EXODUS 3:1 Call of Moses. These chapters focus primarily on the call of Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:1). They also cover Moses’ return from Midian to Egypt: the peaceful departure from Jethro (Exodus 4:18), the Lord’s reminder and further instruction to Moses (Exodus 4:21), the preservation o... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:2 These verses identify THE ANGEL OF THE LORD as THE LORD and as GOD. The OT often closely identifies “the angel of the LORD” with God himself acting as his own messenger (e.g., Genesis 22:11). Here the angel appears to Moses in a FLAME OF FIRE, a sign of God’s presence. ⇐ ⇔ [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:5 This is HOLY GROUND only because of God’s presence, not because of anything special about the place. This is a theme in Exodus 1:1: God is holy, and he is the one who makes or declares places and people to be holy. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); f... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:6 Moses is a descendant of ABRAHAM and belongs to the people to whom God has pledged himself (see Exodus 2:23). Jesus quotes from this verse (Matthew 22:32), affirming that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still live. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (va... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:7 God tells Moses that he knows about Israel’s affliction (I HAVE... SEEN, HEARD, KNOW; see also Exodus 2:23). He refers to the Hebrew slaves as MY PEOPLE (also Exodus 3:10). They belong to the group to whom he has made covenant promises. ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:11 WHO AM I...? Moses’ question makes sense, and God does not criticize him for asking it (v. Exodus 3:11). “I WILL BE WITH YOU.” When the OT says that God is “with” someone, it means that God enables the person to do what God has asked him to do (see Exodus 4:12). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:13 WHAT IS HIS NAME? Since Egyptians believed in many gods, it was essential to know the identity of the one true God (THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS). In ancient times, to know a person’s name was to know something very essential about that person. Though Moses is apparently not fa... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:14 I AM WHO I AM. The three occurrences of “I AM” in v. Exodus 3:14 are all forms of the Hebrew verb “to be.” Each relates to the divine name Yahweh (“the LORD”; see note on v. 15). The word translated “I am” can also be translated “I will be” (see esv footnote). Given the co... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:15 THE LORD. The esv follows the tradition of replacing “Yahweh” (the four Hebrew consonants _YHWH_) with “the LORD” (with small capital letters). This practice goes back to the Septuagint, a pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT. Translating this term as “the LORD” also... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:16 GO AND GATHER THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL TOGETHER AND SAY TO THEM. This is the first time Moses is told to relay the Lord’s words to Israel. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:18 The powerful KING OF EGYPT would think it ridiculous for Moses to make a request in the name of THE LORD, THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS. What god would choose to be identified with a nation of slaves—and then also presume to make a request from the king of the nation that has ens... [ Continue Reading ]
EXODUS—NOTE ON EXODUS 3:19 The strength of God’s HAND is the means by which he will bring Israel out of Egypt. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]