Exodus 3:6

World English Bible

Contextual Overview

¹ 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. ² The angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. ³ Moses said, I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. ⁴ When Yahweh saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Here I am." ⁵ He said, "Don't come close. Take off your sandals from off your feet, for the place you are standing on is holy ground." ⁶ 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; for he was afraid to look at God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I am: Exodus 3:14, Exodus 3:15, Exodus 4:5, Exodus 29:45, Genesis 12:1, Genesis 12:7, Genesis 17:7, Genesis 17:8, Genesis 26:24, Genesis 28:13, Genesis 31:42, Genesis 32:9, 1 Kings 18:36, Esther 3:4, Psalms 132:2, Jeremiah 24:7, Jeremiah 31:33, Jeremiah 32:38, Ezekiel 11:20, Zechariah 8:8, Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26, Luke 20:37, Acts 7:32, Acts 7:32

thy father: Though the word avicha, "thy father," is here used in the singular, yet St. Stephen, quoting this passage (Acts 7:32), uses the plural, ן וןע פשם נבפסשם ףןץ, "the God of thy fathers;" and that this is the meaning, the following words prove. This reading is confirmed by the Samaritan and Coptic.

hid: Genesis 17:3, Judges 13:22, 1 Kings 19:13, Nehemiah 9:9, Job 42:5, Job 42:6, Psalms 106:44, Psalms 106:45, Isaiah 6:1-5, Daniel 10:7, Daniel 10:8, Matthew 17:6, Luke 5:8, Acts 7:34, Hebrews 12:21, Revelation 1:17

Reciprocal: Genesis 3:10 - and I was Genesis 17:21 - my Genesis 24:12 - O Lord Genesis 28:17 - he was Genesis 31:53 - God of Abraham Genesis 49:24 - the mighty Exodus 3:2 - angel Exodus 24:10 - saw Leviticus 26:12 - will be Deuteronomy 9:27 - Remember Joshua 2:9 - that the Lord Judges 13:6 - terrible 1 Samuel 11:2 - thrust 2 Kings 13:23 - because of his covenant 1 Chronicles 29:18 - Lord God 2 Chronicles 20:6 - O Lord Psalms 47:9 - the God Psalms 105:6 - ye seed Psalms 146:5 - the God Song of Solomon 2:14 - that art Isaiah 6:2 - covered his face Ezekiel 20:5 - I am Acts 3:13 - God of Abraham Acts 7:30 - an Hebrews 11:16 - to be

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Yes, has God said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"

Genesis 3:2
The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat,

Genesis 3:12
The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

Genesis 3:14
Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above every animal of the field. On your belly shall you go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:15
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:17
To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Genesis 6:2
that God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.

Genesis 39:7
It happened after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph; and she said, "Lie with me."

Joshua 7:21
when I saw among the spoil a goodly Babylonian mantle, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Moreover he said, I am the God of thy fathers,.... Of every one of his fathers next mentioned:

the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; with whom the covenant respecting the land of Canaan, and the promise of the blessed seed the Messiah, was made: this again shows that the Angel of the Lord that now appeared was God himself, Jehovah the Son of God. Our Lord makes use of this text to prove the resurrection of the dead against the Sadducees, God being not the God of the dead, but of the living; Mark 12:26

and Moses hid his face; wrapped it in his mantle or cloak, as Elijah did, 1 Kings 19:13, because of the glory of the divine Majesty now present, and conscious of his own sinfulness and unworthiness:

for he was afraid to look upon God; even upon this outward appearance and representation of him in a flame of fire; otherwise the essence of God is not to be looked upon and seen at all, God is invisible; but even this external token and symbol of him was terrible to behold; the thought that God was there filled him with fear, considering the greatness and awfulness of his majesty, and what a poor, weak, and sinful creature he was.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Our Saviour adduces this passage as a proof that the doctrine of the Resurrection was taught in the Old Testament Matthew 22:32, and He calls this book “the Book of Moses” Mark 12:26, two points to be borne in mind by readers of the Pentateuch.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Exodus 3:6. I am the God of thy father — Though the word אבי abi, father, is here used in the singular, St Stephen, quoting this place, Acts 7:32, uses the plural, Ὁ Θεος των πατερων σου, The God of thy FATHERS; and that this is the meaning the following words prove: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. These were the fathers of Moses in a direct line. This reading is confirmed by the Samaritan and by the Coptic. ABRAHAM was the father of the Ishmaelites, and with him was the covenant first made. ISAAC was the father of the Edomites as well as the Israelites, and with him was the covenant renewed. JACOB was the father of the twelve patriarchs, who were founders of the Jewish nation, and to him were the promises particularly confirmed. Hence we see that the Arabs and Turks in general, who are descendants of Ishmael; the Edomites, now absorbed among the Jews, (Genesis 25:23,) who are the descendants of Esau; and the Jewish people, wheresoever scattered, who are the descendants of Jacob, are all heirs of the promises included in this primitive covenant; and their gathering in with the fulness of the Gentiles may be confidently expected.

And Moses hid his face — For similar acts, see 1 Kings 19:13; Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah 6:5; Nehemiah 9:9; Psalms 106:44; Acts 7:34. He was afraid to look - he was overawed by God's presence, and dazzled with the splendour of the appearance.