Bible Study Exodus 3
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Exodus 3 · WEB

The Burning Bush and the Divine Name

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Now 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.
2The angel of Yahweh 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 look, 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 where you are standing 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 because 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."
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Summary

Moses, tending his father-in-law Jethro's flocks near Mount Horeb (Sinai) in the wilderness, encounters a bush that burns without being consumed. God speaks from the bush, identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and declares that he has seen Israel's suffering and has come to deliver them. God commissions Moses to go to Pharaoh and lead Israel out, revealing his personal name: "I AM WHO I AM" (Yahweh). God promises to accompany Moses, tells him exactly what will happen, and assures him that Israel will not leave Egypt empty-handed.

Themes

  • The holiness and approachability of God
  • Divine compassion: God sees, hears, and acts on behalf of the oppressed
  • The revelation of God's personal name, Yahweh
  • The calling and commissioning of a reluctant leader

Key verses

  • Ex 3:14 — “God 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.'”
  • Ex 3:15 — “This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations.”
  • Ex 3:7-8 — “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry… I have come down to deliver them.”

Context & background

Mount Horeb (also called Sinai) is located in the Sinai Peninsula in modern Egypt. The exact site is debated, but the traditional location is Jebel Musa in the southern Sinai. The divine name "I AM WHO I AM" (Hebrew: 'ehyeh 'asher 'ehyeh) is derived from the verb "to be" (hayah), and the name Yahweh (YHWH) is related to this same root — communicating God's self-existent, eternal nature. In ancient Near Eastern thought, knowing a god's name meant access to that deity's power; here God freely gives his name as a gift of relationship. The "land flowing with milk and honey" refers to Canaan, modern Israel/Palestine/Lebanon.

Cross-references

  • Acts 7:30-34 — Stephen references the burning bush in his rehearsal of Israel's history.
  • Hebrews 11:27 — Moses endured "as seeing him who is invisible," pointing to the faith grounded in the burning bush encounter.
  • Isaiah 43:1-3 — God's "I have called you by name" and promise of presence echoes the personal commissioning here.
  • John 8:58 — Jesus says "Before Abraham was born, I AM," directly claiming the divine name of Exodus 3:14.

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    What was unusual about the bush Moses saw on Mount Horeb (v. 2)?

  2. Observe

    What name did God give Moses when asked what to tell Israel (v. 14)?

  3. Interpret

    What does God's command for Moses to remove his sandals (v. 5) communicate?

  4. Interpret

    Why is the revelation of God's name "I AM WHO I AM" especially fitting in the context of Israel's suffering?

  5. Apply

    Moses responded to God's call with "Who am I?" (v. 11). How should believers respond when called to tasks beyond their ability?

  6. Apply

    What does the burning bush encounter teach about approaching God today?

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