Bible HebrewThe Burning Bush Exodus 3:4–6 · Exodus 3:14
Moses turns aside to look, and God calls to him from the bush. Watch for אֲשֶׁר, for participles, and for the answer הִנֵּנִי, “Here I am”.
Exodus 3:4
וַיַּרְא יְהוָה כִּי סָר לִרְאוֹת וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו אֱלֹהִים מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה מֹשֶׁה וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּנִי
Wayyar yəḥawwe kī sār lirʾōth wayyiqrā ʾēlāw ʾĕlōhīm mittōkh hassəne wayyōmer mōshe mōshe wayyōmer hinnēnī
“And yəḥawwe saw that he turned aside to see, and God called to him from the middle of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיַּרְא | wayyar | and (he) saw |
| יְהוָה | yəḥawwe | yəḥawwe |
| כִּי | kī | that |
| סָר | sār | he turned aside |
| לִרְאוֹת | lirʾōth | to see |
| וַיִּקְרָא | wayyiqrā | and (he) called |
| אֵלָיו | ʾēlāw | to him |
| אֱלֹהִים | ʾĕlōhīm | God |
| מִתּוֹךְ | mittōkh | from the middle of |
| הַסְּנֶה | hassəne | the bush |
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| מֹשֶׁה | mōshe | Moses |
| מֹשֶׁה | mōshe | Moses |
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| הִנֵּנִי | hinnēnī | here I am |
- יְהוָה: The verse names God two ways in one sentence: יְהוָה and, a few words later, אֱלֹהִים.
- סָר: סָר, “he turned aside”, from the hollow root סור. As in קָם from קום, the middle ו doesn't show in this form.
- לִרְאוֹת: לִרְאוֹת, “to see”: לְ + the infinitive of the III-he verb רָאָה, which ends in ־וֹת (see the Infinitives lesson).
- מֹשֶׁה: Calling a name twice, “Moses, Moses”, happens in several stories; compare “Samuel, Samuel” in 1 Samuel 3:10.
- הִנֵּנִי: הִנֵּנִי = הִנֵּה “look, here” + ־נִי “me”: “Here I am”, the answer of someone ready to listen.
Exodus 3:5
וַיֹּאמֶר אַל־תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם שַׁל־נְעָלֶיךָ מֵעַל רַגְלֶיךָ כִּי הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עוֹמֵד עָלָיו אַדְמַת־קֹדֶשׁ הוּא
Wayyōmer ʾal-tiqrav hălōm shal-nəʿālekhā mēʿal raghlekhā kī hammāqōm ʾăsher ʾattā ʿōmēdh ʿālāw ʾadhmath-qōdhesh hū
“And he said, “Do not come near here. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| אַל | ʾal | do not |
| תִּקְרַב | tiqrav | come near |
| הֲלֹם | hălōm | here |
| שַׁל | shal | take off |
| נְעָלֶיךָ | nəʿālekhā | your sandals |
| מֵעַל | mēʿal | from on |
| רַגְלֶיךָ | raghlekhā | your feet |
| כִּי | kī | for |
| הַמָּקוֹם | hammāqōm | the place |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | which |
| אַתָּה | ʾattā | you |
| עוֹמֵד | ʿōmēdh | (are) standing |
| עָלָיו | ʿālāw | on it |
| אַדְמַת | ʾadhmath | ground of |
| קֹדֶשׁ | qōdhesh | holiness |
| הוּא | hū | it (is) |
- אַל: אַל + a short imperfect is “don't!” for right now (לֹא is used for lasting commands).
- שַׁל: שַׁל, “take off”: a command from the I-nun root נשׁל. The נ has dropped, as I-nun verbs often do.
- נְעָלֶיךָ: נַעַל “sandal”, plural, + ־ֶיךָ “your”: “your sandals”.
- אֲשֶׁר: אֲשֶׁר … עָלָיו, “which … on it”: the ending on עָלָיו points back to “the place”, as in Genesis 28:13 (see the Who, Which, That lesson).
- עוֹמֵד: עוֹמֵד, “standing”: a Qal participle (ō after the first letter) for something happening right now.
- אַדְמַת: אַדְמַת־קֹדֶשׁ, “ground of holiness”: Hebrew often says “holy ground” by joining two nouns instead of using an adjective.
