Genesis 32:30

Can God’s face be seen?

PROBLEM: God declared to Moses, “No man shall see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20, see comments on John 1:18). Moses was allowed only to see God’s “back” (Exodus 33:23). Yet the Bible informs us that Moses spoke with God “face to face” (Deuteronomy 5:4). How could he speak to God face to face without seeing His face?

SOLUTION: It is possible for a blind person to speak face to face with someone without seeing their face. The phrase “face to face” means personally, directly, or intimately. Moses had this kind of unmediated relationship with God. But he, like all other mortals, never saw the “face” (essence) of God directly.