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Selected Verse: Exodus 3:2 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
Ex 3:2 |
Strong Concordance |
And the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] appeared [07200] unto him in a flame [03827] of fire [0784] out of the midst [08432] of a bush [05572]: and he looked [07200], and, behold, the bush [05572] burned [01197] with fire [0784], and the bush [05572] was not consumed [0398]. |
|
King James |
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. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
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 (Exo 3:4, Exo 3:6), 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. |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
The angel of the Lord - See the note at Gen 12:7. What Moses saw was the flame of fire in the bush; what he recognized therein was an intimation of the presence of God, who maketh a flame of fire His angel. Compare Psa 104:4. The words which Moses heard were those of God Himself, as all ancient and most modern divines have held, manifested in the Person of the Son.
Of a bush - Literally, of the bush or "seneh," a word which ought perhaps to be retained as the proper name of a thorny shrub common in that district, a species of acacia. |
The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
angel
(See Scofield) - (Heb 1:4). |
Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
Here, at Horeb, God appeared to Moses as the Angel of the Lord "in a flame of fire out of the midst of the thorn-bush" (סנה, βάτος, rubus), which burned in the fire and was not consumed. אכּל, in combination with איננּוּ, must be a participle for מאכּל. When Moses turned aside from the road or spot where he was standing, "to look at this great sight" (מראה), i.e., the miraculous vision of the bush that was burning and yet not burned up, Jehovah called to him out of the midst of the thorn-bush, "Moses, Moses (the reduplication as in Gen 22:11), draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (אדמה). The symbolical meaning of this miraculous vision, - that is to say, the fact that it was a figurative representation of the nature and contents of the ensuing message from God, - has long been admitted. The thorn-bush in contrast with the more noble and lofty trees (Jdg 9:15) represented the people of Israel in their humiliation, as a people despised by the world. Fire and the flame of fire were not "symbols of the holiness of God;" for, as the Holy One, "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (Jo1 1:5), He "dwells in the light which no man can approach unto" (Ti1 6:16); and that not merely according to the New Testament, but according to the Old Testament view as well, as is evident from Isa 10:17, where "the Light of Israel" and "the Holy One of Israel" are synonymous. But "the Light of Israel became fire, and the Holy One a flame, and burned and consumed its thorns and thistles." Nor is "fire, from its very nature, the source of light," according to the scriptural view. On the contrary, light, the condition of all life, is also the source of fire. The sun enlightens, warms, and burns (Job 30:28; Sol. Sol 1:6); the rays of the sun produce warmth, heat, and fire; and light was created before the sun. Fire, therefore, regarded as burning and consuming, is a figurative representation of refining affliction and destroying punishment (Co1 3:11.), or a symbol of the chastening and punitive justice of the indignation and wrath of God. It is in fire that the Lord comes to judgment (Dan 7:9-10; Eze 1:13-14, Eze 1:27-28; Rev 1:14-15). Fire sets forth the fiery indignation which devours the adversaries (Heb 10:27). He who "judges and makes war in righteousness' has eyes as a flame of fire (Rev 19:11-12). Accordingly, the burning thorn-bush represented the people of Israel as they were burning in the fire of affliction, the iron furnace of Egypt (Deu 4:20). Yet, though the thorn-bush was burning in the fire, it was not consumed; for in the flame was Jehovah, who chastens His people, but does not give them over unto death (Psa 118:18). The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had come down to deliver His people out of the hand of the Egyptians (Exo 3:8). Although the affliction of Israel in Egypt proceeded from Pharaoh, yet was it also a fire which the Lord had kindled to purify His people and prepare it for its calling. In the flame of the burning bush the Lord manifested Himself as the "jealous God, who visits the sins of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate Him, and showeth mercy unto thousands of them that love Him and keep His commandments" (Exo 20:5; Deu 5:9-10), who cannot tolerate the worship of another god (Exo 34:14), and whose anger burns against idolaters, to destroy them (Deu 6:15). The "jealous God" was a "consuming fire" in the midst of Israel (Deu 4:24). These passages show that the great sight which Moses saw not only had