Keluaran 33:20

33:20 But he added, “You cannot see my face, for no one can ¹  see me and live.” ² 

Ulangan 4:33

4:33 Have a people ever heard the voice of God speaking from the middle of fire, as you yourselves have, and lived to tell about it?

Hakim-hakim 6:22-23

6:22 When Gideon realized ³  that it was the Lord’s messenger, he ⁴  said, “Oh no! ⁵  Master, Lord! ⁶  I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! ⁷  Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!”

[33:20]  ¹ tn In view of the use of the verb “can, be able to” in the first clause, this imperfect tense is given a potential nuance.

[33:20]  ² tn Gesenius notes that sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live” (GKC 498 §159.gg). The other passages that teach this are Gen 32:30; Deut 4:33, 5:24, 26; Judg 6:22, 13:22, and Isa 6:5.

[6:22]  ³ tn Heb “saw.”

[6:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:22]  ⁵ tn Or “Ah!”

[6:22]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).

[6:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.