Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This episode, we're talking about a mass deception that Bible translators have knowingly committed! Yes, you've been duped. But did these translators do this dupery for good reason?
The Bible says that you can't see the face of God and live, so what does it mean when it commands every man to see God's face? Well, those translators punted on the question, but we're not them, so we're going to dive into the quagmire head-first. Enjoy!
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For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
twitter.com/data_over_dogma
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro and setup
1:13 “It’s the Law” — seeing the face of God
2:04 Deuteronomy 16:16 and the translation problem
3:00 Active vs. passive: “see” vs. “appear before”
4:11 The divine name and Hebrew construction
4:50 Isaiah 1:12 and why the grammar matters
5:50 Did the text originally say “see God’s face”?
6:30 Temple rituals and the “face of God”
7:01 Psalms and the desire to see God
7:25 Contradictions: no one sees God… except when they do
8:46 Moses, elders, and face-to-face encounters
9:30 Standing stones and divine images in temples
11:30 Mystical experience and sensing God’s presence
12:43 Ritual, offerings, and “not empty-handed”
13:20 Festival crowds and practical realities
14:06 Smoke, incense, and obscured vision
15:02 Were there actual faces or images?
16:03 Aniconism and symbolic representation
17:04 Archaeology: Israel vs. Egypt and Mesopotamia
18:31 What does “face of God” actually mean?
19:34 Key passages: Deuteronomy, Exodus, Isaiah, Samuel
20:14 Why translations avoid “face of God”
20:41 Footnotes, variants, and translation choices
21:48 Grammar ambiguity and interpretive decisions
22:45 Final thoughts — go “see” God?
22:58 Outro
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#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church
This episode, we're talking about a mass deception that Bible translators have knowingly committed! Yes, you've been duped. But did these translators do this dupery for good reason?
The Bible says that you can't see the face of God and live, so what does it mean when it commands every man to see God's face? Well, those translators punted on the question, but we're not them, so we're going to dive into the quagmire head-first. Enjoy!
----
For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and the opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:
patreon.com/DataOverDogma
Follow us on the various social media places:
facebook.com/DataOverDogmaPod
twitter.com/data_over_dogma
Have you ordered Dan McClellan's New York Times bestselling book The Bible Says So yet???
Buy at this link: static.macmillan.com/static/smp/bible-says-so-9781250347466
_____________________________________________
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and setup
1:13 “It’s the Law” — seeing the face of God
2:04 Deuteronomy 16:16 and the translation problem
3:00 Active vs. passive: “see” vs. “appear before”
4:11 The divine name and Hebrew construction
4:50 Isaiah 1:12 and why the grammar matters
5:50 Did the text originally say “see God’s face”?
6:30 Temple rituals and the “face of God”
7:01 Psalms and the desire to see God
7:25 Contradictions: no one sees God… except when they do
8:46 Moses, elders, and face-to-face encounters
9:30 Standing stones and divine images in temples
11:30 Mystical experience and sensing God’s presence
12:43 Ritual, offerings, and “not empty-handed”
13:20 Festival crowds and practical realities
14:06 Smoke, incense, and obscured vision
15:02 Were there actual faces or images?
16:03 Aniconism and symbolic representation
17:04 Archaeology: Israel vs. Egypt and Mesopotamia
18:31 What does “face of God” actually mean?
19:34 Key passages: Deuteronomy, Exodus, Isaiah, Samuel
20:14 Why translations avoid “face of God”
20:41 Footnotes, variants, and translation choices
21:48 Grammar ambiguity and interpretive decisions
22:45 Final thoughts — go “see” God?
22:58 Outro
____________________________________________
#podcast #oldtestament #bible #biblestudy #biblestories #biblereading #bibleteaching #religion #Jesus #jesuschrist #god #adonai #athiest #athiesm #faith #faithjourney #podcasting #podcastclips #podcastlife #podcasters #podcastshow #skeptic #skepticism #judaism #hebrew #hebrewbible #christianbible #christianity #newtestament #christian #christianity #christianityexplained #holybible #doubt #believe #believer #belief #utah #saltlakecity #lds #mormon #scholar #middleeast #israel #religious #church
