Old Testament InterpretationAnswered
What did Moses actually see in Exodus 33?
TL;DR
Robert Sungenis answers that Moses saw God's back parts in a real theophany, not in symbolic language. He holds that God placed him in a cleft of the rock, covered him and passed by so Moses could see his glory without dying, and reads it as a true visible encounter, as Ezekiel's visions were.
What did Moses actually see in Exodus 33?
Answer
Moses saw God’s back parts in a real theophany. God placed him in a cleft of the rock, covered him, and passed by so Moses could see His glory without dying. That was not symbolic language. It was a true visible encounter. God revealed Himself in a form Moses could bear. Just as Ezekiel’s visions are real manifestations of God, this was too. God can make Himself seen when He wills.
Answered by Dr. Robert Sungenis