Exodus 3:1-10
New Catholic Bible
The Burning Bush[a]
Chapter 3
The Call of Moses.[b] 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,[c] the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord[d] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed. 3 Moses said, “I wish to draw near to observe this wondrous thing and see why this bush does not burn up.”
4 The Lord saw that he was approaching to see God and he called out from the bush, “Moses, Moses.” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He continued, “Do not approach. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.[e]
7 The Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know about their sufferings. 8 I have come down to free them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to lead them from that land to a land that is beautiful and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey,[f] the place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites are found. 9 The cry of the Israelites has come up to me and I myself have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians torment them. 10 Now go! I send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the Israelites, from Egypt.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 3:1 This grand text has always appealed to the most religious Jews and Christians. To those who strive to deepen their sense of their existence before God, the flaming fire and the Divine Name reveal the extent to which the Lord surpasses all that he has created but also how his love brings him close to human beings in order to lead them toward their destiny.
- Exodus 3:1 It is when Moses least expects it that he is called by God. The mystery of the fire that burns without being consumed astounds him. It is then that he discovers the sign of the presence and the devouring love of the Lord who so surpasses the creature that the latter feels crushed. But God keeps himself present in human history. Resolved to deliver his people, he chooses to have need of a man in order to manifest the divine power by giving him a mission to complete that is beyond human powers. History is about to take a new turn.
- Exodus 3:1 Horeb: i.e., another name for “Sinai.”
- Exodus 3:2 Angel of the Lord: an expression that signifies God himself (see Gen 16:7).
- Exodus 3:6 Moses’ action is based on the long held belief that no one can see God and live (see Gen 32:30).
- Exodus 3:8 Land flowing with milk and honey: an expression used by Eastern peoples to signify fertility (the terms are taken from the world of shepherds); the Pentateuch often uses the phrase to mean the Promised Land.
