Font Size
Exodus 3:1-2
New Catholic Bible
Exodus 3:1-2
New Catholic Bible
The Burning Bush[a]
Chapter 3
The Call of Moses.[b] 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,[c] the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord[d] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Exodus 3:1 This grand text has always appealed to the most religious Jews and Christians. To those who strive to deepen their sense of their existence before God, the flaming fire and the Divine Name reveal the extent to which the Lord surpasses all that he has created but also how his love brings him close to human beings in order to lead them toward their destiny.
- Exodus 3:1 It is when Moses least expects it that he is called by God. The mystery of the fire that burns without being consumed astounds him. It is then that he discovers the sign of the presence and the devouring love of the Lord who so surpasses the creature that the latter feels crushed. But God keeps himself present in human history. Resolved to deliver his people, he chooses to have need of a man in order to manifest the divine power by giving him a mission to complete that is beyond human powers. History is about to take a new turn.
- Exodus 3:1 Horeb: i.e., another name for “Sinai.”
- Exodus 3:2 Angel of the Lord: an expression that signifies God himself (see Gen 16:7).
