Exodus 33:11

And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
LORD	יְהוָ֤ה Yah.weh	H3068	Jehovah · proper noun, a title
spake	וְדִבֶּ֨ר ve.di.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Moses	מֹשֶׁה֙ mo.Sheh	H4872	Mosheh · proper noun, a man's name
face	פָּנִ֣ים pa.Nim	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
face	פָּנִ֔ים pa.Nim	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural absolute
man	אִ֖ישׁ 'ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
speaketh	יְדַבֵּ֥ר ye.da.Ber	H1696	perhaps properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
friend	רֵעֵ֑הוּ re.'E.hu	H7453	an associate (more or less close) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
again	וְשָׁב֙ ve.Shav	H7725	to turn back (hence · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
camp	הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה ha.ma.cha.Neh	H4264	an encampment (of travellers or troops) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
servant	וּמְשָׁ֨רְת֜וֹ u.me.Sha.re.To	H8334	to attend as a menial or worshipper · conjunction + verb, piel active participle, masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Joshua	יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ ye.ho.Shu.a'	H3091	Jehoshua (i.e. Joshua) · proper noun, a man's name
son	בִּן bin-	H1121	a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct
Nun	נוּן֙ nun	H5126	Nun or Non · proper noun, a man's name
man	נַ֔עַר Na.'ar	H5288	(concretely) a boy (as active) · noun, common masculine singular construct
departed	יָמִ֖ישׁ ya.Mish	H4185	to withdraw (both literally and figuratively · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
out	מִתּ֥וֹךְ mi.Tokh	H8432	a bisection · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
tabernacle	הָאֹֽהֶל ha.'O.hel	H168	a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Numbers 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore t…
Deuteronomy 34:10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face,
Exodus 24:13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
Exodus 33:9 And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the LOR…
Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Deuteronomy 5:4 The LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire,
John 15:14-15 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
John 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 33:7-11

Here is, I. One mark of displeasure put upon them for their further humiliation: Moses took the tabernacle, not his own tent for his family, but the tent wherein he gave audience, heard causes, and enquired of God, the guild-hall (as it were) of their camp, and pitched it without, afar off from the camp (Exo 33:7), to signify to them that they had rendered themselves unworthy of it, and that, unless peace was made, it would return to them no more. God would thus let them know that he was at variance with them: The Lord is far from the wicked. Thus the glory of the Lord departed from the temple when it was polluted with sin, Eze 10:4, Eze 11:23. Note, It is a sign that God is angry when he re…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 33:9

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.

Adam Clarke on Exodus 33:11

The Lord spake unto Moses face to face - That there was no personal appearance here we may readily conceive; and that the communications made by God to Moses were not by visions, ecstasies, dreams, inward inspirations, or the mediation of angels, is sufficiently evident: we may therefore consider the passage as implying that familiarity and confidence with which the Divine Being treated his servant, and that he spake with him by articulate sounds in his own language, though no shape or similitude was then to be seen. Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man - There is a difficulty here. Joshua certainly was not a young man in the literal sense of the word; "but he was called so," says Mr. Ainswor…

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The Church Fathers

The whole life of the saints and of the blessed, the example of the Lord himself while he was with us in the flesh, are aids to us in this matter. Moses, through long perseverance in fasting and prayer, received the law and heard the words of God, "as a man is inclined to speak to his friend."
— Basil of Caesarea, THE LONG RULES 16

"But the young man Joshua departed not from the tent, but was there continually in the service of Moses;" and he that was free from going out and coming in among the multitude was especially nigh unto simplicity. If cunning and wickedness are gathered together from conversation with the multitude, it is evident that simplicity and integrity can be acquired from being brought up to lead a life of silent contemplation, and the more a man increaseth his life of contemplation, the more his possession of simplicity groweth.
— Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 4 -- On Faith: First Discourse on Simplicity

Fasting these forty days and nights holy Moses too merited to speak with God, to stand and stay with him and to receive the precepts of the law from his hand. For although this human condition prevented him from seeing God, yet the grace of his fasting drew him into close contact with the Divinity. For to fast frequently is a portion of God's virtues in ourselves, since God himself always fasts. He is more familiar, intimate and friendly with the person in whom he sees more of his works, as Scripture says: "And Moses spoke with God face to face like one speaking with his friend."
— Maximus of Turin, SERMON 35.3

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Communion — Fellowship with God (Gen. 18:17-33; Ex. 33:9-11; Num. 12:7, 8), between Christ and his people (John 14:23), by the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1), of believers with one another (Eph. 4:1-6). The…
Minister — One who serves, as distinguished from the master. (1.) Heb. meshereth, applied to an attendant on one of superior rank, as to Joshua, the servant of Moses (Ex. 33:11), and to the servant of Elisha (2…
Nun — Beyond the fact that he was the father of Joshua nothing more is known of him (Ex. 33:11).
Servitor — Occurs only in 2 Kings 4:43, Authorized Version (R.V., “servant”). The Hebrew word there rendered “servitor” is elsewhere rendered “minister,” “servant” (Ex. 24:13; 33:11). Probably Gehazi, the…
Communion With God · Exemplified: Moses — Exemplified: Moses
Joshua · .Intimately as — .Intimately as
Prophets · INSPIRATION OF — INSPIRATION OF
Tabernacle · Sinai — Sinai

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Exodus 33:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 33:7-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 33:9

Adam Clarke on Exodus 33:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Exodus 33:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Exodus 33:7-11

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Exodus 33:9

Adam Clarke on Exodus 33:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Exodus 33:11

John Calvin on Exodus 33:11

Keil & Delitzsch on Exodus 33:7-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Exodus 33:11

Rashi on Exodus 33:11