Exodus 3:2-12

2 ¹And ²the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.

3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned. ”

4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, ³God called to him ⁴out of the bush, “Moses, Moses! ” And he said, “Here I am. ”

5 Then he said, “Do not come near; ⁵take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. ”

6 And he said, ⁶“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 ⁷he was afraid to look at God.

7 Then the Lord said, ⁸“I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their ⁹taskmasters. I know their sufferings,

8 and ¹⁰I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and ¹¹to bring them up out of that land to a ¹²good and broad land, a land ¹³flowing with milk and honey, to the place of ¹⁴the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9 And now, behold, ¹⁵the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the ¹⁶oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

10 ¹⁷Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. ”

11 But Moses said to God, ¹⁸“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? ”

12 He said, ¹⁹“But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, ²⁰you shall serve God on this mountain. ”

Exodus 3:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO EXODUS 2

In this chapter we are informed how that the Lord appeared to Moses in a bush on fire, but not consumed, Ex 3:1-6, declared unto him that he had seen and observed the afflictions of the children of Israel, and was determined to deliver them, Ex 3:7-9, that he gave him a call to be the deliverer of them, answered his objections to it, and instructed him what he should say, both to the elders of Israel and to Pharaoh, Ex 3:10-18, and assured him, that though at first Pharaoh would refuse to let them go, yet after many miracles wrought, he would be willing to dismiss them, when they should depart with great substance, Ex 3:19-22.

Cross References

• 1. 3:2 For ver. 2-10, see Acts 7:30-35
• 2. 3:2 Isa. 63:9
• 3. 3:4 ch. 19:3
• 4. 3:4 Deut. 33:16
• 5. 3:5 Josh. 5:15; [ch. 19:12; Eccles. 5:1]
• 6. 3:6 ch. 4:5; Gen. 28:13; 1 Kgs. 18:36; Cited Matt. 22:32; Mark 12:26; [Luke 20:37]
• 7. 3:6 [1 Kgs. 19:13; Isa. 6:1, 2, 5]
• 8. 3:7 ch. 2:23-25; Neh. 9:9; Ps. 106:44
• 9. 3:7 ch. 5:13, 14
• 10. 3:8 Gen. 11:5, 7; 18:21
• 11. 3:8 ch. 6:6; 12:51; [Gen. 50:24]
• 12. 3:8 Deut. 1:25; 8:7, 8, 9
• 13. 3:8 ch. 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13:27; Deut. 26:9, 15; Jer. 11:5; 32:22; Ezek. 20:6
• 14. 3:8 Gen. 15:18-21
• 15. 3:9 ch. 2:23
• 16. 3:9 ch. 1:11-14, 22
• 17. 3:10 [Ps. 105:26; Mic. 6:4]
• 18. 3:11 ch. 6:12; [1 Sam. 18:18; Isa. 6:5, 8; Jer. 1:6]
• 19. 3:12 ch. 4:12, 15; Deut. 31:8, 23; Josh. 1:5
• 20. 3:12 See ch. 19