Exodus 23:20

The Angel of the Presence

23:20 ¹ “I am going to send ²  an angel ³  before you to protect you as you journey ⁴  and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. ⁵ 

Exodus 33:2

33:2 I will send an angel ⁶  before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. ⁷ 

Exodus 33:14-15

33:14 And the Lord ⁸  said, “My presence ⁹  will go with you, ¹⁰  and I will give you rest.” ¹¹ 

33:15 And Moses ¹²  said to him, “If your presence does not go ¹³  with us, ¹⁴  do not take us up from here. ¹⁵ 

Numbers 20:16

20:16 So when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent a messenger, ¹⁶  and has brought us up out of Egypt. Now ¹⁷  we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country. ¹⁸ 

Isaiah 63:9

63:9 Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. ¹⁹ 

The messenger sent from his very presence ²⁰  delivered them.

In his love and mercy he protected ²¹  them;

he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times. ²² 

[23:20]  ¹ sn This passage has some of the most interesting and perplexing expressions and constructions in the book. It is largely promise, but it is part of the Law and so demands compliance by faith. Its points are: God promises to send his angel to prepare the way before his obedient servants (20-23); God promises blessing for his loyal servants (24-33). So in the section one learns that God promises his protection (victory) and blessing (through his angel) for his obedient and loyal worshipers.

[23:20]  ² tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) with the active participle indicates imminent future, something God is about to do.

[23:20]  ³ sn The word is מַלְאָךְ (mal’akh, “messenger, angel”). This angel is to be treated with the same fear and respect as Yahweh, for Yahweh will be speaking in him. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 305-6) says that the words of the first clause do not imply a being distinct from God, for in the ancient world the line of demarcation between the sender and the sent is liable easily to be blurred. He then shows how the “Angel of Yahweh” in Genesis is Yahweh. He concludes that the words here mean “I will guide you.” Christian commentators tend to identify the Angel of Yahweh as the second person of the Trinity (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:446). However, in addition to being a preincarnate appearance, the word could refer to Yahweh – some manifestation of Yahweh himself.

[23:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “protect you in the way.”

[23:20]  ⁵ tn The form is the Hiphil perfect of the verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish, prepare”).

[33:2]  ⁶ sn This seems not to be the same as the Angel of the Presence introduced before.

[33:2]  ⁷ sn See T. Ishida, “The Structure and Historical Implications of Lists of Pre-Israelite Nations,” Bib (1979): 461-90.

[33:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:14]  ⁹ sn Heb “my face.” This represents the presence of Yahweh going with the people (see 2 Sam 17:11 for an illustration). The “presence” probably refers to the angel of the presence or some similar manifestation of God’s leading and caring for his people.

[33:14]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “with you” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[33:14]  ¹¹ sn The expression certainly refers to the peace of mind and security of knowing that God was with them. But the expression came to mean “settle them in the land of promise” and give them rest and peace from their enemies. U. Cassuto (Exodus, 434) observes how in 32:10 God had told Moses, “Leave me alone” (“give me rest”), but now he promises to give them rest. The parallelism underscores the great transition through intercession.

[33:15]  ¹² tn Heb “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:15]  ¹³ tn The construction uses the active participle to stress the continual going of the presence: if there is not your face going.

[33:15]  ¹⁴ tn “with us” has been supplied.

[33:15]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from this.”

[20:16]  ¹⁶ tn The word could be rendered “angel” or “messenger.” Some ambiguity may be intended in this report.

[20:16]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) to emphasize the “here and now” aspect of the report to Edom.

[20:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “your border.”

[63:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “in all their distress, there was distress to him” (reading לוֹ [lo] with the margin/Qere).

[63:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the messenger [or “angel”] of his face”; NIV “the angel of his presence.”

[63:9]  ²¹ tn Or “redeemed” (KJV, NAB, NIV), or “delivered.”

[63:9]  ²² tn Heb “all the days of antiquity”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “days of old.”