Face to Face at the Tent of Meeting

At Mount Sinai

Exodus 33:7–11

⁷Moses would take a tent and set it up far outside the camp. He called it the Tent of Meeting. Anyone who wanted to seek the LORD would go out to the Tent of Meeting, outside the camp. ⁸Whenever Moses walked out to the Tent, all the people would stand up. Each person stood at the entrance of their own tent and watched Moses until he disappeared inside. ⁹As soon as Moses entered the Tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at the entrance, and the LORD would speak with Moses. ¹⁰When the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the Tent, they all rose and worshipped, each person at the door of their own tent. ¹¹The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He returned to the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.

Read Exodus 33

Up nextMoses Sees God's GloryExodus 33:12–34:9

About this event

What happened?

Moses used to pitch a tent outside the camp and called it the Tent of Meeting. Whenever he went to it, the people stood at their own tent doors and watched. The pillar of cloud came down and stood at the entrance while the LORD spoke with Moses. The people worshiped when they saw it. The LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Joshua, Moses' young helper, did not leave the tent.

Who is here?

Joshua
The Israelites

Where this fits

Event 6 of 10 in At Mount Sinai: God gives the Ten Commandments and his covenant. Israel worships a golden calf, and Moses pleads for them.

Good to know

A few verses later God says no one can see his face and live (Exodus 33:20). Many take “face to face” to mean God spoke with Moses directly, as with a friend. The KJV calls this tent “the tabernacle of the congregation,” and readers differ on how it relates to the tabernacle built later (Exodus 35–40).

Keep exploring

Before thisThe Golden CalfExodus 32:1–35 After thisMoses Sees God's GloryExodus 33:12–34:9

Moses' Story