Exodus 33:17 · Bible study
Exodus 33:17 Commentary: Known by Name and Finding Favor
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Exodus 33:17 explores what it means for God to know us by name, how that intimate knowledge grounds finding favor, and how prayer arises from relationship.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God grants Moses’ request for His personal presence, confirming the covenant on the basis of grace and intimate knowledge.
- Key words: Chen (favor/grace, H2580), yada (to know, H3045), both highlight relationship, not merit.
- Main debate: No significant dispute; the verse is widely read as a model of prayer rooted in covenantal relationship.
- Theological theme: God’s personal knowledge of His people grounds their boldness in prayer and His willingness to answer.
- Best use: Teaching on prayer, the nature of grace, covenant relationship, and the role of a mediator (with Christ as ultimate fulfillment).
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Yahweh said to Moses, “I will do this thing also that you have spoken; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
KJV King James Version 1769
And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And Jehovah said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for thou hast found favor in my sight, and I know thee by name.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Even this thing which thou hast spoken I do; for thou hast found grace in Mine eyes, and I know thee by name.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And Jehovah said to Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast said; for thou hast found grace in mine eyes, and I know thee by name.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the Lord said to Moses: This word also, which thou hast spoken, will I do; for thou hast found grace before me, and thee I have known by name.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y Jehová dijo á Moisés: También haré esto que has dicho, por cuanto has hallado gracia en mis ojos, y te he conocido por tu nombre.
E o SENHOR disse a Moisés: Também farei isto que disseste, porquanto achaste favor em meus olhos, e te conheci por teu nome.
L’ Éternel dit à Moïse: Je ferai ce que tu me demandes, car tu as trouvé grâce à mes yeux, et je te connais par ton nom.
Der HERR sprach zu Mose: Was du jetzt geredet hast, will ich auch tun; denn du hast Gnade vor meinen Augen gefunden, und ich kenne dich mit Namen.
Toen zeide de HEERE tot Mozes: Ook deze zelfde zaak, die gij gesproken hebt, zal Ik doen, dewijl gij genade gevonden hebt in Mijn ogen, en Ik u bij name ken.
E l’Eterno disse a Mosè: “Farò anche questo che tu chiedi, poiché tu hai trovato grazia agli occhi miei, e ti conosco personalmente”.
I rzekł Pan do Mojżesza: I tę rzecz, o którąś mówił, uczynię; boś znalazł łaskę w oczach moich, i znam cię z imienia.
И сказал Господь Моисею: и то, о чем ты говорил, Я сделаю, потому что ты приобрел благоволение в очах Моих, и Я знаю тебя по имени.
耶和華 對 摩西 說：「 你這 所 求 的 我也 要行；因為 你在我眼前 蒙了 恩，並且我按你的名 認識你。」
And the Lord said to Moses, I will do as you say: for you have grace in my eyes, and I have knowledge of you by your name.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Exodus 33:17
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse marks a restored covenant relationship. After Israel's golden calf, God had said an angel would lead them, not His own presence (Exodus 33:2-3). Moses interceded, and here God grants the full request: He will go personally. The phrase 'I know you by name' is the foundation. Keil and Delitzsch explain that this knowledge means God has 'recognised thee as Mine, and chosen and called thee to execute My will', a personal, covenantal knowing, not mere information. Calvin calls this a 'renewal of the Covenant' based on 'gratuitous favor.' Gill adds that to be known by name means to be 'particularly and personally known, with the strongest affection and highest esteem.' The favour Moses found (Hebrew chen, grace) is entirely God's gift, not Moses’ achievement. This verse thus grounds answered prayer not in human worth but in a prior, personal relationship freely given by God.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God knows Moses personally and relationally, and that knowledge undergirds both the favor Moses receives and the answered prayer that follows.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'know by name' | All traditions see it as a personal, covenantal relationship, God choosing Moses and entering intimate fellowship with him. | Some emphasize election (God's sovereign choice) while others stress relational intimacy as the context for prayer. |
| Role of grace in finding favor | Favor (<em>chen</em>) is unearned; God initiates and sustains the relationship. | Debate centers on whether Moses' prayer 'causes' God to change or simply participates in God's predetermined will. Some see a genuine openness in God to human intercession; others see prayer as aligning with God's immutable plan. |
| Moses as a mediator | Moses intercedes for a sinful people and prevails; this is a type of Christ's greater intercession (Hebrews 7:25). | Protestant traditions typically limit such mediatorial prayer to Christ alone, while Catholic and Orthodox traditions see Moses as an example of the saints' intercession. |
| God's apparent change of mind | God relents from sending only an angel and instead goes personally. This shows His mercy. | Interpreters differ on whether God's change is literal (anthropopathic language accommodating human understanding) or reflects a real change in God's relational dealings. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Exodus 33 sits in the aftermath of Israel's worst sin. While Moses was on Sinai receiving the law, the people made a golden calf and worshipped it (Exodus 32). God's anger burned, and the covenant bond was shattered. Moses interceded repeatedly, and God relented from destroying the nation. But the relationship remained strained. In verses 1-3, God said He would send an angel before them but would not go Himself, because the people were stiff-necked and His presence would consume them.
