After that I must take my palm away, and you will indeed see my back. But my face may not be seen.”​—Ex. 33:18-23.

Was Jehovah himself personally there on Mount Sinai that morning, so that Moses saw the actual “back” of God himself?

Do not forget that Jehovah had told Moses: “No man may see me and yet live.” (Ex. 33:20) And later the apostle John reported as fact: “No man has seen God at any time.” (John 1:18) Interestingly, however, concerning the time when angelic announcement was made to God-fearing shepherds about the birth of Jesus, Luke 2:9 reports: “Suddenly Jehovah’s angel stood by them, and Jehovah’s glory gleamed around them.” Thus it is shown that manifestations of Jehovah’s glory could be made in connection with the angels. This evidently is what took place when Jehovah caused his glory to appear to Moses. However, it was not the full force of Jehovah’s glory, thus resulting in Moses’ death, but was only the afterglow, God’s “back,” as it were. This is consistent with Stephen’s explanation that Moses was “with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai.”