- הוּא: הוּא “it” closes the sentence and points back to “the place”: “the place … it (is) holy ground”. There is no verb “is”.
Exodus 3:6
וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהֵי אָבִיךָ אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹהֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב וַיַּסְתֵּר מֹשֶׁה פָּנָיו כִּי יָרֵא מֵהַבִּיט אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים
Wayyōmer ʾānōkhī ʾĕlōhē ʾāvīkhā ʾĕlōhē ʾavrāhām ʾĕlōhē yiṣḥāq wēlōhē yaʿăqōv wayyastēr mōshe pānāw kī yārē mēhabbīṭ ʾel-hāʾĕlōhīm
“And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| אָנֹכִי | ʾānōkhī | I (am) |
| אֱלֹהֵי | ʾĕlōhē | the God of |
| אָבִיךָ | ʾāvīkhā | your father |
| אֱלֹהֵי | ʾĕlōhē | the God of |
| אַבְרָהָם | ʾavrāhām | Abraham |
| אֱלֹהֵי | ʾĕlōhē | the God of |
| יִצְחָק | yiṣḥāq | Isaac |
| וֵאלֹהֵי | wēlōhē | and the God of |
| יַעֲקֹב | yaʿăqōv | Jacob |
| וַיַּסְתֵּר | wayyastēr | and (he) hid |
| מֹשֶׁה | mōshe | Moses |
| פָּנָיו | pānāw | his face |
| כִּי | kī | for |
| יָרֵא | yārē | he was afraid |
| מֵהַבִּיט | mēhabbīṭ | of looking |
| אֶל | ʾel | at |
| הָאֱלֹהִים | hāʾĕlōhīm | God |
- אָנֹכִי: אָנֹכִי is a longer form of אֲנִי, “I”. There is no verb “am”.
- אֱלֹהֵי: אֱלֹהֵי is the “of” form of אֱלֹהִים: “the God of”. The ending ־ִים becomes ־ֵי (see the Construct Chain lesson).
- יָרֵא: יָרֵא, “he was afraid”. Some verbs of feeling or state have ē instead of a in the perfect.
- מֵהַבִּיט: מֵהַבִּיט = מִן “from” + הַבִּיט “to look”, a Hiphil infinitive. After “afraid”, מִן gives “afraid of looking”.
Exodus 3:14
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־מֹשֶׁה אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶהְיֶה שְׁלָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם
Wayyōmer ʾĕlōhīm ʾel-mōshe ʾehye ʾăsher ʾehye wayyōmer kō thōmar livnē yiśrāʾēl ʾehye shəlāḥanī ʾălēkhem
“And God said to Moses, “I will be who I will be.” And he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I will be’ has sent me to you.””
Word by word
| Hebrew | Sounds | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and (he) said |
| אֱלֹהִים | ʾĕlōhīm | God |
| אֶל | ʾel | to |
| מֹשֶׁה | mōshe | Moses |
| אֶהְיֶה | ʾehye | I will be |
| אֲשֶׁר | ʾăsher | who |
| אֶהְיֶה | ʾehye | I will be |
| וַיֹּאמֶר | wayyōmer | and he said |
| כֹּה | kō | thus |
| תֹאמַר | thōmar | you shall say |
| לִבְנֵי | livnē | to the sons of |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל | yiśrāʾēl | Israel |
| אֶהְיֶה | ʾehye | I will be |
| שְׁלָחַנִי | shəlāḥanī | has sent me |
| אֲלֵיכֶם | ʾălēkhem | to you (pl.) |
- אֶהְיֶה: אֶהְיֶה is an imperfect of הָיָה with the prefix א, “I”. The imperfect looks to being that goes on and is still to come, so we read “I will be”. Many translations say “I am who I am” instead.
- אֲשֶׁר: The same אֲשֶׁר that means “who, which, that” (see the Who, Which, That lesson), here linking the two verbs.
- תֹאמַר: תֹאמַר, “you shall say”: an imperfect used as an instruction.
- לִבְנֵי: לִבְנֵי = לְ “to” + בְּנֵי “sons of”, the “of” form of בָּנִים. “The sons of Israel” is the usual Hebrew way to say “the Israelites”.
- שְׁלָחַנִי: שְׁלָחַנִי = “he sent” + ־נִי “me”: the ending names the one sent (see the Pronoun Endings lesson).
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