Exodus 3

Part of the opening section of Exodus, this chapter begins the account of Moses' call. In Exodus 2, Moses fled Egypt and settled in Midian, and God heard the cry of the children of Israel. This chapter continues the narrative from that point.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 While keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, Moses comes to Horeb. The angel of the LORD appears in a flame of fire in a bush that is not consumed. God commands Moses to take off his shoes and then identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
• Verses 7–10 God declares that He has seen the affliction of His people and will bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey, and He sends Moses to Pharaoh.
• Verses 11–12 When Moses asks, "Who am I?" God promises to be with him and gives him a sign: the people will serve God on this mountain.
• Verses 13–15 Moses asks for God's name. God answers, "I AM THAT I AM," and then declares that "the LORD" is His name forever.
• Verses 16–18 God instructs Moses to gather the elders of Israel and, together with them, to ask the king of Egypt to let the people go three days' journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifice.
• Verses 19–22 God says that the king of Egypt will let the people go only after He has smitten Egypt with His wonders, and that the people will receive jewels of silver and gold and raiment, so that they will not go out empty.

Key Verses

• Exodus 3:5 "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." This verse is often cited as an illustration of the reverence due in the presence of God.
• Exodus 3:12 "Certainly I will be with thee." This is God's promise of His presence as He gives Moses his commission.
• Exodus 3:14 "I AM THAT I AM." This is the central verse in discussions of the name of God. It is treated separately in the article Exodus 3:12–15.

People and Places

• Moses: the one who receives the call in this chapter.
• Jethro: Moses' father-in-law and the priest of Midian.
• Pharaoh: the king of Egypt.
• Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: the patriarchs whom God names when He introduces Himself.
• Horeb: called "the mountain of God" in this chapter. It is commonly identified with Mount Sinai, though views differ on its actual location.
• Egypt and Canaan: the land the people are to leave and the land they are to enter.

Points for Reflection

• The angel of the LORD: The one who appears in verse 2 is "the angel of the LORD," yet from verse 4 onward God Himself speaks. Some regard this figure as an angel, while others see it as a manifestation of God Himself. Some Reformed and evangelical interpreters identify the angel as the preincarnate Christ.
• The name of God: Interpretations of the Hebrew ehyeh asher ehyeh in verse 14 differ. One tradition reads it as meaning that God exists of Himself, dependent on nothing else, and the Septuagint translated it along these lines. Another view, noting that the phrase uses the same verb as "I will be with thee" in verse 12, reads it as describing the God who is present with His people and acts on their behalf. The New Korean Standard Version renders the verse "I am who I am."
• The name "the LORD": Jewish tradition does not pronounce the holy name in verse 15 aloud but reads Adonai ("Lord") in its place. The Korean Revised Version renders it Jehovah, and the Korean Common Translation renders it "Yahweh." For details, see the article Names of God.
• Connections with the New Testament: In a debate about the resurrection, Jesus quoted "the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" from the account of the bush (Mark 12:26). Stephen also recounted this scene in his speech (Acts 7:30–34). Some interpreters connect the "I am" of John 8:58 with the revelation of the divine name in this chapter.

In the Korean Church

This chapter is frequently used in preaching as a representative text on calling. It is also widely taught in Sunday schools as the story of "the burning bush."