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.

Moses at the Burning Bush on Horeb

1
Now Moshe was tending the sheep of Yitro his father-in-law, the priest of Midyan. Leading the flock to the far side of the desert, he came to the mountain of God, to Horev. ​
2
The angel of ADONAI appeared to him in a fire blazing from the middle of a bush. He looked and saw that although the bush was flaming with fire, yet the bush was not being burned up. ​
3
Moshe said, "I'm going to go over and see this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn't being burned up."
4
When ADONAI saw that he had gone over to see, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moshe! Moshe!" He answered, "Here I am." ​
5
He said, "Don't come any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. ​
6
I am the God of your father," he continued, "the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz'chak and the God of Ya'akov." Moshe covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God. ​

God Hears and Commissions Moses

7
ADONAI said, "I have seen how my people are being oppressed in Egypt and heard their cry for release from their slavemasters, because I know their pain.
8
I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that country to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the place of the Kena'ani, Hitti, Emori, P'rizi, Hivi and Y'vusi. ​
9
Yes, the cry of the people of Isra'el has come to me, and I have seen how terribly the Egyptians oppress them.
10
Therefore, now, come; and I will send you to Pharaoh; so that you can lead my people, the descendants of Isra'el, out of Egypt." ​

Moses’ First Objection: Who Am I?

11
Moshe said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the people of Isra'el out of Egypt?" ​
12
He replied, "I will surely be with you. Your sign that I have sent you will be that when you have led the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain." ​

The Revelation of the Divine Name: I AM

13
Moshe said to God, "Look, when I appear before the people of Isra'el and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?" ​
14
God said to Moshe, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be]," and added, "Here is what to say to the people of Isra'el: 'Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.'" ​
15
God said further to Moshe, "Say this to the people of Isra'el: 'Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [ADONAI], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz'chak and the God of Ya'akov, has sent me to you.'This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation. ​

Instructions for the Elders and Prediction of Deliverance

16
Go, gather the leaders of Isra'el together, and say to them, 'ADONAI, the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, Yitz'chak and Ya'akov, has appeared to me and said, "I have been paying close attention to you and have seen what is being done to you in Egypt;
17
and I have said that I will lead you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Kena'ani, Hitti, Emori, P'rizi, Hivi and Y'vusi, to a land flowing with milk and honey."'
18
They will heed what you say. Then you will come, you and the leaders of Isra'el, before the king of Egypt; and you will tell him, 'ADONAI, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now, please, let us go three days' journey into the desert; so that we can sacrifice to ADONAI our God.' ​
19
I know that the king of Egypt will not let you leave unless he is forced to do so.
20
But I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that, he will let you go.
21
Moreover, I will make the Egyptians so well-disposed toward this people that when you go, you won't go empty-handed.
22
Rather, all the women will ask their neighbors and house guests for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, with which you will dress your own sons and daughters. In this way 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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