did so, their destruction must be the consequence. He had received general directions to decamp, and lead the people towards the promised land; but this was accompanied with a threat that Jehovah would not go with them. The prospect that was before him was exceedingly gloomy and discouraging; and it was rendered the more so because God predicted their persevering stiffneckedness, and gave this as one reason why he would not go up among them, for their provocations would be so great and so frequent that his justice would be so provoked as to break through in a moment and consume them. Moses, well knowing that God must have some great and important designs in delivering them and bringing them thus far, earnestly entreated him to give him some discovery of it, that his own mind might be satisfied. God mercifully condescends to meet his wishes in such a way as no doubt gave him full satisfaction; but as this referred to himself alone the circumstances are not related, as probably they could be of no farther use to us than the mere gratifying of a principle of curiosity.

2. On some occasions to be kept in the dark is as instructive as to be brought into the light. In many cases those words of the prophet are strictly applicable. Verily, thou art a God, who HIDEST THYSELF, O God of Israel, the Saviour! One point we see here very plainly, that while the people continued obstinate and rebellious, that presence of God by which his approbation was signified could not be manifested among them; and yet, without his presence to guide, protect, and provide for them, they could neither go up nor be saved. This presence is promised, and on the fulfilment of the promise the safety of Israel depended. The Church of God is often now in such a state that the approbation of God cannot be manifested in it; and yet if his presence were wholly withdrawn, truth would fall in the streets, equity go backward, and the Church must become extinct. How have the seeds of light and life been preserved during the long, dark, and cold periods when error was triumphant, and the pure worship of God adulterated by the impurities of idolatry and the thick darkness of superstition, by the presence of his endless mercy, preserving his own truth in circumstances in which he could not show his approbation! He was with the Church in the wilderness, and preserved the living oracles, kept alive the heavenly seeds, and is now showing forth the glory of those designs which before he concealed from mankind. He cannot err because he is infinitely wise; he can do nothing that is unkind, because he delighteth in mercy. We, as yet, see only through a glass darkly; by and by we shall see face to face. The Lord's presence is with his people; and those who trust in him have confident rest in his mercy.