The Israelites were fearful of seeing God’s glory in the face of their mediator and asked that it be veiled from their eyes. Just as a phosphorescent substance that has been exposed to light emits an afterglow in the dark, so Moses, their go-between, reflected Jehovah’s glory, proving that he had been before Jehovah.

When Moses would finish speaking with them, he would put a veil over his face. But when Moses would go in before Jehovah to speak with him, he would take away the veil until his going out.”