reference to the circumstances of Israel in Egypt, but was a prelude to the manifestation of God on Sinai for the establishment of the covenant (Exo 19 and 20), and also a representation of the relation in which Jehovah would stand to Israel through the establishment of the covenant made with the fathers. For this reason it occurred upon the spot where Jehovah intended to set up His covenant with Israel. But, as a jealous God, He also "takes vengeance upon His adversaries" (Nah 1:2.). Pharaoh, who would not let Israel go, He was about to smite with all His wonders (Exo 3:20), whilst He redeemed Israel with outstretched arm and great judgments (Exo 6:6). - The transition from the Angel of Jehovah (Exo 3:2) to Jehovah (Exo 3:4) proves the identity of the two; and the interchange of Jehovah and Elohim, in Exo 3:4, precludes the idea of Jehovah being merely a national God. The command of God to Moses to put off his shoes, may be accounted for from the custom in the East of wearing shoes or sandals merely as a protection from dirt. No Brahmin enters a pagoda, no Moslem a mosque, without first taking off at least his overshoes (Rosenm. Morgenl. i. 261; Robinson, Pal. ii. p. 373); and even in the Grecian temples the priests and priestesses performed the service barefooted (Justin, Apol. i. c. 62; Bhr, Symbol. ii. 96). when entering other holy places also, the Arabs and Samaritans, and even the Yezidis of Mesopotamia, take off their shoes, that the places may not be defiled by the dirt or dust upon them (vid., Robinson, Pal. iii. 100, and Layard's Nineveh and its Remains). The place of the burning bush was holy because of the presence of the holy God, and putting off the shoes was intended to express not merely respect for the place itself, but that reverence which the inward man (Eph 3:16) owes to the holy God. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him - It was an extraordinary manifestation of the divine glory; what was visible was produced by the ministry of an angel, but he heard God in it speaking to him. In a flame of fire - To shew that God was about to bring terror and destruction to his enemies, light and heat to his people, and to display his glory before all. And the bush burned, and yet was not consumed - An emblem of the church now in bondage in Egypt, burning in the brick - kilns, yet not consumed; cast down, but not destroyed. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
The angel of the Lord - Not a created angel certainly; for he is called יהוה Jehovah, Exo 3:4, etc., and has the most expressive attributes of the Godhead applied to him, Exo 3:14, etc. Yet he is an angel, מלאך malach, a messenger, in whom was the name of God, Exo 23:21; and in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, Col 2:9; and who, in all these primitive times, was the Messenger of the covenant, Mal 3:1. And who was this but Jesus, the Leader, Redeemer, and Savior of mankind? See Clarke's note on Gen 16:7.
A flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush - Fire was, not only among the Hebrews but also among many other ancient nations, a very significant emblem of the Deity. God accompanied the Israelites in all their journeying through the wilderness as a pillar of fire by night; and probably a fire or flame in the holy of holies, between the cherubim, was the general symbol of his presence; and traditions of these things, which must have been current in the east, have probably given birth, not only to the pretty general opinion that God appears in the likeness of fire, but to the whole of the Zoroastrian system of fire-worship. It has been reported of Zoroaster, or Zeradusht, that having retired to a mountain for the study of wisdom, and the benefit of solitude, the whole mountain was one day enveloped with flame, out of the midst of which he came without receiving any injury; on which he offered sacrifices to God, who, he was persuaded, had then appeared to him. M. Anquetil du Perron gives much curious information on this subject in his Zend Avesta. The modern Parsees call fire the off-spring of Ormusd, and worship it with a vast variety of ceremonies. Among the fragments attributed to Aeschylus, and collected by Stanley in his invaluable edition of this poet, p. 647, col. 1, we find the following beautiful verses:
Χωριζε θνητων τον Θεον, και μη δοκει
Ὁμοιον αυτῳ σαρκινον καθεσταναι.
Ουκ οισθα δ' αυτον· ποτε μεν ὡς πυρ φαινεται
Απλαστον ὁρμῃ· ποτε δ' ὑδωρ, ποτε δε γνοφος.
"Distinguish God from mortal men; and do not suppose that any thing fleshly is like unto him. Thou knowest him not: sometimes indeed he appears as a formless and impetuous Fire, sometimes as water, sometimes as thick darkness." The poet proceeds:
Τρεμει δ' ορη, και γαια, και πελεριος
Βυθος θαλασσης, κωρεων ὑψος μεγα,
Ὁταν επιβλεψῃ γοργον ομμα δεσποτου.
"The mountains, the earth, the deep and extensive sea, and the summits of the highest mountains tremble whenever the terrible eye of the Supreme Lord looks down upon them."
