Exodus 33:3

God's presence Pride

¹ Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of the land of Egypt, and go to the land that I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’

² And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”

⁴ When the people heard these bad tidings, they went into mourning, and no one put on any of his jewelry.

⁵ For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I should go with you for a single moment, I would destroy you. Now take off your jewelry, and I will decide what to do with you.’”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”
KJV: Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.
WEB: Go to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”
ASV: unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiffnecked people, lest I consume thee in the way.
DARBY: into a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee, for thou art a stiff-necked people, lest I consume thee on the way.
BLB: [Go up] to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up among you, for you [are] a stiff-necked people, lest I consume you on the way.”

ÅB: Dra opp til et land som flyter med melk og honning; jeg vil ikke selv dra opp med deg, fordi du er et hårdnakket folk; jeg ville ellers komme til å ødelegge deg på veien.
OTB: Gå opp til et land som flyter av melk og honning; men jeg vil ikke følge med deg, for du er et stivnakket folk, og jeg kunne komme til å utslette deg på veien.»
B1930: Dra op til et land som flyter med melk og honning; jeg vil ikke selv dra op med dig, fordi du er et hårdnakket folk; jeg vilde ellers komme til å ødelegge dig på veien.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Exodus 32:9–10
The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
Read in context
Exodus 3:8
I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
Read in context
Acts 7:51
You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
Read in context
Deuteronomy 9:6–13
Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
Read in context
Exodus 33:15–17
“If Your Presence does not go with us,” Moses replied, “do not lead us up from here.
Read in context
Jeremiah 11:5
This was in order to establish the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is to this day.” “Amen, LORD,” I answered.
Read in context
Amos 3:13–14
Hear and testify against the house of Jacob, declares the Lord GOD, the God of Hosts.
Read in context
Joshua 5:6
For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, since they did not obey the LORD. So the LORD vowed never to let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Read in context