Moses then set up a tent of meeting far outside the camp, where he would speak with God 'face to face, as a man speaks to his friend' (Exodus 33:11). The distance symbolized the breach. In verses 12-16, Moses turns God's own words back to Him. He quotes God: 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight' (v.12). Then he presses: if that is true, then show me Your way, let me know You, and do not lead us without Your presence. Moses will not accept a proxy. He stakes everything on the relationship God has already declared.
In the ancient Near East, 'knowing by name' was more than acquaintance. It signified ownership, commitment, and intimate care. A king who knew a servant by name distinguished that servant for special trust. God's words 'I know you by name' thus function as both an assurance and a claim: Moses belongs to God in a unique way. The verse we study is God's answer, He will do 'this thing also,' fulfilling the request and restoring His personal presence fully. The same relationship that survived the calf, that Moses now dares to appeal to, becomes the basis for answered prayer.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Exodus 33:17. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts and versions.
Reception History
Throughout church history, this verse has been read as a high point of Old Testament prayer. Early church fathers saw Moses’ boldness as a pattern for believers approaching God through Christ. The Reformers (Calvin, Luther) emphasized grace: God’s favor is the root, not the reward, of prayer. Wesley and the Methodists stressed the 'power of prayer' as a demonstration of God’s willingness to be moved by intercession. In modern times, the verse is often used to teach the intimacy of God’s knowledge, He knows each person by name, and that relationship is the basis for confident prayer. The passage also appears in discussions of God’s presence with His people, both in the wilderness and in the church today.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Relationship precedes request. Moses quotes God's own words back to Him (Exodus 33:12). He prays from within a promise God had already made. Our boldness in prayer comes not from eloquence but from standing on what God has said.
- Grace is the ground of favor. The Hebrew word chen (favor, grace) appears four times in this passage. Moses acknowledges that any favor is found, not earned. Prayer does not create God's goodwill; it draws on it.
- Personal knowledge changes everything. God says 'I know you by name.' This is covenantal knowing, choosing, committing, loving. Because God knows Moses personally, He answers personally. Our prayers are heard by a God who knows our name.
Five-point outline
- God restates His promise. 'I will do this thing also', not a new promise but a confirmation. God is faithful to His word.
- Moses holds God to His own words. Faith prays God's promises back to Him, as Abraham did for Sodom (Genesis 18:32).
- Favor is found, not earned. ‘You have found favor in my sight’ echoes Noah (Genesis 6:8). Grace always comes first.
- To know and be known. God’s knowledge of Moses is intimate and identifying. He does not know about Moses; He knows Moses.
- Answered prayer rests on relationship. Because God knows Moses by name, He grants his request. The prayer of the righteous is powerfully effective (James 5:16) because the righteous are known.
Illustration hooks
- A parent and a child. A child who knows she is loved does not earn permission; she asks freely, trusting her father's character. Moses prays out of a relationship already secured by grace.
- A company and a valued employee. When a CEO knows an employee by name, that employee can speak with unusual freedom. God’s knowledge of Moses elevates him to a place of intimate access.
- A child repeating a promise. A child says, 'But you said you would take me.' Moses prays the same way: 'You said you know me by name. Now show me.' Bold prayer repeats God’s own promises.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does God really know me by name, or is that just for people in the Bible?
- If I don't feel like I've found favor, can I still pray boldly?
- How do I know whether a request is within God's will, or whether I'm just presuming?
Leading a Discussion
This conversation shows what it looks like to pray when you know the One you are talking to. Moses does not beg from a distance. He steps into God's presence, holding up God's own words as the warrant for his request. The key is relationship, not performance, not eloquence, but a bond already established by grace.
Discussion questions
- Read Exodus 33:12-17 together. What does Moses ask for, and what specific promise does he use in his argument?
- The Hebrew word for 'know' (yada) appears twice: Moses asks to know God, and God says He knows Moses. How do these two kinds of knowing differ?
- God says He knows Moses 'by name.' What does that phrase mean in your own life? Do you believe God knows you that intimately?
- Moses quotes God's own words back to Him. When have you prayed by claiming a promise from Scripture? What happened?
- The verse says Moses found 'favor' (chen), grace, not merit. How does understanding grace as the foundation change the way you approach prayer?
- In verse 15, Moses says if God's presence does not go with them, he does not want to go at all. What does that reveal about his priorities? What would it mean for you to say the same?
- How does this passage help you pray for others, for your church, your family, your nation? What can you learn from Moses' intercession?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 6:8 | But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes. |
| Genesis 18:32 | He said, “Oh don’t let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?” He said, “I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake.” |
| Genesis 19:19 | See now, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your loving kindness, which you have shown to me in saving my life. I can’t escape to the mountain, lest evil overtake me, and I die. |
| Genesis 19:21 | He said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. |
| Exodus 33:12 | Moses said to Yahweh, “Behold, you tell me, ‘Bring up this people;’ and you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ |
| Isaiah 65:24 | It will happen that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. |
| John 16:23 | “In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. |
| James 5:16 | Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues that the Jews' continued existence as a distinct, unmixed people defies all natural explanation. Because they are known for loving money, their refusal to assimilate and gain wealth through mixing with other nations shows a supernatural power at work, an act of God's special providence preserving them for some great purpose.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes observes that Moses' intercession for the nation and his own standing as mediator both receive a complete answer. What he asked on behalf of Israel and what he claimed for himself are now granted without reserve.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees God's repeated promise as simply confirming what was already said, removing any lingering doubt. The only reason God grants this is His unearned favor toward Moses. This moment effectively renews the covenant, consecrating the people once more as a priestly kingdom.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights ambiguity in what God promises Moses: either His personal presence accompanying Israel to Canaan, or granting Moses knowledge of His ways, depending on how the verses are originally ordered. Either way, a new paragraph begins at verse 18.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And the Lord sayde vnto Moses, I will doe this also that thou hast saide: for thou hast founde grace in my sight, and I knowe thee by name.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points out that God's granting Moses' request to go with them in the pillar of cloud and fire is itself a fresh proof of the grace Moses has found. The very act of granting becomes the evidence, showing God's special favor and personal knowledge of Moses, tied to the strongest affection and highest esteem.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch emphasize that Moses boldly reminded God of His own promises, then pressed further for God's personal presence rather than just an angel. This wrestling faith, which will not let God go without a blessing, secures the full restoration of the covenant bond and the distinction of Israel among all nations.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads this chapter as showing three progressive veils God places over His revelation to protect a stiff-necked people from being consumed. The angel replaces God's immediate presence, the tent is moved outside the camp, and Moses sees only the after-splendor of God's glory rather than His face. Each limitation is a gracious accommodation, not a withdrawal of grace.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry reads Moses at the tabernacle door as a type of Christ the great intercessor
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees in this passage a type of Christ's intercession. The ground of Christ's prevailency is purely His own merit, because He has found grace in the Father's sight. Through that merit, God is perfectly reconciled to His people and His presence returns to them.