These are very remarkable fragments, and seem all to be collected from traditions relative to the different manifestations of God to the Israelites in Egypt, and in the wilderness. Moses wished to see God, but he could behold nothing but an indescribable glory: nothing like mortals, nothing like a human body, appeared at any time to his eye, or to those of the Israelites. "Ye saw no manner of similitude," said Moses, "on the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the Fire," Deu 4:15. But sometimes the Divine power and justice were manifested by the indescribable, formless, impetuous, consuming flame; at other times he appeared by the water which he brought out of the flinty rock; and in the thick darkness on Horeb, when the fiery law proceeded from his right hand, then the earth quaked and the mountain trembled: and when his terrible eye looked out upon the Egyptians through the pillar of cloud and fire, their chariot wheels were struck off, and confusion and dismay were spread through all the hosts of Pharaoh; Exo 14:24, Exo 14:25.
And the bush was not consumed - 1. An emblem of the state of Israel in its various distresses and persecutions: it was in the fire of adversity, but was not consumed. 2. An emblem also of the state of the Church of God in the wilderness, in persecutions often, in the midst of its enemies, in the region of the shadow of death - yet not consumed. 3. An emblem also of the state of every follower of Christ: cast down, but not forsaken; grievously tempted, but not destroyed; walking through the fire, but still unconsumed! Why are all these preserved in the midst of those things which have a natural tendency to destroy them! Because God Is In The Midst Of Them; it was this that preserved the bush from destruction; and it was this that preserved the Israelites; and it is this, and this alone, that preserves the Church, and holds the soul of every genuine believer in the spiritual life. He in whose heart Christ dwells not by faith, will soon be consumed by the world, the flesh, and the devil. |
6 Moreover he said [0559], I am the God [0430] of thy father [01], the God [0430] of Abraham [085], the God [0430] of Isaac [03327], and the God [0430] of Jacob [03290]. And Moses [04872] hid [05641] his face [06440]; for he was afraid [03372] to look [05027] upon God [0430].
4 And when the LORD [03068] saw [07200] that he turned aside [05493] to see [07200], God [0430] called [07121] unto him out of the midst [08432] of the bush [05572], and said [0559], Moses [04872], Moses [04872]. And he said [0559], Here am I.
4 Who maketh [06213] his angels [04397] spirits [07307]; his ministers [08334] a flaming [03857] fire [0784]:
7 And the LORD [03068] appeared [07200] unto Abram [087], and said [0559], Unto thy seed [02233] will I give [05414] this [02063] land [0776]: and there builded [01129] he an altar [04196] unto the LORD [03068], who appeared [07200] unto him.
4 Being made [1096] so much [5118] better than [2909] the angels [32], as [3745] he hath by inheritance obtained [2816] a more excellent [1313] name [3686] than [3844] they [846].
16 That [2443] he would grant [1325] you [5213], according to [2596] the riches [4149] of his [846] glory [1391], to be strengthened [2901] with might [1411] by [1223] his [846] Spirit [4151] in [1519] the inner [2080] man [444];
4 And when the LORD [03068] saw [07200] that he turned aside [05493] to see [07200], God [0430] called [07121] unto him out of the midst [08432] of the bush [05572], and said [0559], Moses [04872], Moses [04872]. And he said [0559], Here am I.
4 And when the LORD [03068] saw [07200] that he turned aside [05493] to see [07200], God [0430] called [07121] unto him out of the midst [08432] of the bush [05572], and said [0559], Moses [04872], Moses [04872]. And he said [0559], Here am I.
2 And the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] appeared [07200] unto him in a flame [03827] of fire [0784] out of the midst [08432] of a bush [05572]: and he looked [07200], and, behold, the bush [05572] burned [01197] with fire [0784], and the bush [05572] was not consumed [0398].
6 Wherefore [03651] say [0559] unto the children [01121] of Israel [03478], I am the LORD [03068], and I will bring [03318] you out from under the burdens [05450] of the Egyptians [04714], and I will rid [05337] you out of their bondage [05656], and I will redeem [01350] you with a stretched [05186] out arm [02220], and with great [01419] judgments [08201]:
20 And I will stretch out [07971] my hand [03027], and smite [05221] Egypt [04714] with all my wonders [06381] which I will do [06213] in the midst [07130] thereof: and after [0310] that he will let you go [07971].
2 God [0410] is jealous [07072], and the LORD [03068] revengeth [05358]; the LORD [03068] revengeth [05358], and is furious [01167] [02534]; the LORD [03068] will take vengeance [05358] on his adversaries [06862], and he reserveth [05201] wrath for his enemies [0341].
24 For the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] is a consuming [0398] fire [0784], even a jealous [07067] God [0410].
15 (For the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] is a jealous [07067] God [0410] among [07130] you) lest the anger [0639] of the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] be kindled [02734] against thee, and destroy [08045] thee from off the face [06440] of the earth [0127].
