New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996

Exodus 3

1 Moses was taking care of the flock of his father-in-law Jethro. Jethro was the priest of Midian. Moses led the flock to the western side of the desert. He came to Horeb. It was the mountain of God. Reference

Parallel theme

Exodus 19:11 Psalm 106:19 Exodus 2:16 Exodus 3:5

References God

1 Kings 19:8 Exodus 19:3 Exodus 24:13

References Moses

Exodus 17:6

Word

Numbers 10:29 Judges 4:11

📍 Horeb

2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him from inside a burning bush. Moses saw that the bush was on fire. But it didn't burn up. Reference

Parallel theme

Isaiah 43:2 Mark 12:26 Deuteronomy 33:16 Psalm 66:12 Isaiah 63:9 Genesis 48:16

References Lord

Luke 20:37 Exodus 3:16 Malachi 3:1 Deuteronomy 4:20

3 So Moses thought, "I'll go over and see this strange sight. Why doesn't the bush burn up?" Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 107:8 Job 37:14

References Moses

Acts 7:31

4 The Lord saw that Moses had gone over to look. So God spoke to him from inside the bush. He called out, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am," Moses said. Reference

Parallel theme

Deuteronomy 33:16 Acts 9:4

References God

Genesis 22:1 Genesis 46:2 Psalm 62:11 Acts 10:3

References Lord

Genesis 22:11 1 Samuel 3:8 1 Samuel 3:6 1 Samuel 3:4

5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals. The place you are standing on is holy ground." Reference

Holy

Joshua 5:15 Acts 7:33 Leviticus 10:3

Parallel theme

Exodus 19:12 Ecclesiastes 5:1 Hebrews 12:20 Exodus 19:21

6 He continued, "I am the God of your father. I am the God of Abraham. I am the God of Isaac. And I am the God of Jacob." When Moses heard that, he turned his face away. He was afraid to look at God. Reference

Parallel theme

Revelation 1:17

References God

Matthew 22:32 Luke 20:37 Mark 12:26 Exodus 4:5 Acts 7:32 Genesis 28:13 1 Kings 18:36 Judges 13:22 Psalm 132:2

7 The Lord said, "I have seen my people suffer in Egypt. I have heard them cry out because of their slave drivers. I am concerned about their suffering. Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 145:19 Psalm 106:44 Exodus 22:23 Isaiah 63:9 Exodus 1:11 1 Samuel 9:16

References Egypt

Nehemiah 9:9

References Lord

Psalm 34:6 Psalm 34:4 Genesis 29:32

8 "So I have come down to save them from the Egyptians. I will bring them up out of that land. I will bring them into a good land. It has a lot of room. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey. It is the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Reference

Good

Deuteronomy 1:25 Psalm 34:8

Parallel theme

Genesis 50:24 Exodus 13:5 Jeremiah 11:5 Numbers 13:27 John 6:38 Psalm 91:15

References Egypt

Exodus 3:17 Ezekiel 20:6

9 "And now Israel's cry for help has reached me. I have seen the way the Egyptians are beating them down. Reference

Parallel theme

Exodus 1:11 Exodus 1:22 Psalm 12:5 Ecclesiastes 4:1 Ecclesiastes 5:8 Amos 4:1

References Egypt

Exodus 3:7

References Israel

Exodus 2:23

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh. I want you to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. They are my people." Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 105:26 Psalm 77:20

References Egypt

Micah 6:4 1 Samuel 12:6 Acts 7:34 Acts 7:36

References Israel

Hosea 12:13

People

Pharaoh

11 But Moses spoke to God. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?" he said. "Who am I that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" Reference

Parallel theme

2 Corinthians 2:16 1 Kings 3:9

References God

2 Corinthians 3:5 Jeremiah 1:6 1 Kings 3:7 2 Samuel 7:18

References Israel

1 Samuel 18:18

References Moses

Exodus 6:12

12 God said, "I will be with you. I will give you a miraculous sign. It will prove that I have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship me on this mountain." Reference

Parallel theme

Joshua 1:5 Deuteronomy 31:23 Genesis 31:3 Exodus 4:15 Exodus 4:12 Isaiah 43:2 Matthew 28:20 Acts 11:21

References God

Romans 8:31 Isaiah 41:10

13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the people of Israel. Suppose I say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Suppose they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what should I tell them?" Reference

Parallel theme

Isaiah 7:14 Proverbs 30:4 Matthew 1:21 Genesis 32:29

References God

Isaiah 9:6 Exodus 3:14

References Israel

Jeremiah 23:6

14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am. Here is what you must say to the Israelites. Tell them, 'I am has sent me to you.' " Reference

Parallel theme

Hebrews 13:8 John 8:58 Revelation 1:8 Revelation 1:4 Revelation 1:17

References God

Psalm 90:2 Isaiah 44:6 Exodus 6:3 Revelation 4:8 Psalm 68:4

15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord is the God of your fathers. He has sent me to you. He is the God of Abraham. He is the God of Isaac. And he is the God of Jacob.' My name will always be The Lord. Remember me by that name for all time to come. Reference

Parallel theme

Hebrews 13:8

References God

Hosea 12:5 Exodus 3:6 Micah 4:5 Exodus 4:5 Isaiah 9:6 Acts 7:32

References Lord

Malachi 3:6 Psalm 135:13 Psalm 102:12

16 "Go. Gather the elders of Israel together. Say to them, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, appeared to me. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. " 'He said, "I have watched over you. I have seen what the Egyptians have done to you. Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 8:4 Acts 20:17 Acts 11:30

