11 And Moses H4872 said H559 unto God, H430 Who am I, that I should go H3212 unto Pharaoh, H6547 and that I should bring forth H3318 the children H1121 of Israel H3478 out of Egypt? H4714
Then said H559 I, Woe H188 is me! for I am undone; H1820 because I am a man H376 of unclean H2931 lips, H8193 and I dwell H3427 in the midst H8432 of a people H5971 of unclean H2931 lips: H8193 for mine eyes H5869 have seen H7200 the King, H4428 the LORD H3068 of hosts. H6635 Then flew H5774 one H259 of the seraphims H8314 unto me, having a live coal H7531 in his hand, H3027 which he had taken H3947 with the tongs H4457 from off the altar: H4196 And he laid H5060 it upon my mouth, H6310 and said, H559 Lo, this hath touched H5060 thy lips; H8193 and thine iniquity H5771 is taken away, H5493 and thy sin H2403 purged. H3722 Also I heard H8085 the voice H6963 of the Lord, H136 saying, H559 Whom shall I send, H7971 and who will go H3212 for us? Then said H559 I, Here am I; send H7971 me.
And G1161 when G5613 he G846 was full G4137 forty years G5063 old, G5550 it came G305 into G1909 his G846 heart G2588 to visit G1980 his G846 brethren G80 the children G5207 of Israel. G2474 And G2532 seeing G1492 one G5100 of them suffer wrong, G91 he defended G292 him, and G2532 avenged G1557 G4160 him that was oppressed, G2669 and smote G3960 the Egyptian: G124 For G1161 he supposed G3543 his G846 brethren G80 would have understood G4920 how G3754 that God G2316 by G1223 his G846 hand G5495 would deliver G1325 G4991 them: G846 but G1161 they understood G4920 not. G3756
And Moses H4872 said H559 unto the LORD, H3068 O H994 my Lord, H136 I H376 am not eloquent, H1697 neither heretofore, H8032 H8543 nor since H227 thou hast spoken H1696 unto thy servant: H5650 but I am slow H3515 of speech, H6310 and of a slow H3515 tongue. H3956 And the LORD H3068 said H559 unto him, Who hath made H7760 man's H120 mouth? H6310 or who maketh H7760 the dumb, H483 or deaf, H2795 or the seeing, H6493 or the blind? H5787 have not I the LORD? H3068 Now therefore go, H3212 and I will be with thy mouth, H6310 and teach H3384 thee what thou shalt say. H1696 And he said, H559 O H994 my Lord, H136 send, H7971 I pray thee, by the hand H3027 of him whom thou wilt send. H7971
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Exodus 3
Commentary on Exodus 3 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 3
Ex 3:1-22. Divine Appearance and Commission to Moses.
1. Now Moses kept the flock—This employment he had entered on in furtherance of his matrimonial views (see on Ex 2:21), but it is probable he was continuing his service now on other terms like Jacob during the latter years of his stay with Laban (Ge 30:28).
he led the flock to the backside of the desert—that is, on the west of the desert [Gesenius], assuming Jethro's headquarters to have been at Dahab. The route by which Moses led his flock must have been west through the wide valley called by the Arabs, Wady-es-Zugherah [Robinson], which led into the interior of the wilderness.
Mountain of God—so named either according to Hebrew idiom from its great height, as "great mountains," Hebrew, "mountains of God" (Ps 36:6); "goodly cedars," Hebrew, "cedars of God" (Ps 80:10); or some think from its being the old abode of "the glory"; or finally from its being the theater of transactions most memorable in the history of the true religion to Horeb—rather, "Horeb-ward."
Horeb—that is, "dry," "desert," was the general name for the mountainous district in which Sinai is situated, and of which it is a part. (See on Ex 19:2). It was used to designate the region comprehending that immense range of lofty, desolate, and barren hills, at the base of which, however, there are not only many patches of verdure to be seen, but almost all the valleys, or wadys, as they are called, show a thin coating of vegetation, which, towards the south, becomes more luxuriant. The Arab shepherds seldom take their flocks to a greater distance than one day's journey from their camp. Moses must have gone at least two days' journey, and although he seems to have been only following his pastoral course, that region, from its numerous springs in the clefts of the rocks being the chief resort of the tribes during the summer heats, the Providence of God led him thither for an important purpose.
2, 3. the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire—It is common in Scripture to represent the elements and operations of nature, as winds, fires, earthquakes, pestilence, everything enlisted in executing the divine will, as the "angels" or messengers of God. But in such cases God Himself is considered as really, though invisibly, present. Here the preternatural fire may be primarily meant by the expression "angel of the Lord"; but it is clear that under this symbol, the Divine Being was present, whose name is given (Ex 3:4, 6), and elsewhere called the angel of the covenant, Jehovah-Jesus.
out of the midst of a bush—the wild acacia or thorn, with which that desert abounds, and which is generally dry and brittle, so much so, that at certain seasons, a spark might kindle a district far and wide into a blaze. A fire, therefore, being in the midst of such a desert bush was a "great sight." It is generally supposed to have been emblematic of the Israelites' condition in Egypt—oppressed by a grinding servitude and a bloody persecution, and yet, in spite of the cruel policy that was bent on annihilating them, they continued as numerous and thriving as ever. The reason was "God was in the midst of them." The symbol may also represent the present state of the Jews, as well as of the Church generally in the world.
4. when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see—The manifestations which God anciently made of Himself were always accompanied by clear, unmistakable signs that the communications were really from heaven. This certain evidence was given to Moses. He saw a fire, but no human agent to kindle it; he heard a voice, but no human lips from which it came; he saw no living Being, but One was in the bush, in the heat of the flames, who knew him and addressed him by name. Who could this be but the Divine Being?
5. put off thy shoes—The direction was in conformity with a usage which was well known to Moses, for the Egyptian priests observed it in their temples, and it is observed in all Eastern countries where the people take off their shoes or sandals, as we do our hats. But the Eastern idea is not precisely the same as the Western. With us, the removal of the hat is an expression of reverence for the place we enter, or rather of Him who is worshipped there. With them the removal of the shoes is a confession of personal defilement and conscious unworthiness to stand in the presence of unspotted holiness.
6-8. I am the God … come down to deliver—The reverential awe of Moses must have been relieved by the divine Speaker (see Mt 22:32), announcing Himself in His covenant character, and by the welcome intelligence communicated. Moreover, the time, as well as all the circumstances of this miraculous appearance, were such as to give him an illustrious display of God's faithfulness to His promises. The period of Israel's journey and affliction in Egypt had been predicted (Ge 15:13), and it was during the last year of the term which had still to run that the Lord appeared in the burning bush.
10-22. Come now therefore, and I will send thee—Considering the patriotic views that had formerly animated the breast of Moses, we might have anticipated that no mission could have been more welcome to his heart than to be employed in the national emancipation of Israel. But he evinced great reluctance to it and stated a variety of objections [Ex 3:11, 13; 4:1, 10] all of which were successfully met and removed—and the happy issue of his labors was minutely described.