14 For thou shalt worship [07812] no other [0312] god [0410]: for the LORD [03068], whose name [08034] is Jealous [07067], is a jealous [07067] God [0410]:
9 Thou shalt not bow down [07812] thyself unto them, nor serve [05647] them: for I the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] am a jealous [07067] God [0410], visiting [06485] the iniquity [05771] of the fathers [01] upon the children [01121] unto the third [08029] and fourth [07256] generation of them that hate [08130] me,
10 And shewing [06213] mercy [02617] unto thousands [0505] of them that love [0157] me and keep [08104] my commandments [04687].
5 Thou shalt not bow down [07812] thyself to them, nor serve [05647] them: for I the LORD [03068] thy God [0430] am a jealous [07067] God [0410], visiting [06485] the iniquity [05771] of the fathers [01] upon the children [01121] unto the third [08029] and fourth [07256] generation of them that hate [08130] me;
8 And I am come down [03381] to deliver [05337] them out of the hand [03027] of the Egyptians [04714], and to bring [05927] them up out of that land [0776] unto a good [02896] land [0776] and a large [07342], unto a land [0776] flowing [02100] with milk [02461] and honey [01706]; unto the place [04725] of the Canaanites [03669], and the Hittites [02850], and the Amorites [0567], and the Perizzites [06522], and the Hivites [02340], and the Jebusites [02983].
18 The LORD [03050] hath chastened [03256] me sore [03256]: but he hath not given me over [05414] unto death [04194].
20 But the LORD [03068] hath taken [03947] you, and brought you forth [03318] out of the iron [01270] furnace [03564], even out of Egypt [04714], to be unto him a people [05971] of inheritance [05159], as ye are this day [03117].
11 And [2532] I saw [1492] heaven [3772] opened [455], and [2532] behold [2400] a white [3022] horse [2462]; and [2532] he that sat [2521] upon [1909] him [846] was called [2564] Faithful [4103] and [2532] True [228], and [2532] in [1722] righteousness [1343] he doth judge [2919] and [2532] make war [4170].
12 [1161] His [846] eyes [3788] were as [5613] a flame [5395] of fire [4442], and [2532] on [1909] his [846] head [2776] were many [4183] crowns [1238]; and he had [2192] a name [3686] written [1125], that [3739] no man [3762] knew [1492], but [1508] he himself [846].
27 But [1161] a certain [5100] fearful [5398] looking for [1561] of judgment [2920] and [2532] fiery [4442] indignation [2205], which shall [3195] devour [2068] the adversaries [5227].
14 [1161] His [846] head [2776] and [2532] his hairs [2359] were white [3022] like [5616] wool [2053], as white [3022] as [5613] snow [5510]; and [2532] his [846] eyes [3788] were as [5613] a flame [5395] of fire [4442];
15 And [2532] his [846] feet [4228] like [3664] unto fine brass [5474], as [5613] if they burned [4448] in [1722] a furnace [2575]; and [2532] his [846] voice [5456] as [5613] the sound [5456] of many [4183] waters [5204].
27 And I saw [07200] as the colour [05869] of amber [02830], as the appearance [04758] of fire [0784] round about [05439] within [01004] it, from the appearance [04758] of his loins [04975] even upward [04605], and from the appearance [04758] of his loins [04975] even downward [04295], I saw [07200] as it were the appearance [04758] of fire [0784], and it had brightness [05051] round about [05439].
28 As the appearance [04758] of the bow [07198] that is in the cloud [06051] in the day [03117] of rain [01653], so was the appearance [04758] of the brightness [05051] round about [05439]. This was the appearance [04758] of the likeness [01823] of the glory [03519] of the LORD [03068]. And when I saw [07200] it, I fell [05307] upon my face [06440], and I heard [08085] a voice [06963] of one that spake [01696].
13 As for the likeness [01823] of the living creatures [02416], their appearance [04758] was like burning [01197] coals [01513] of fire [0784], and like the appearance [04758] of lamps [03940]: it went up and down [01980] among the living creatures [02416]; and the fire [0784] was bright [05051], and out of the fire [0784] went forth [03318] lightning [01300].
14 And the living creatures [02416] ran [07519] and returned [07725] as the appearance [04758] of a flash of lightning [0965].
9 I beheld [01934] [02370] till [05705] the thrones [03764] were cast down [07412], and the Ancient [06268] of days [03118] did sit [03488], whose garment [03831] was white [02358] as snow [08517], and the hair [08177] of his head [07217] like the pure [05343] wool [06015]: his throne [03764] was like the fiery [05135] flame [07631], and his wheels [01535] as burning [01815] fire [05135].
