Exodus 33:12

And Moses said unto the Lord— Moses having received, as we may suppose, sufficient proofs of the contrition of the people for their abominable idolatry, now returns to the tabernacle, and renews his intercession for them with the Lord. He had so far prevailed already, as to gain a promise that the Lord would bring the Israelites into the land of Canaan; but the loss of the Divine Presence was too serious an evil not to engage his whole attention: and therefore, as mediator between the Lord and the people, he now proceeds to obviate this difficulty; wholly to regain, if possible, the Divine favour, and to reinstate the Israelites in those privileges which their late disobedience had forfeited. In this view, I conceive, the present very obscure and difficult passage of Scripture, from this verse to the end of the next chapter, is to be understood. "It must be owned," say the authors of the Universal History, "that the account which Moses gives us of this Divine vision is covered with obscurity. But it must be remembered, that Moses spoke to a gross and carnal people, in a language far from copious, especially in words or idioms suitable either to the Deity, or to the dignity of the present glorious transaction; and that it is therefore no wonder, if he borrows his expressions from outward and sensible objects and actions. It is plain, that those inspired penmen who wrote in Greek, which is vastly more rich than the Hebrew, even the sacred Writers of the New Testament and the primitive fathers, who were far from having any gross ideas of the Godhead, have been forced to make use of the same figurative expressions in many places of their writings, for want of more proper and intelligible ones, which were equally wanting in both languages. Neither does it appear that the Jews themselves understood Moses's words in a gross sense; because it is plain, that they had a notion that the Angel or Divine appearance who directed them through the wilderness, was the MESSIAH, who then assumed a visible appearance, which they called the Shechinah (from שׁכן shakan, to dwell) under which he delivered his Divine oracles and commands to them: which Shechinah, though some understand it of all the appearances which God assumed from the beginning; and others, either of the Shechinah of fire and water, or of the fiery and cloudy pillar; yet all agree that it was the הכבוד כסא kisae hakkabod, the throne of glory. However, to exculpate at once the Jewish lawgiver from such an imputation, we need but call to mind the glorious descriptions he gives almost everywhere, especially in Deuteronomy, of the Godhead; and what pains he takes to deter the Hebrews from any misrepresentation of it, under any form whatsoever, by reminding them that when God was pleased so to display his glory upon mount Sinai at the delivery of the ten commandments, they saw no shape or likeness, but only heard his dreadful voice. These so frequent inculcations may, therefore, be reasonably looked upon as a key how to understand all those other expressions, which he had been forced to accommodate to their capacity; that is, not in a literal sense, but in such a one as was worthy of the Deity and the dignity of the subject."

Thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me— The sum of the intercession of Moses seems to be this: "thou hast condescended to assure me, that I shall bring up Israel to the promised land; but, withdrawing thine own invaluable presence, thou hast not let me knew, otherwise than in general terms, whom thou wilt send with me in this arduous undertaking: thou hast mentioned an angel only; but what is the conduct of an angel, compared to thine own immediate Presence?—Yet, graciously condescending, thou hast vouchsafed to shew me special marks and testimonies of thy favour; assuring me, that thou knowest me by name (i.e. in a peculiar and distinguishing manner), and that I have found grace in thy sight. Now, therefore, (Exodus 33:13.) if this indeed be the case, if still thou art gracious and favourable to me, shew me thy way; discover to me thy good pleasure, or what it is thou intendest to do in this matter; that I may know, and be sensibly assured, that I do find grace in thy sight: and consider, O Lord, and grant this the rather, because this nation is thy people."