Exodus 3

VERSES 1-

And Moses hath been feeding the flock

of Jethro

his father-in-law,

priest of Midian,

and he leadeth the flock

behind the wilderness,

and cometh in unto the mount of God,

to Horeb;

and there appeareth unto him

a messenger of Jehovah

in a flame of fire,

out of the midst of the bush,

and he seeth,

and lo, the bush is burning with fire,

and the bush is not consumed.

And Moses saith,

`Let me turn aside,

I pray thee,

and I see this great appearance;

wherefore is the bush not burned?'

and Jehovah seeth

that he hath turned aside to see,

and God calleth unto him

out of the midst of the bush,

and saith,

Moses, Moses;'

and he //Moses// saith, [Here [am] I](https://app.thebrain.com/brain/9d9e6e01-35d1-431b-8520-6e7ad360f8ce/69dbaa14-c31d-4db9-a0da-ee889644ce0f).'

And He //YHWH// saith,

`Come not near hither:

cast thy shoes from off thy feet,

for the place on which thou art standing is holy ground.'

He saith also, `[[I [am]](https://app.thebrain.com/brain/9d9e6e01-35d1-431b-8520-6e7ad360f8ce/8d40d7d7-229b-404a-9d8c-f45bfc86053e)](https://app.thebrain.com/brain/9d9e6e01-35d1-431b-8520-6e7ad360f8ce/8d40d7d7-229b-404a-9d8c-f45bfc86053e) the

God of thy father, //usually plural, here singlar//

God of Abraham,

God of Isaac,

and God of Jacob;'

and Moses hideth his face,

for he is afraid to look towards God.

Moses has been a Hebrew, raised as an Egyptian. The Hebrews did not identify with him, the Egyptians didn’t identify with him. Then he goes to a foreign land and they identify him as an Egyptian, but he feels like a foreigner. Now God is giving him an identy by stating “I am the God of thy father.” His father was of Levi. Exodus 2:1

This is the same picture of the Israelites. At this point they are Hebrews living in the land of Egypt,, they don’t become the Isrealites until later on.

Moses was about his daily business but was willing to stop and see what this odd event was about. He was in a dessert, he had to have seen burning bushes before, but this one was not being consumed. ... and God saw.

Here Moses hides his face and is afraid to look towards God, later he will ask to look upon God’s glory Exodus 33:18

And Jehovah saith,

`I have certainly seen the affliction of My people

who [are] in Egypt,

and their cry I have heard,

because of its exactors,

for I have known its pains;

and I go down

to deliver it

out of the hand

of the Egyptians,

and to cause it to go up

out of the land,

unto a land good and broad,

unto a land flowing with milk and honey --

unto the place of

the Canaanite,

and the Hittite,

and the Amorite,

and the Perizzite,

and the Hivite,

and the Jebusite.

`And now, lo, the cry of the sons of Israel

hath come in unto Me,

and I have also seen the oppression

with which the Egyptians

are oppressing them,

and now, come, and I send thee

unto Pharaoh,

and bring thou out My people,

the sons of Israel,

out of Egypt.'

And Moses saith unto God,

`Who [am] I,

that I go unto Pharaoh,

and that I bring out the sons of Israel

from Egypt?'

and He //YHWH// saith,

`Because I am with thee,

and this [is] to thee the sign

that I have sent thee:

in thy bringing out the people

from Egypt

-- ye do serve God on this mount.'

And Moses saith unto God,

`Lo, I am coming unto the sons of Israel,

and have said to them,

The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you,

and they have said to me, What [is] His name?

what do I say unto them?'

And God saith unto Moses,

[I [am]](https://app.thebrain.com/brain/9d9e6e01-35d1-431b-8520-6e7ad360f8ce/8d40d7d7-229b-404a-9d8c-f45bfc86053e) That Which [I [am]](https://app.thebrain.com/brain/9d9e6e01-35d1-431b-8520-6e7ad360f8ce/8d40d7d7-229b-404a-9d8c-f45bfc86053e) //’ehyeh ‘aser ‘ehyeh//;' He saith also,

Thus dost thou say to the sons of Israel,

[I [am]](https://app.thebrain.com/brain/9d9e6e01-35d1-431b-8520-6e7ad360f8ce/8d40d7d7-229b-404a-9d8c-f45bfc86053e) //’ehyeh// hath sent me unto you.'

And God saith again unto Moses,

`Thus dost thou say unto the sons of Israel,

Jehovah, //YHWH//

God of your fathers,

God of Abraham,

God of Isaac,

and God of Jacob,

hath sent me unto you;

this [is] My name -- to the age,

and this My memorial,

to generation -- generation.

`Go,

and thou hast gathered the elders of Israel,

and hast said unto them:

Jehovah,

God of your fathers,

hath appeareth unto me,

God of Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob,

saying, I have certainly inspected you,

and that which is done to you in Egypt;

and I say,

I bring you up out of the affliction

of Egypt,

unto the land of

the Canaanite,

and the Hittite,

and the Amorite,

and the Perizzite,

and the Hivite,

and the Jebusite,

unto a land flowing [with] milk and honey.

`And they have hearkened to thy voice,

and thou hast entered,

thou and the elders of Israel,

unto the king of Egypt,

and ye have said unto him,

Jehovah,

God of the Hebrews,

hath met with us;

and now, let us go,

we pray thee,

a journey of three days

into the wilderness,

and we sacrifice to Jehovah

our God.

`And I -- I have known that the king

of Egypt

doth not permit you to go,

unless by a strong hand,

and I have put forth My hand,

and have smitten Egypt

with all My wonders,

which I do in its midst

-- and afterwards he doth send you away

`And I have given the grace of this people

in the eyes of the Egyptians,

and it hath come to pass,

when ye go, ye go not empty;

and [every] woman hath asked

from her neighbour,

and from her who is sojourning

in her house,

vessels of silver,

and vessels of gold,

and garments,

and ye have put [them] on

your sons

and on your daughters,

and have spoiled the Egyptians.'

NOTES:

Heiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.

The text quite clearly states that “the angel of Yahweh” was in the bush (v. 2). But when Moses turns to look at the bush (v. 3), the text has Yahweh observing him and calling to him—“from the midst of the bush” (v. 4).