Exodus 3:6

6 And he said, 1"I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for 2he 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 that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
5 Then he said, "Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
6 And he said, "I am the God of your 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 at God.
7 Then the LORD said, "I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings,
8 and I 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 broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Exodus 4:5; Genesis 28:13; 1 Kings 18:36; Cited Matthew 22:32; Mark 12:26; [Luke 20:37]
  • 2. [1 Kings 19:13; Isa. 6:1, 2, 5]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.