Exodus 3:6

6 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.

Exodus 3:6 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 3:6

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy fathers
Of every one of his fathers next mentioned: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
with whom the covenant respecting the land of Canaan, and the promise of the blessed seed the Messiah, was made: this again shows that the Angel of the Lord that now appeared was God himself, Jehovah the Son of God. Our Lord makes use of this text to prove the resurrection of the dead against the Sadducees, God being not the God of the dead, but of the living; ( Mark 12:26 Mark 12:27 ) and Moses hid his face;
wrapped it in his mantle or cloak, as Elijah did, ( 1 Kings 19:13 ) , because of the glory of the divine Majesty now present, and conscious of his own sinfulness and unworthiness: for he was afraid to look upon God;
even upon this outward appearance and representation of him in a flame of fire; otherwise the essence of God is not to be looked upon and seen at all, God is invisible; but even this external token and symbol of him was terrible to behold; the thought that God was there filled him with fear, considering the greatness and awfulness of his majesty, and what a poor, weak, and sinful creature he was.

Exodus 3:6 In-Context

4 When the Lord saw Moses was coming to look at the bush, God called to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 Then God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.
6 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.
7 The Lord said, "I have seen the troubles my people have suffered in Egypt, and I have heard their cries when the Egyptian slave masters hurt them. I am concerned about their pain,
8 and I have come down to save them from the Egyptians. I will bring them out of that land and lead them to a good land with lots of room -- a fertile land. It is the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.