The Burning Bush #33

The burning bush is the moment in Exodus 3 when God speaks to Moses from a bush that is on fire but is not consumed. Moses, a fugitive tending sheep in Midian, is called to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. The scene also gives one of the Bible’s most important statements of God’s name.

Biblical Account

Moses had fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian, and he was now keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, priest of Midian. He led the sheep to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, called the mountain of God (Exodus 3:1). There “the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.” Moses saw that the bush was burning yet was not consumed, and turned aside to look (Exodus 3:2-3).

God called out, “Moses, Moses!” and told him not to come near but to take off his sandals, “for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” He identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:4-6). God said that he had seen the affliction of his people, heard their cry, and come down to deliver them and bring them to a good and broad land, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:7-10).

Moses objected: “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?” God answered, “I will be with thee” (Exodus 3:11-12). When Moses asked what to say if the people asked God’s name, God answered, “I AM THAT I AM,” and told him to say, “I AM hath sent me unto you.” He added that this is “the LORD God of your fathers… my name for ever” (Exodus 3:13-15). Moses continued to raise doubts, so God gave him signs: the staff that became a serpent, a hand that turned leprous and was healed, and water that would become blood (Exodus 4:1-9). When Moses said he was slow of speech, God reminded him who made the mouth and appointed his brother Aaron to speak for him (Exodus 4:10-16).

Theological Significance

The passage shows God as holy, yet close and attentive to suffering. He has seen, heard, and come down, and the calling that follows is a matter of joining a rescue already underway. The words “I will be with you” answer every one of Moses’ objections, and the theme of divine presence with the called runs through the rest of Scripture.

The divine name in Exodus 3:14 has been discussed for centuries. The Hebrew can be rendered “I AM WHO I AM,” “I will be who I will be,” or in related ways, and it is linked to the divine name YHWH, usually written LORD in English translations. Jesus draws on the passage when he answers the Sadducees, saying that God spoke to Moses at the bush as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and is not the God of the dead but of the living (Mark 12:26-27).

Historical and Archaeological Notes

Horeb is usually identified with Sinai, though some passages use the names in different ways, and the location of the mountain remains debated. Christian tradition since late antiquity has pointed to Jebel Musa in the southern Sinai Peninsula, but other sites have been proposed.