And when the Lord was come down in a cloud, Moses stood with him, calling upon the name of the Lord.
וַיֵּ֤רֶד יְהוָה֙ בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָֽה׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Moses longed to witness the glory of the Lord. As discussed previously, while atop Mount Sinai, he sought shelter in the rock formation provided to him and, enveloped by the hand of the Lord, listened to His voice. This moment marked the beginning of the revealing of the Lord's magnificent glory. The Lord proclaimed His name, communicating through His angel, who was identified by His name, God the Son.
‘The one who possesses immortality’ (St. Paul), ‘whom no man has seen, nor can see’ (1 Tim. 6:16). At the same time, the Apostle Paul was taken into paradise and encountered unspeakable words which cannot be conveyed to humanity (2 Cor. 12:4). ‘No one has ever seen God,’ states St. John the Theologian (John 1:18). All mortals who have reached profound visions and divine revelations have only been able to hear and feel the word of God with their hearts, which serves as the connection between the Most High and humanity. A man, encased in flesh, cannot access the realm beyond his physical impressions with any of his senses. Yet, his immortal soul, which resides in the heavenly realm, can grasp with its intellect the will of the Lord, expressed in His word.
This word, as Metropolitan Philaret beautifully articulated, eternally born within God, speaks from the infinite duration of God into the temporal existence of created beings, at the moment when Divine Wisdom is to be revealed in them (note on Genesis 1:12). This same word ‘became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14). It is through this word, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, that humanity can mentally approach the elusive Godhead. And in verses 6 and 7 of this chapter, Moses receives a revelation from the Word of God that resonates within his ear and heart, not through his other senses. The name of Jehovah is first explained to Moses with a detail that offers new and comforting promises of joy and serenity. Before the burning bush, Jehovah is revealed to him as the ever-existing, eternal being (Ex. 3:14); now He reveals Himself as one who is loving, merciful, and long-suffering, yet also just and true, forgiving while administering justice. This embodiment of mercy and love, as well as righteous judgment, encapsulates the name of Jehovah, which is fully revealed to humanity in the coming of the all-merciful and all-forgiving Lord Jesus Christ, who alone identified sin as unforgivable (Matt. 12:31-32). This very sin is judged on earth to the third and fourth generation (see Ex. 20:5). The sin of ‘not seeing the Lord’ equates to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS