Aren't these passages biblical contradictions?

[polonius]

No man hath seen God at any time. —John 1:18

For I have seen God face to face. —Genesis 32:30

[Charles]

No man hath seen God at any time. —John 1:18

For I have seen God face to face. —Genesis 32:30

The commentaries provide a few interpretations that reconcile this non-contradiction:

Matthew Poole's Commentary
I have seen God face to face; not in his essence, for so no man ever saw God, John 1:18, nor yet in a dream or vision, but in a most evident, sensible, familiar, and friendly manifestation of himself.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
...he had met with God himself, and wrestled with him in the form of a man, and yet was preserved, he doubted not that, when he should meet with his brother and debate matters with him, he should be safe and unhurt.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The face of God was to be seen in the Angel: he that looked on the Angel saw the Presence of Jehovah.

Such a statement that he wrestled GOD face to face has no more meaning than to say we see GOD in the wonder of nature and the heavens. He experienced a divine experience and it is called seeing GOD face to face due to its immediacy and its wonderfulness.

[Overcomer]

The Hebrew phrase translated "face to face" is a Jewish idiom that refers to intimacy. It is not to be taken literally. It refers to closeness in relationship, not physical closeness.

See here:

https://messianic-revolution.com/e33-4- ... -and-live/

[brianbbs67]

I reply as Jesus did. "those that ate and drank saw YHVH(the Lord)"

Jesus was referring to the Tanakh when Moses, Aaron, his 2 sons and the 70 leaders of Israel went and met God and ate and drank. Jesus was pointing out that the tradition of no man seeing the Lord was false. The Lord appeared to Abraham also.

There may have been no man alive that had seen YHVH(in christs time), but many dead ones had.

[Checkpoint]

The Hebrew phrase translated "face to face" is a Jewish idiom that refers to intimacy. It is not to be taken literally. It refers to closeness in relationship, not physical closeness.

See here:

https://messianic-revolution.com/e33-4- ... -and-live/

Very helpful - thanks.

To which I add:

1 Timothy 6:16

who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.

[Eloi]

[Replying to brianbbs67]
That is not the case.

Deut. 5:23 “But as soon as you had heard the voice out of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, all the heads of your tribes and the elders approached me. 24 Then you said, ‘Here Jehovah our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that God can speak with man and he can keep living. 25 Now, why should we die? For this great fire may consume us. If we continue hearing the voice of Jehovah our God, we are sure to die. 26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire as we did and yet goes on living? 27 You yourself must go near to hear all that Jehovah our God will say, and you will be the one to tell us all that Jehovah our God says to you, and we will listen and do it.’

In that event, nobody saw God's face:

Deut. 4:12 And Jehovah began to speak to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—there was only a voice. (...) 36 He made you hear his voice from the heavens to correct you, and on the earth he made you see his great fire, and his words you heard from out of the fire.

They saw a great fire, they heard a voice ... They never saw God literally.

[Sojournerofthearth]

No man hath seen God at any time. —John 1:18

For I have seen God face to face. —Genesis 32:30

I've said it in great detail in other posts, The Rock of Israel, Was Christ

Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)
Who was the Rock?
2Sa_22:2, 2Sa_22:32; Deu_32:4, Deu_32:30-31; Psa_42:9

No one has seen the Father, because Christ was the spokesperson. He was the Word, the Rock of Israel. Before Abraham was I AM.

Exo_3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

According to the Bible, if one is so inclined...

Soj
 

[We_Are_VENOM]

[Replying to polonius in post #1]

On Halloween, my wife wears a Jason mask. I wear a Michael Myers mask. We both speak to each other, while wearing our masks. Are we speaking face to face?