References God

Genesis 50:24 Acts 15:14 Exodus 13:19 Exodus 4:5 Exodus 2:25

References Israel

Exodus 4:29

References Lord

Exodus 4:31

17 I have promised to bring you up out of Egypt where you are suffering. I will bring you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. It is a land that has plenty of milk and honey." ' Reference

Parallel theme

Genesis 50:24 Joshua 24:11

References Egypt

Genesis 46:4

18 "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders must go to the king of Egypt. You must say to him, 'The Lord has met with us. He is the God of the Hebrews. Let us take a journey that lasts about three days. We want to go into the desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.' Reference

Kingdom

2 Chronicles 30:12

Parallel theme

Psalm 110:3 Numbers 17:4

References God

Exodus 9:1 Exodus 7:16 Exodus 9:13 Exodus 10:3 Joshua 1:17

19 "But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you and your people go. Only a mighty hand could make him do that. Reference

Parallel theme

Exodus 5:2 Exodus 6:1

20 So I will reach my hand out. I will strike the Egyptians with all kinds of miracles. After that, he will let you go. Reference

Parallel theme

Nehemiah 9:10 Exodus 9:15 Psalm 105:27

References Egypt

Acts 7:36 Deuteronomy 6:22 Exodus 6:6 Exodus 12:39

21 "I will cause the Egyptians to treat you in a kind way. Then when you leave, you will not go out with your hands empty. Reference

Parallel theme

Psalm 105:37 Proverbs 16:7 Psalm 106:46 Genesis 39:21 Nehemiah 1:11

References Egypt

Exodus 12:36 Exodus 11:3 Acts 7:10

22 Every woman should ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles made out of silver and gold. Ask them for clothes too. Put them on your children. In that way, you will take the wealth of Egypt along with you." Reference

Parallel theme

Ezekiel 39:10 Psalm 105:37 Exodus 11:2 Isaiah 33:1 Proverbs 13:22 Genesis 15:14

Chapter Summary

Exodus chapter three is the start of the actual rescue operation. The rescue operation commences under non-astonishing conditions, specifically, while a shepherd is attending the flock of his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, on a routine day.

Moses is taking care of his father-in-law’s flock, and he brings the flock to the far side of the desert, where he reaches Horeb, the mountain of God. God’s mountain seems to announce its name before anything else happens in the story, foreshadowing the importance attached to the following events.

Indeed, the Angel of the LORD appears to him in the flame of the burning bush, and Moses finds himself wondering what this is all about. Moses proceeds to the place where the miraculous sight of the flame of a bush that burns but does not consume is visible. Moses has never seen the likes of this before, and it is only human for him to be curious about such a display, and he moves closer to have a better view.

God calls Moses while he has his back turned to the direction of God, and Moses responds to a personal name called twice, Moses, Moses, and he replies, Here I am. God says to him, Do not come near; take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. Then he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hides his face, realizing that the one he is talking to is none other than God himself, and Moses is too afraid to look at him. The reader may think that Moses has had a truly fearsome experience, as any human would have.

God explains to him what has brought him here, giving him the reason to be here, answering the question implied in the last verse of the previous chapter. I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt, I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers; I have come down to rescue them. God is even more explicit about his future intentions, saying, I am going to bring my people out of Egypt into a good, spacious land, flowing with milk and honey. This land is currently occupied by the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. So now, go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people out of Egypt.

Moses reacts almost defiantly to what God is asking of him, saying, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

Moses is a fugitive in the land of Egypt, and the one asking him to return to Egypt is the son of the most powerful king in the land. God does not answer the rhetorical question of “Who am I,” but instead offers a message of comfort by saying, I will be with you. Then, in order to reassure Moses even more, God shows him a sign by saying: and when you have brought them out, you shall worship me on this mountain. Moses is still not reassured, and he comes up with an objection, which is the following: Suppose they ask me what is it that your God says when they ask me his name? What am I to say to them?

God replies with one of the most intriguing phrases in the Bible: I AM WHO I AM. Say to them, I AM HAS SENT ME TO YOU. The phrase indicates that God is self-existent, needing nothing for himself. The name is also a promise that God will stand by his word forever, for the name is a perpetual reminder of his word. This means that God will keep his covenant promise to Abraham by bringing his descendants to the land of milk and honey.

God proceeds to give him directions of what to say to the children of Israel: Go, take the elders of Israel and say to them, the Lord has appeared to me, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you, saying, I have surely brought your affliction to the notice of God, and I have heard your complaints about the Egyptians, saying, I will bring you out of the misery of Egypt into the land flowing with milk and honey. God predicts that the elders of Israel will actually listen to him, and so Moses is to take them to the king of Egypt and request permission to take the Israelites on a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the God of Israel.

However, the God of Israel knows that the king of Egypt would not give them the permission to depart without a mighty show of power. And so God said, I know that the king of Egypt will refuse to let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders. Then the king of Egypt will let you go. God knows the kind of power struggle Moses is getting involved in, and so God tells him to prepare himself for the confrontation ahead.

To show that he is a fair judge, God promises the Israelites that the Egyptians will actually favor them when it comes to taking goods with them as they leave Egypt, as a payment for all the services rendered during their stay in Egypt. All Israelite womenfolk will receive silver, gold, and clothing from the Egyptians they live with.

It is truly remarkable to witness the transformation of Moses from an unsure shepherd to God’s chosen agent in bringing his people out of Egypt, one objection at a time. Moses is reassured by God, and the God of Israel is a God who honors his promises by providing the needed support to finish the task at hand.

New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996

Exodus 3

Chapter Summary

📍 Location