When thinking of the expression, “face to face,” we should understand it to signify that Moses enjoyed a closeness of fellowship and favor with the Lord rather than that he really looked into the face of Jehovah. 

Since God is a spirit being, we don’t really know what God looks like, because humans cannot see spirit beings. There were times in the Bible when spirit beings created a human-like body to communicate with people. But what the people saw was a temporary human image, not the actual spirit being.

However, we should note that there are examples in the Bible where human features are used to describe God, like having a face. David says to God in Psalms 31:16 (NASB) “Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; save me in Your lovingkindness.”

In 1 Samuel, (13:14) David is described as being a man after God’s own heart.

God is also described as having hands, such as in Psalms 95:5 (NLT), explaining the creation of the ocean and land: “The sea belongs to Him, for He made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.” 

Speaking about the Law God gave to Moses, Exodus 31:18 (NLT) says: “When the LORD finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God.”

Moses, called a “friend of God,” is the only human to have ever come close to seeing Him. Moses asked to see God’s glory, but learned that doing so would be a dangerous thing! In Exodus 33:20, (Christian Standard Bible) God tells Moses, “…You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live.”

However, God did allow Moses to see an image of the back of Him as He passed by in Exodus 33. God told Moses to stand on a nearby rock. There was an opening in the rock, called a “cleft,” and God hid Moses there and covered him with His hand until He had fully passed. When God removed His hand, Moses was able to see an image of Him from the back. It’s a good thing Moses had not seen God’s face, otherwise he would have died!

1 Timothy 6:16 (NASB1995) also confirms this in speaking of God: “who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.”

Later, Moses was up on the mountain talking with God for 40 days and 40 nights, and when he came down, his face was glowing from being in God’s presence. It was so bright that he had to wear a veil when he spoke to the people. Exodus 34:33-35 (ESV), “And when Moses had finished speaking with them (the Israelites), he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

We “see” God’s “face” with the eye of faith, for we have seen our Lord Jesus, who represents the Father, and who declares that whosoever hath seen him hath seen the Father – has enjoyed the best possible revelation of the Father whom no man hath seen. We see the Father’s “face” in the sense that we see his love, which is displayed to us through a knowledge of His divine plan by the holy spirit (God’s power and influence) granted to us. 

In summary, we don’t know what God looks like because He is an invisible, perfect spirit being. Moses did not see God’s face, but he did see a measure of His brilliant glory. Perhaps the Bible uses human features to describe God to help our imperfect minds form a mental picture of Him in order to help us become closer to Him.

Additional Resources:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1164: “What Does Moses the Deliverer Teach Us About Jesus?”
Highlighting striking similarities between the lives of Moses and Jesus
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes

For children, parents and Bible class teachers:
Animated video: “What does God look like?”