John Calvin Commentary Exodus 33:19

"And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." — Exodus 33:19 (ASV)

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass. At the outset He declares how far He has listened to Moses; but a limitation is soon added to prevent excess. Thus his prayer is not altogether rejected, but only so far as he was too eagerly set on beholding the perfection of God’s glory. The passing by signifies a vision of brief duration; as if He had said, Let it suffice you to have seen once, as for a moment, my glory, when it shall pass before your eyes. The word טוב, tub, which I have rendered beauty (decorem), others translate good (benum); and hence, some take it to mean goodness; but the expression beauty (pulchritudinis, vel decoris) is more suitable, in which sense we find it used more than once. Therefore, what is pleasing and delightful is said to be good to look upon.

To call in the name of the Lord,³⁷¹ I understand thus: to declare in a clear and loud voice what it is useful for us to know concerning God Himself. It had been said before to Moses, I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob—but by my name—was I not known to them? (Exodus 6:3). Since, then, Moses was already superior to the patriarchs, he is now still more highly exalted, because God makes Himself more fully known to him and carries His manifestation of Himself to its very utmost.

First, therefore, it must be borne in mind that God was now known to Moses more familiarly than previously. Still, at the same time, let it be observed that although a vision was exhibited to his eyes, the main point was in the voice, because true acquaintance with God is made more by the ears than by the eyes. A promise indeed is given that he shall behold God; but the latter blessing is more excellent: that God will proclaim this name, so that Moses may know Him more by His voice than by His face. For speechless visions would be cold and altogether evanescent if they did not borrow efficacy from words.

Thus, therefore, just as logicians compare a syllogism to the body, and the reasoning which it includes to the soul, so, properly speaking, the soul of a vision is the doctrine itself, from which faith takes its rise.

And will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. It will be well to consider how this sentence is connected with the preceding one, a connection which has been either altogether neglected or not sufficiently attended to. As for me, although I think that God’s mercy is magnified by the fact that He deals so indulgently with this guilty people, still I have no doubt that He desired purposely to cut off occasion for the audacity of men, lest they should exclaim against His unusual and previously unheard-of liberality.

For, whether God executes His judgments or mercifully pardons sins, profane men never cease to quarrel with Him.³⁷² Thus, out of mere contentiousness, they ask why He delayed the advent of His Son for so many ages; why He has deigned to bring forth the light of the Gospel out of darkness in our own days. Indeed, they even take issue with the creation of the world, since it seems absurd to them that God should have been idle for so many ages, and therefore they inquire, in ridicule, why it at length entered His mind to make the world, which has not yet reached its sixth millennium?

Especially, however, does the perversity of many advance beyond all due bounds on this point: namely, because the reason does not appear why God should be merciful to one nation or one age, and severe both to other ages and other nations. Hence the admirable counsel of God, by which He has chosen some and reprobated others, has always been exposed to the slanders of ungodly men. For unless they see the cause of the diversity, they do not hesitate to condemn the injustice of God in making this distinction between the two.³⁷³

God here checks this insanity and asserts His power—which men, or rather worms of the earth, would gladly deprive Him of—namely, that according to His own will He exercises peculiar mercy towards whomever He pleases. When the Prophet relates how the fathers obtained possession of the land of Canaan, he assigns no other reason except that God had a favor unto them (Psalms 44:3). And this doctrine, which filthy dogs endlessly assail with their barking, everywhere occurs in the Scriptures.

Especially, however, do they rail when God shows Himself to be propitious and beneficent towards the unworthy. For this reason Paul reminds believers of the incomprehensible counsel of God, because, by the preaching of the Gospel, He revealed the mystery which was kept secret from all eternity (Romans 16:25). Again, because by ingrafting the Gentiles into the body of the Church, from which they had so long been aliens, He commends the depths of that mystery which, though hidden even from angels, He made known to all men in the fullness of time (Ephesians 3:9).

