ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Exodus 3

3:1–4:31 Call of Moses. These chapters focus primarily on the call of Moses at the burning bush (3:1–4:17). They also cover Moses’ return from Midian to Egypt: the peaceful departure from Jethro (4:18–20), the Lord’s reminder and further instruction to Moses (4:21–23), the preservation of Moses’ life by Zipporah (4:24–26), and the arrival of Aaron before Moses met with the elders of Israel (4:27–31).

Ex. 3:1–4:17 Moses’ call at the burning bush marks the beginning of his role as mediator between the Lord and his people.

Ex. 3:1 Horeb, the mountain of God. The mountain is also referred to as “Mount Sinai” (see 19:11). “Horeb” is the region where the mountain was located. Mount Sinai becomes known as “the mountain of God” because of the events that follow.

Ex. 3:2–4 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., Gen. 22:11–18). Here the angel appears to Moses in a flame of fire, a sign of God’s presence.

Ex. 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: God is holy, and he is the one who makes or declares places and people to be holy.

Ex. 3:6 Moses is a descendant of Abraham and belongs to the people to whom God has pledged himself (see 2:23–25). Jesus quotes from this verse (Matt. 22:32), affirming that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob still live.

Ex. 3:7–9 God tells Moses that he knows about Israel’s affliction (I have . . . seen, heard, know; see also 2:23–25). He refers to the Hebrew slaves as my people (also 3:10). They belong to the group to whom he has made covenant promises.

Ex. 3:11–12 Who am I . . . ? Moses’ question makes sense, and God does not criticize him for asking it (v. 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 4:12).

Ex. 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 familiar with God’s name, this does not mean that the personal name of God was unknown to the Hebrews (see e.g., Gen. 4:26; 12:8; 26:25; 30:27). See note on Ex. 6:3–8.

Ex. 3:14 I am who I am. The three occurrences of “I am” in v. 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 context of v. 12 (“I will be with you”), the name of Yahweh (“the Lord”) is a clear reminder of God’s faithfulness to his people.

Ex. 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 links up with the NT, which calls Christ “Lord,” identifying him with the God of the OT.

Ex. 3:16–17 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.

Ex. 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 enslaved them! let us go . . . that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. This demand is repeated throughout the plagues: “Let my people go, that they may serve me” (7:16; 8:1; 20; 9:1; 13; 10:3). Israel’s relationship with their Lord supersedes any claim that Pharaoh has on them.

Ex. 3:19 The strength of God’s hand is the means by which he will bring Israel out of Egypt.