Exodus 23:20

New King James Version

"Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

King James Version
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Lexham English Bible
"‘Look, I am about to send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

New Century Version
"I am sending an angel ahead of you, who will protect you as you travel. He will lead you to the place I have prepared.

New English Translation
"I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.

Amplified Bible
"Behold, I am going to send an Angel before you to keep and guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

New American Standard Bible
"Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keepe thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place which I haue prepared.

Legacy Standard Bible
"Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to keep you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord said: I am sending an angel to protect you and to lead you into the land I have ready for you.

Complete Jewish Bible
(vi) "I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.

Darby Translation
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place that I have prepared.

Easy-to-Read Version
"I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to lead you to the place that I have prepared for you.

English Standard Version
"Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

George Lamsa Translation
Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you into the land which I have prepared.

Good News Translation
"I will send an angel ahead of you to protect you as you travel and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.

Christian Standard Bible®
“I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.

Literal Translation
Behold, I am about to send an Angel before you, to guard you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Beholde, I sende an angell before the, to kepe the in the waye, and to brynge the vnto the place, that I haue prepared.

American Standard Version
Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Bible in Basic English
See, I am sending an angel before you, to keep you on your way and to be your guide into the place which I have made ready for you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Behold I sende an angell before thee, to kepe thee in the way, and to bryng thee into the place whiche I haue prepared.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

King James Version (1611)
Behold, I send an Angel before thee to keepe thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I haue prepared.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And, behold, I send my angel before thy face, that he may keep thee in the way, that he may bring thee into the land which I have prepared for thee.

English Revised Version
Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Berean Standard Bible
Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lo! Y schal sende myn aungel, that schal go bifore thee, and schal kepe in the weie, and schal lede to the place which Y haue maad redi to thee.

Young's Literal Translation
`Lo, I am sending a messenger before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee in unto the place which I have prepared;

Update Bible Version
Look, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

World English Bible
"Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

New Living Translation
"See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.

New Life Bible
"See, I am sending an angel before you to keep you safe on the way. He will bring you to the place I have made ready.

New Revised Standard
I am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lo! I, am sending a messenger before thee, to guard thee in the way, - and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold I will send my angel, who shall go before thee, and keep thee in thy journey, and bring thee into the place that I have prepared.

Revised Standard Version
"Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place which I have prepared.

THE MESSAGE
"Now get yourselves ready. I'm sending my Angel ahead of you to guard you in your travels, to lead you to the place that I've prepared. Pay close attention to him. Obey him. Don't go against him. He won't put up with your rebellions because he's acting on my authority. But if you obey him and do everything I tell you, I'll be an enemy to your enemies, I'll fight those who fight you. When my Angel goes ahead of you and leads you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, I'll clear the country of them. So don't worship or serve their gods; don't do anything they do because I'm going to wipe them right off the face of the Earth and smash their sacred phallic pillars to bits.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

Contextual Overview

²⁰ "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. ²¹ Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. ²² But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. ²³ For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. ²⁴ You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. ²⁵ "So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. ²⁶ No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. ²⁷ "I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. ²⁸ And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. ²⁹ I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Angel: Exodus 3:2-6, Exodus 14:19, Exodus 32:34, Exodus 33:2, Exodus 33:14, Genesis 48:16, Numbers 20:16, Joshua 5:13, Joshua 6:2, Psalms 91:11, Isaiah 63:9, Malachi 3:1, 1 Corinthians 10:9, 1 Corinthians 10:10

prepared: Genesis 15:18, Matthew 25:34, John 14:3

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:7 - angel Genesis 24:40 - will Exodus 4:13 - send Exodus 23:23 - mine Angel Joshua 5:14 - but as captain Judges 2:1 - And an angel Zechariah 1:12 - the angel Zechariah 3:1 - the angel Zechariah 3:6 - the Zechariah 12:8 - as the Acts 7:35 - by

Cross-References

Genesis 23:7
Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth.

Genesis 23:10
Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying,

Genesis 23:14
And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

Genesis 25:9
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,

Genesis 50:5
"My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me." Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back."'

Genesis 50:13
For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.

2 Samuel 24:24
Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

2 Kings 21:18
So Manasseh rested with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza. Then his son Amon reigned in his place.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Behold, I send an angel before thee,.... Not a created angel, but the uncreated one, the Angel of God's presence, that was with the Israelites at Sinai, and in the wilderness; who saved, redeemed, bore, and carried them all the days of old, whom they rebelled against and tempted in the wilderness; as appears by all the characters after given of him, which by no means agree with a created angel: Aben Ezra observes, that some say this is the book of the law, because it is said, "my name is in him", or "in the midst of it"; others say, the ark of the covenant; but he says this angel is Michael; and if indeed by Michael is intended the uncreated angel, as he always is in Scripture, he is right: Jarchi remarks, that their Rabbins say, this is Metatron, whose name is as the name of his master; Metatron, by gematry, is Shaddai, which signifies almighty or all-sufficient, and is an epithet of the divine Being; and Metatron seems to be a corruption of the word "mediator": some of the ancient Jewish writers say k, this is the Angel that is the Redeemer of the world, and the keeper of the children of men: and Philo the Jew l applies the word unto the divine Logos, and says,

"he (God) uses the divine Word as the guide of the way; for the oracle is, "behold, I send my Angel", c.''

which agrees with what follows:

to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared to preserve the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness, from all their enemies that should set upon them, and to bring them safe at last to the land of Canaan, which he had appointed for them, and promised to them, and had prepared both in his purpose and gift for them, and would make way for their settlement in it by driving out the nations before them.

k In Zohar in Gen. fol. 124. 4. l "De migratione" Abraham, p. 415.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

An Angel - See Exodus 3:2, Exodus 3:8; Joshua 5:13; Isaiah 63:9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 23:20. Behold, I send an Angel before thee — Some have thought that this was Moses, others Joshua, because the word מלאך malach signifies an angel or messenger; but as it is said, Exodus 23:21, My name is in him, (בקרבו bekirbo, intimately, essentially in him,) it is more likely that the great Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, is meant, in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. We have had already much reason to believe that this glorious personage often appeared in a human form to the patriarchs, c. and of him Joshua was a very expressive type, the names Joshua and Jesus, in Hebrew and Greek, being of exactly the same signification, because radically the same, from ישע yasha, he saved, delivered, preserved, or kept safe. Nor does it appear that the description given of the Angel in the text can belong to any other person.

Calmet has referred to a very wonderful comment on these words given by Philo Judaeus De Agricultura, which I shall produce here at full length as it stands in Dr. Mangey's edition, vol. 1., p. 308: Ὡς ποιμην και βασιλευς ὁ Θεος αγει κατα δικην και νομον, προστησαμενος τον ορθον αυτου λογον πρωτογονον υἱον, ὁς την επιμελειαν της ἱερας ταυτης αγελης, οἱα τις μεγαλου βασιλεως ὑπαρχος, διαδεξεται. Και γαρ ειρηται που· Ιδου εγω ειμι, αποστελω αγγελον μον εις προσωπον σου, του φυλαξαι σε εν τῃ ὁδῳ. "God, as the Shepherd and King, conducts all things according to law and righteousness, having established over them his right WORD, his ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON, who, as the Viceroy of the Great King, takes care of and ministers to this sacred flock. For it is somewhere said, (Exodus 23:20), Behold, I AM, and I will send my ANGEL before thy face, to keep thee in the way."

This is a testimony liable to no suspicion, coming from a person who cannot be supposed to be even friendly to Christianity, nor at all acquainted with that particular doctrine to which his words seem so pointedly to refer.