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Exodus 3:2-5

Yahweh’s angel 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. Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

When Yahweh saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”

He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

World English Bible · Public Domain
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Exodus 3:2-5 sits inside this longer paragraph.

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. Yahweh’s angel 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. Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

When Yahweh saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”

He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.” Moreover 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.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Yahweh’s angel 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.

    Moses said, “I will go now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”

    When Yahweh saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”

    He said, “Don’t come close. Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing on is holy ground.”

  • KJV King James Version

    And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

    And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

    And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

    And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

    And Moses said: 'I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.'

    And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: 'Moses, Moses.' And he said: 'Here am I.'

    And He said: 'Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.'

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Examined in Scripture Analysis

Contradictions (1)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

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Cross-references (46)

  • Joshua 5:15 (v5) The prince of Yahweh’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals, for the place on which you stand is holy.” Joshua did so.
  • Acts 7:30-35 (v2) “When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush. When…
  • Acts 7:33 (v5) The Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you stand is holy ground.
  • Exodus 19:12 (v5) You shall set bounds to the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful that you don’t go up onto the mountain, or touch its border. Whoever…
  • Isaiah 43:2 (v2) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire,…
Show all 45 cross-references
  • Ecclesiastes 5:1 (v5) Guard your steps when you go to God’s house; for to draw near to listen is better than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they don’t know…
  • Deuteronomy 33:16 (vv2, 4) for the precious things of the earth and its fullness, the good will of him who lived in the bush. Let this come on the head of Joseph, on…
  • Mark 12:26 (v2) But about the dead, that they are raised; haven’t you read in the book of Moses, about the Bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the…
  • Psalms 66:12 (v2) You allowed men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water, but you brought us to the place of abundance.
  • Luke 20:37 (v2) But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord ‘The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of…
  • Genesis 28:16-17 (v5) Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, “Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn’t know it.” He was afraid, and said, “How awesome…
  • Acts 7:31 (v3) When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight. As he came close to see, a voice of the Lord came to him,
  • Hebrews 12:20 (v5) for they could not stand that which was commanded, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned”.
  • Exodus 3:16 (v2) Go 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,…
  • Exodus 19:21 (v5) Yahweh said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, lest they break through to Yahweh to gaze, and many of them perish.
  • Isaiah 63:9 (v2) In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them. He bore…
  • Malachi 3:1 (v2) “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the…
  • Genesis 16:7-13 (v2) Yahweh’s angel found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant,…
  • Genesis 48:16 (v2) the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and…
  • Exodus 3:4-10 (v2) When Yahweh saw that he came over to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, “Moses! Moses!” He said, “Here I am.”…
  • Deuteronomy 4:20 (v2) But Yahweh has taken you, and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to him a people of inheritance, as it is today.
  • Daniel 3:27 (v2) The local governors, the deputies, and the governors, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had…
  • Genesis 15:13-17 (v2) He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will…
  • Genesis 22:1 (v4) After these things, God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
  • Genesis 22:11 (v4) Yahweh’s angel called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
  • Genesis 22:15-16 (v2) Yahweh’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, and said, “ ‘I have sworn by myself,’ says Yahweh, ‘because you have done…
  • Genesis 46:2 (v4) God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He said, “Here I am.”
  • 1 Samuel 3:4 (v4) Yahweh called Samuel. He said, “Here I am.”
  • 1 Samuel 3:6 (v4) Yahweh called yet again, “Samuel!” Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” He answered, “I didn’t call, my…
  • 1 Samuel 3:8 (v4) Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; for you called me.” Eli perceived that Yahweh had…
  • Hosea 12:4-5 (v2) Indeed, he struggled with the angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication to him. He found him at Bethel, and there he spoke with…
  • Acts 9:4 (v4) He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
  • Leviticus 10:3 (v5) Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahweh spoke of, saying, ‘I will show myself holy to those who come near me, and before all the…
  • Psalms 62:11 (v4) God has spoken once; twice I have heard this, that power belongs to God.
  • Psalms 107:8 (v3) Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!
  • Acts 10:3 (v4) At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
  • Romans 8:3 (v2) For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for…
  • 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (v2) For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia, that we were weighed down…
  • 1 Samuel 3:10 (v4) Yahweh came, and stood, and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak; for your servant hears.”
  • Job 37:14 (v3) “Listen to this, Job. Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
  • Acts 10:13 (v4) A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!”
  • Psalms 111:2-4 (v3) Yahweh’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them. His work is honor and majesty. His righteousness endures forever. He…
  • Isaiah 53:10-11 (v2) Yet it pleased Yahweh to bruise him. He has caused him to suffer. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring. He…
  • John 1:14 (v2) The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
  • Zechariah 13:7 (v2) “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, and against the man who is close to me,” says Yahweh of Armies. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep…

45 distinct cross-references across this passage (46 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (17 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5 This signifieth that the Church is not consumed by…

This signifieth that the Church is not consumed by the fire of affliction, because God is in the midst thereof.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv2–5 Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5 The angel of the Lord; not a created angel,…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv2–5 And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him,....…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv2–5 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 Verse 2. The angel of the Lord] Not a…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5 Exo 3:2. The Angel of the Lord appeared to…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5 The angel of the Lord - See the note…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 The Lord appeared. That is, and angel representing God,…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv2, 4, 5 the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv2, 5 2. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–5 2. the angel of Jehovah] The ‘angel of Jehovah,’…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv2–5 (2) The angel of the Lord.—Heb., an angel of…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv2–5 The angel of the Lord. Literally, "an angel of…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v2 (See Scofield "Heb 1:4").
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v4 set apart
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv2, 4, 5 3:2 Technically, the angel of the Lord is the…
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