“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.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 33:17 Mean?
God responds to Moses with extraordinary intimacy: "I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name." The request Moses made — that God's presence would go with them — is granted. And the reason is relational: grace and personal knowledge.
"Thou hast found grace in my sight" is one of the highest commendations in the Old Testament. Grace (chen) here means favor, but it's specifically unmerited favor — it's not that Moses earned this through perfect behavior but that God chose to extend kindness to him. The same word will define the entire New Testament gospel.
"I know thee by name" is even more striking. The God who created billions of stars knows Moses as an individual. Not as a category ("prophet") or a role ("leader"), but by name. This is personal, intimate knowledge — the kind of knowing that implies relationship, history, and affection. Moses isn't a function to God; he's a person.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does it mean to you personally that God says 'I know thee by name'?
- 2.How does being known by God — truly known — differ from being known by other people?
- 3.Moses' boldest request received God's most intimate response. What does that teach about how you approach God?
- 4.Where do you need to hear God say 'I will do this thing' in your life right now?
Devotional
"I know thee by name." Four words that should stop you in your tracks. The God who has no obligation to know anyone — who could manage the universe without remembering a single human name — tells Moses: I know yours.
This isn't general awareness. God isn't saying, "I know about you" the way you might know about a public figure. He's saying, "I know you" — the way you know a close friend. The fears, the stubbornness, the moments of courage and cowardice, the staff in your hand and the doubt in your heart. All of it known. All of it held.
And because of this knowing, God grants Moses' impossible request. The presence will go with them. The relationship isn't just maintained — it's deepened. Moses' boldness in asking didn't push God away; it drew the most intimate response God has given anyone in the Torah.
You are known by name. Not by your spiritual performance, not by your church attendance, not by your productivity. By name. The specific, unrepeatable identity that is yours alone. And the God who knows your name is inclined toward grace — grace that says yes to requests that shouldn't be granted, that goes where it doesn't have to go, that stays when walking away would be justified.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken,.... Or asked for, namely, go with them…
Compare Exo 33:13. His petition for the nation, and his own claims as a mediator, are now granted to the full.
I will do this thing also - My presence shall go with thee, and I will keep thee separate from all the people of the…
Moses, having returned to the door of the tabernacle, becomes a humble and importunate supplicant there for two very…
this thing also i.e., as the text stands, accompany you personally to Canaan (v.16): but, if vv.14 16 (see on v.14)…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture