Exodus — Chapter 3

Loading ESV text...

1Meanwhile, 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.

2There 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.

3So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”

4When 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.”

6Then 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.

7The 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.

8I 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.

9And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.

10Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11But 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.”

13Then 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?”

14God 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.’”

15God 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.

16Go, 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.

17And 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.’

18The 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.’

19But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.

20So 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.

21And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed.

22Every 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.”

1Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:

17And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.

19And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:

22But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

1Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto Horeb.

2And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3And Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4And when Jehovah saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

5And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

9And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

15And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

16Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and [seen] that which is done to you in Egypt:

17and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.

18And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days` journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God.

19And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20And I will put forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.

21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty.

22But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.

1Now Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.

2The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked, and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!

3So Moses thought, “I will turn aside to see this amazing sight. Why does the bush not burn up?”

4When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5God said, “Do not approach any closer! Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

6He added, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

7The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt. I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

8I have come down to deliver them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land to a land that is both good and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the region of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

9And now indeed the cry of the Israelites has come to me, and I have also seen how severely the Egyptians oppress them.

10So now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

11Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, or that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12He replied, “Surely I will be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you bring the people out of Egypt, you and they will serve God at this mountain.”

13Moses said to God, “If I go to the Israelites and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’—what should I say to them?”

14God said to Moses, “I AM that I AM.” And he said, “You must say this to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15God also said to Moses, “You must say this 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 my memorial from generation to generation.’

16“Go and bring together the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—saying, “I have attended carefully to you and to what has been done to you in Egypt,

17and I have promised that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

18“The elders will listen to you, and then you and the elders of Israel must go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’

19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, not even under force.

20So I will extend my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do among them, and after that he will release you.

21“I will grant this people favor with the Egyptians, so that when you depart you will not leave empty-handed.

22Every woman will ask her neighbor and the one who happens to be staying in her house for items of silver and gold and for clothing. You will put these articles on your sons and daughters—thus you will plunder Egypt!”

1Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back of the wilderness, and came to God’s mountain, to Horeb.

2Yahweh’s angel appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

3Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

4When Yahweh saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”

5He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

6Moreover he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look at God.

7Yahweh said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.

8I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey; to the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

9Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”

11Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

12He said, “Certainly I will be with you. This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13Moses said to God, “Behold, when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you;’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ What should I tell them?”

14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15God said moreover to Moses, “You shall tell the children of Israel this, ‘Yahweh, 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 my memorial to all generations.

16Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and tell them, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt;

17and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’

18They will listen to your voice, and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you shall tell him, ‘Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Yahweh, our God.’

19I know that the king of Egypt won’t give you permission to go, no, not by a mighty hand.

20I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders which I will do among them, and after that he will let you go.

21I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it will happen that when you go, you shall not go empty-handed.

22But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her who visits her house, jewels of silver, jewels of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons, and on your daughters. You shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

While tending sheep near Horeb, Moses encounters God in a bush that burns without being consumed, and is told to remove his sandals because he stands on holy ground (vv. 1-6). God declares that He has seen Israel's suffering and will send Moses to bring the people out of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey (vv. 7-10). When Moses protests his own inadequacy, God promises His presence, and when Moses asks for God's name, God answers with the self-existent name later rendered LORD, telling Moses this is His name forever (vv. 11-15). God then instructs Moses to gather Israel's elders, predicts that Pharaoh will resist even after mighty signs, and promises that Israel will leave Egypt with the Egyptians' wealth (vv. 16-22).

