Commentary on Harmony of the Law Volume 2 Complete John Calvin
JOHN CALVIN
19. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
19. Cui respondit, Ego praeterire faciam omnem decorem meum ante faciem tuam, et vocabo ex nomine Jehovae coram te: et miserebor, cujus miserebor: et clemens ero in quem clemens ero.
20. And he said, Thou canst not my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
20. Dixit praeterea, Non poteris videre faciem meam: quid non videbit me homo, et vivet.
21. And the Lord said,: Behold, there is a place by me, and thou
21. Dixit postremo Jehova, Ecce, locus apud me, et stabis supra petram. shalt stand upon a rock:
22. And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:
22. Erit autem quum pertransibit gloria mea, ponam te in spelunca petrae, et protegam te manu mea donec transiero.
23. And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my face shall not be seen.
23. Postea removebo manum meam, et videbis posteriors mea, facies vero non videbitur.
1. Depart, and go up hence, thou and the people I have used the pluperfect tense; 360 for the reason is here given, whereby Moses was stirred up to such vehemence in prayer, viz., because, although God had not altogether abandoned the care of the people, still He had renounced His covenant, and had proclaimed to them that, after He had once performed His engagement of giving them possession of the land, He would have no more to do with them. Wherefore, what is here related, preceded, in order of time, the prayer of Moses; for, being astonished at the sad and almost fatal message, he burst forth into that confused and wild request, that he might be blotted out of the book of life.
Let us now endeavor to elicit the true meaning of the passage. It is plain, that when God bids Moses depart with the people, He utterly renounces