10 A fiery [05135] stream [05103] issued [05047] and came forth [05312] from [04481] before [06925] him: thousand [0506] thousands [0506] ministered [08120] unto him, and ten thousand [07240] times ten thousand [07240] stood [06966] before [06925] him: the judgment [01780] was set [03488], and the books [05609] were opened [06606].
11 For [1063] other [243] foundation [2310] can [1410] no man [3762] lay [5087] than [3844] that is laid [2749], which [3739] is [2076] Jesus [2424] Christ [5547].
6 Look [07200] not upon me, because I am black [07840], because the sun [08121] hath looked [07805] upon me: my mother's [0517] children [01121] were angry [02787] with me; they made [07760] me the keeper [05201] of the vineyards [03754]; but mine own vineyard [03754] have I not kept [05201].
28 I went [01980] mourning [06937] without the sun [02535]: I stood up [06965], and I cried [07768] in the congregation [06951].
17 And the light [0216] of Israel [03478] shall be for a fire [0784], and his Holy One [06918] for a flame [03852]: and it shall burn [01197] and devour [0398] his thorns [07898] and his briers [08068] in one [0259] day [03117];
16 Who [3588] only [3441] hath [2192] immortality [110], dwelling [3611] in the light [5457] which no man [3762] can approach unto [676]; whom [3739] no man [444] hath seen [1492], nor [3761] can [1410] see [1492]: to whom [3739] be honour [5092] and [2532] power [2904] everlasting [166]. Amen [281].
5 This [3778] then [2532] is [2076] the message [1860] which [3739] we have heard [191] of [575] him [846], and [2532] declare [312] unto you [5213], that [3754] God [2316] is [2076] light [5457], and [2532] in [1722] him [846] is [2076] no [3756] darkness [4653] at all [3762].
15 And the bramble [0329] said [0559] unto the trees [06086], If in truth [0571] ye anoint [04886] me king [04428] over you, then come [0935] and put your trust [02620] in my shadow [06738]: and if not, let fire [0784] come out [03318] of the bramble [0329], and devour [0398] the cedars [0730] of Lebanon [03844].
11 And the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] called [07121] unto him out of heaven [08064], and said [0559], Abraham [085], Abraham [085]: and he said [0559], Here am I.
25 And took off [05493] their chariot [04818] wheels [0212], that they drave [05090] them heavily [03517]: so that the Egyptians [04714] said [0559], Let us flee [05127] from the face [06440] of Israel [03478]; for the LORD [03068] fighteth [03898] for them against the Egyptians [04714].
24 And it came to pass, that in the morning [01242] watch [0821] the LORD [03068] looked [08259] unto the host [04264] of the Egyptians [04714] through the pillar [05982] of fire [0784] and of the cloud [06051], and troubled [02000] the host [04264] of the Egyptians [04714],
15 Take ye therefore good [03966] heed [08104] unto yourselves [05315]; for ye saw [07200] no manner of similitude [08544] on the day [03117] that the LORD [03068] spake [01696] unto you in Horeb [02722] out of the midst [08432] of the fire [0784]:
7 And the angel [04397] of the LORD [03068] found her [04672] by a fountain [05869] of water [04325] in the wilderness [04057], by the fountain [05869] in the way [01870] to Shur [07793].
1 Behold, I will send [07971] my messenger [04397], and he shall prepare [06437] the way [01870] before [06440] me: and the Lord [0113], whom ye seek [01245], shall suddenly [06597] come [0935] to his temple [01964], even the messenger [04397] of the covenant [01285], whom ye delight [02655] in: behold, he shall come [0935], saith [0559] the LORD [03068] of hosts [06635].
9 For [3754] in [1722] him [846] dwelleth [2730] all [3956] the fulness [4138] of the Godhead [2320] bodily [4985].
21 Beware [08104] of [06440] him, and obey [08085] his voice [06963], provoke [04843] him not; for he will not pardon [05375] your transgressions [06588]: for my name [08034] is in him [07130].
14 And God [0430] said [0559] unto Moses [04872], I AM [01961] THAT I AM [01961]: and he said [0559], Thus shalt thou say [0559] unto the children [01121] of Israel [03478], I AM hath sent [07971] me unto you.
4 And when the LORD [03068] saw [07200] that he turned aside [05493] to see [07200], God [0430] called [07121] unto him out of the midst [08432] of the bush [05572], and said [0559], Moses [04872], Moses [04872]. And he said [0559], Here am I.