Exodus3

Moses, tending his flock at Mount Horeb, encounters God in a burning bush that is not consumed. God reveals Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, declaring His awareness of Israel's affliction in Egypt. He commissions Moses to lead His people to a promised land, assuring him of divine presence and power despite Moses' initial reluctance.
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Moses at the Burning Bush on Horeb

1
Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ​
2
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed. ​
3
So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”
4
When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered. ​
5
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ​
6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. ​

God Hears and Commissions Moses

7
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
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I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. ​
9
And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10
Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.” ​

Moses’ First Objection: Who Am I?

11
But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” ​
12
“I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.” ​

The Revelation of the Divine Name: I AM

13
Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?” ​
14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ​
15
God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation. ​

Instructions for the Elders and Prediction of Deliverance

16
Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
17
And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’
18
The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ ​
19
But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.
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So I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among them. And after that, he will release you.
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And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed.
22
Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.” ​

Study Notes for Exodus 3

Verse 1

Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, identifying the location as the sacred mountain where the covenant would later be established. Moses' forty years as a shepherd prepared him for the solitude and leadership required for his calling.

Verse 2

The 'angel of the LORD' (Heb. malakh YHWH) is often understood here as a physical manifestation of God himself (a theophany). The fire symbolizes God’s holiness and power, while the unconsumed bush symbolizes Israel's oppressed but surviving status.

Verse 4

God only calls out once Moses 'turned aside to see,' demonstrating that divine revelation often requires human attention and intentional response to be fully received.

Verse 5

Removing sandals was a customary sign of respect in the ancient Near East when entering a sacred place or the presence of a superior. This command emphasizes the absolute holiness of the ground touched by God’s immediate presence.

Verse 6

By identifying Himself with the ancestral patriarchs, God establishes continuity with the covenant promises, assuring Moses that the covenant is still active despite Israel's current slavery.

Verse 8

The promise of a 'land flowing with milk and honey' is a common biblical metaphor emphasizing the fertility and abundance of the promised land, contrasting sharply with the harsh conditions of Egypt.

Verse 10

This verse contains the explicit divine commission, shifting Moses from a solitary shepherd to the designated deliverer who will confront the world’s greatest superpower, Pharaoh.

Verse 11

Moses’ first objection is based on his own perceived inadequacy, a humility often displayed by those chosen for prophetic roles. God consistently chooses the seemingly unqualified to accomplish His greatest purposes.

Verse 12

The promise 'Certainly I will be with thee' shifts the focus from Moses' ability to God's presence and power. The token—serving God on Horeb—will be fulfilled when the covenant is established (Exod 19).

Verse 13

Moses' question anticipates the need for a definitive proof of authority for the enslaved Israelites, who would need assurance that this God was superior to the Egyptian deities.

Verse 14

The name 'I AM THAT I AM' (Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh) reveals God's essential nature: self-existence, eternal presence, and sovereign action. It is the basis for the covenant name YHWH (the LORD), meaning He is the active, ever-present God.

Verse 15

This verse confirms that the newly revealed, self-existent God (I AM) is the same covenant God of the patriarchs. This name is established as the 'memorial' (or remembrance) by which Israel is to identify and worship Him forever.

Verse 18

The request for a 'three days’ journey' provided a plausible, temporary reason for departure, though God knew Pharaoh would ultimately refuse, necessitating the demonstration of divine power through the plagues.

Verse 22

The instruction to 'spoil the Egyptians' by taking their valuables ensured that Israel was compensated for generations of forced labor, fulfilling the prophecy made to Abraham (Gen 15:14) that his descendants would leave with great possessions.

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