Authorship & Background

Author: Moses (see Chapter 1 notes for full authorship details).
Historical Context: Chapter 3 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible — God's self-revelation at the burning bush. Moses is 80 years old, 40 years removed from Egypt, tending sheep on "the backside of the desert." God appears in a bush that burns but is not consumed — a picture of Israel in affliction but not destroyed, and of God's presence that illuminates without destroying. Here God reveals His personal name — "I AM that I AM" (YHWH) — the most sacred name in Scripture. He commissions Moses to deliver Israel, and Moses begins his series of objections (continued in chapter 4).
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: a bush that burns without being consumed, ground made holy by presence rather than by any quality of the dirt itself, a name whose form deflects definition back onto God's own self-existence, a first objection about identity answered not with reassurance about Moses but with a promise of accompaniment, and instructions for a request Pharaoh is already expected to refuse
The Burning Bush (vv.1-6): Moses leads Jethro's flock to Horeb (Sinai) — "the mountain of God" (v.1). The Angel of the LORD appears in fire within a bush — burning but not consumed (v.2). Moses turns aside to investigate (v.3). God calls: "Moses, Moses" — the doubled name of intimacy (v.4). God commands: "Put off thy shoes... holy ground" (v.5). God identifies Himself: "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (v.6). Moses hides his face in fear.
God's Commission (vv.7-10): God has seen, heard, and knows Israel's suffering (v.7). He has "come down to deliver" (v.8) — to bring them to "a land flowing with milk and honey" (v.8). The commission: "I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (v.10). God delivers — but through a human agent.
Moses' First Objection (vv.11-12): "Who am I?" (v.11). God's answer is not about Moses but about Himself: "Certainly I will be with thee" (v.12). The sign: "ye shall serve God upon this mountain" — a sign fulfilled after obedience, not before.
The Divine Name (vv.13-15): Moses asks God's name (v.13). God answers: "I AM that I AM" — Hebrew "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh" (v.14). "I AM hath sent me unto you." Then: "The LORD (YHWH)... this is my name for ever" (v.15). God's eternal, self-existent, covenant name revealed.
God's Plan (vv.16-22): Instructions: gather the elders, go to Pharaoh, request a three-day journey (vv.16-18). God foreknows Pharaoh's refusal (v.19). God will smite Egypt with wonders (v.20). Israel will leave with Egyptian wealth — "ye shall spoil the Egyptians" (vv.21-22).

Map & Geography

  • Horeb / Mount Sinai (v.1): "The mountain of God," located in the Sinai Peninsula (traditionally Jebel Musa). Moses encounters God here at the burning bush.
  • Midian (v.1): The region where Moses tended Jethro's flock; the "backside of the desert" (KJV) / "west side of the wilderness" (ESV).
  • "A land flowing with milk and honey" (v.8): Description of Canaan — the Promised Land, destination of the Exodus.

Places on this map

  • Mount SinaiJebel Musa, Sinai Peninsula, EgyptTraditionally Jebel Musa in the granite mountains of the southern Sinai peninsula, about 7,500 feet high. The identification dates from Christian monastic tradition rather than from the text, and other candidates have been proposed, but this has been the pilgrimage site since the fourth century. Wikipedia
  • Midiannorth-western Saudi ArabiaDesert and oasis country east of the Gulf of Aqaba, home to camel caravanning herdsmen rather than to cities. Moses spent forty years here as a shepherd, which is how a man raised in an Egyptian palace learned to cross a wilderness. Wikipedia
  • CanaanIsrael, West Bank, LebanonThe land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia, which is why armies crossed it for three thousand years. Within about 60 miles it goes from coastal plain to hill country to rift valley to desert plateau, so control of it was always local and piecemeal. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik provides extensive treatment of the burning bush symbolism, the divine name "I AM," Moses' objections, and the theology of God's self-revelation.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Sent By The Great “I Am” - Exodus 3:14
David Guzik

Answer Enough - Exodus 3:11-12
David Guzik

Do You Remember? - Exodus 3:6
David Guzik

Come Into God’s House - Exodus 3:5
David Guzik

Getting Our Attention - Exodus 3:4
David Guzik

Exodus 3 — The Position to Receive Vision
David Guzik

Exodus 3-4 | The Call of Moses | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Exodus 3 - I AM Your God
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org What God's answer at the burning bush means, and why the name given here shapes the rest of Scripture.
  • BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the shape of the rescue from Egypt and where the story is going.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Exodus -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Presence That Preserves (v.2) — The bush burns but is never consumed, a picture of how God's presence can sustain someone in the middle of real fire rather than removing them from it. Where are you hoping God will remove the flames instead of trusting Him to keep you through them?
  • Reverence on Holy Ground (v.5) — Before God commissions Moses to anything, He first requires reverence — take off your sandals. Has familiarity with God ever slid into casualness in how you approach Him?
  • A God Who Sees and Comes Down (v.7) — God tells Moses He has seen Israel's affliction, heard their cry, and knows their sorrows before He ever moves to act. When circumstances feel unseen and unheard, can you trust that God has already noticed?
  • "Who Am I?" Met With "I Will Be With You" (vv.11-12) — Moses questions his own qualifications, and God's answer isn't reassurance about Moses' ability but a promise of His own presence. Are you waiting to feel adequate before obeying, when God's presence was always the actual qualification?
  • The God Who Simply Is (v.14) — God reveals His name as a declaration of self-existent, unchanging being rather than a description tied to circumstances. Whatever you need Him to be in this season, can you rest in the fact that He already is?