With the same intent, He here expressly declares that the cause why He manifests Himself to Moses more fully than formerly to the patriarchs is only to be sought in His own counsel or good pleasure. Now, although this in the first place relates to Moses, still, since he beheld the glory of God for the common good of the people, this mercy which is referred to extends to them all. And assuredly it was an inestimable proof of God’s grace that, after this most disgraceful fall and wicked apostasy of the people, He nevertheless revealed Himself more clearly than before to Moses for their spiritual good.

This, indeed, is certain: that by this reply a restraint is put upon whatever carnal feelings might allege concerning the novelty of the act, as if God had declared in one word that the dispensation of His grace is in His own sole power, and that men not only do wrong but are carried away by impious and blasphemous madness when they endeavor to interfere with Him, as if it were their business to call to account that supreme Judge whose subjects they are.

The mode of expression simply tends to this: that God’s will is superior to all causes, so as to be the reason of all reasons, the law of laws, and the rule of rules. And surely, as long as men permit themselves to inquire into the secret counsels of God, there will be no bounds to their rebelliousness. God, therefore, does not correct this insanity by disputing with it, but by the assertion of His right to be free in the dispensation of His grace; for in His sovereignty He says that He will be merciful to whomever He will. Let us beware, then, lest, when He is kind, our eyes should be evil.

Furthermore, the better to convince dissatisfied men of their pride and rashness, He sets forth His mercy and compassion, as if to say that He is under obligation to none. Hence, it is an³⁷⁴ unworthy thing for them to murmur because He does not indiscriminately do good to those to whom He owes nothing. From this it is clear how appropriately Paul, when treating of gratuitous election, adapts this passage to the matter in hand (Romans 9:15): namely, that God must by no means be accounted unjust because He passes by some and elects others. For the words loudly proclaim that God’s grace is destined for a certain number of men, so as not to appear equally in all.

The phrase itself needs no exposition, for it is common in all languages, when we wish to prevent our reasons from being investigated, to repeat the point in question. Thus, a person wishing to rid himself of the censures of others would say, I will go where I will go, or I will do what I will do.

³⁷¹ “Proclaim the name of the Lord.” — A. V.

³⁷² “Voyla, comme aujourd’huy beaucoup de gaudisseurs pour debatre de toutes choses;” behold, how now-a-days many jeerers, to dispute about everything. — Fr. C. discusses the third question, as to the creation of the world, in his Inst., Book I., chap. 14, sec. 1. It is also very neatly met in Pet. Martyr. Loci. Com. C1. I., chap. 12, sec. 2. “Sunt qui quaerant, Cum potuerit Deus longe prius mundum producere, cur tam sero? Est petulans, et procax haec inquisitio, nec humanae curiositati, nisi illam retundendo, satisfieri potest: nam quoeunque puncto temporis ante ficti vel imaginati dedissem tibi factum mundum, tu adhuc conqueri posses id sero fuisse factum, si tuam cogitationem referres ad Dei aeternitatem. Igitur hic pie est agendum, non hac procaci, et temeraria, curiositate.” discusses the third question, as to the creation of the world, in his Inst., Book I., chap. 14, sec. 1. It is also very neatly met in Pet. Martyr. Loci. Com. C1. I., chap. 12, sec. 2. “Sunt qui quaerant, Cum potuerit Deus longe prius mundum producere, cur tam sero? Est petulans, et procax haec inquisitio, nec humanae curiositati, nisi illam retundendo, satisfieri potest: nam quoeunque puncto temporis ante ficti vel imaginati dedissem tibi factum mundum, tu adhuc conqueri posses id sero fuisse factum, si tuam cogitationem referres ad Dei aeternitatem. Igitur hic pie est agendum, non hac procaci, et temeraria, curiositate.”

³⁷³ Addition in Fr., “Seulement pour son plaisir;” only for his pleasure. “Seulement pour son plaisir;” only for his pleasure.

³⁷⁴ “C’est trop grande presomption;” it is too great a presumption. — Fr.