"The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'"
— Exodus 33:14 (NIV)
Exodus 33:14 is the "my Presence will go with you" verse, God's answer when Moses asks who will lead Israel on. This page gives the verse, where it sits in Exodus 33, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about rest, Bible verses about the presence of God, and Bible verses about peace.
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The verse
The King James reads: "And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."
"Presence" is panim (H6440), literally "face," so the promise is that God's own face will go along. "Go" is yalak (H3212), to walk or go. "Give rest" is nuach (H5117), to settle down, to cause to rest.
Where it sits in Exodus 33
Exodus 32 tells the story of the golden calf. In Exodus 33:3 God says Israel may go on to the promised land, "But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people." The people mourn.
Moses meets with God at the tent of meeting, where "the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend" (Exodus 33:11). In verses 12-13 Moses prays, "teach me your ways so I may know you." Verse 14 is God's answer. Moses replies in verse 15, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here," and in verse 17 God says, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Moses then asks, "Now show me your glory" (Exodus 33:18).
What the verse is saying
Moses does not want a map or an escort. He wants God himself. Verse 14 promises exactly that: God's presence will travel with his people, and with it comes rest.
The rest here is more than a break from walking. It is the settled peace of not going alone, and it points ahead to rest in the land God promised. Moses' reply shows the order of things: without God's presence, the journey is not worth starting.
Questions people ask
What does Exodus 33:14 say?
In the NIV it says, "The Lord replied, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'" The KJV says, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."
What does Exodus 33:14 mean?
It is God's promise to Moses that he himself will go with Israel after the golden calf, and that his presence will bring them rest. It answers Moses' fear of going on without God.
Who is God talking to in Exodus 33:14?
God is speaking to Moses at the tent of meeting. The "you" is singular in Hebrew, addressed to Moses as Israel's leader, though Moses immediately asks for it on behalf of the whole people (Exodus 33:15-16).
What does "presence" mean in Exodus 33:14?
The Hebrew word is panim, "face." God promises that his face, his own personal presence, will go with them, not just an angel sent ahead (Exodus 33:2).
What other verses are like Exodus 33:14?
Deuteronomy 31:6 (he will never leave you nor forsake you), Matthew 11:28 (come to me and I will give you rest), and Psalm 46:10 (be still and know that I am God) are close companions.
