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Exodus 3:2
ESV And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
NIV There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
NASB Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed.
CSB Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.
NLT There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.
KJV 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.
NKJV And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

What does Exodus 3:2 mean?

Born to a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:1–2), Moses was raised in an Egyptian palace (Exodus 2:10). He is now tending his father-in-law's sheep in Midian, as an exile from Egypt and his former life (Exodus 2:14–22). Without any mentioned warning, Moses sees "the angel of the Lord." He appears in a visible way as fire coming from a bush. A bush being on fire is not itself unique, but this bush burned without being consumed. In other words, the bush had flames coming from it but it wasn't "burning up." While many things could be poetically described as "flames," the specific mention that these flames did not consume the bush makes it likely that what Moses saw appeared as literal, visible flames. This "sign" attracted Moses to investigate in more detail (Exodus 3:3–4).

The major debate in this verse is the identification of "the angel of the Lord." Is he an actual angel, or God in human form? The passage will go on to say that "God called to [Moses] out of the bush" (Exodus 3:4) If this is God's voice, most assume it is God's presence in the bush. However, the other option is also possible. In ancient culture, a messenger could speak on behalf of a dignitary, speaking in his voice. It is possible this was an angelic being speaking on God's behalf. While either view is possible, most interpreters lean towards this being a theophany: a physical manifestation of God in human form.
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