Moses and the Burning Bush

Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro,[a] the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,[b] the mountain of God.(A) Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush.(B) As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. So Moses thought: I must go over and look at this remarkable sight. Why isn’t the bush burning up?

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

“Here I am,” he answered.

“Do not come closer,” He said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”(C) Then He continued, “I am the God of your father,[c] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”(D) Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:1 Moses’ father-in-law’s first name was Jethro; Ex 2:18.
  2. Exodus 3:1 = Desolation; another name for Mount Sinai; Dt 4:10,15; 18:16; Mal 4:4
  3. Exodus 3:6 Sam, some LXX mss read fathers; Ac 7:32

Moses at the burning bush

Moses was taking care of the flock for his father-in-law Jethro,[a] Midian’s priest. He led his flock out to the edge of the desert, and he came to God’s mountain called Horeb. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him in a flame of fire in the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the bush was in flames, but it didn’t burn up. Then Moses said to himself, Let me check out this amazing sight and find out why the bush isn’t burning up.

When the Lord saw that he was coming to look, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

Moses said, “I’m here.”

Then the Lord said, “Don’t come any closer! Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.” He continued, “I am the God of your father, Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 3:1 Also called Reuel