Chapter
Verse

Exodus chapter 3

English Standard Version

13Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?" 14God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’" 15God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 16Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, "I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey."’ 18And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days ' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians."
New International Version

New American Standard Bible

13Then Moses said to God, 'Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?' 14And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, 'This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’?' 15God furthermore said to Moses, 'This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is the name for all generations to use to call upon Me. 16Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has appeared to me, saying, 'I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17So I said, I will bring you up out of the oppression of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey. 18Then they will pay attention to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20So I will reach out with My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22But every woman shall ask her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house for articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.'
Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

King James Version

New King James Version

14And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” 15Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’ 18Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

What does Exodus chapter 3 mean?

This passage includes one of Scripture's most famous encounters: Moses and the burning bush. This chapter can be divided into four sections, as God calls Moses to a position of leadership and vows to bring judgment on Egypt for their treatment of Israel.

Moses served as a shepherd of his father-in-law's sheep (Exodus 2:16–22). He was with the sheep on the west side of the Sinai wilderness at a place called Horeb, later associated with Mount Sinai, which would later be called the mountain of God (Exodus 24:13). There, "the angel of the Lord" appeared in the flames of a bush with fire that would not extinguish. The Lord spoke to Moses from the bush, telling him to remove his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. God reveals Himself as the same God as his father, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God knew about the suffering of Israel in Egypt (Exodus 2:23–25) and planned to rescue them. He would act to bring them to what later became known as the Promised Land (Exodus 3:1–8).

To accomplish this great task, God will call Moses as His messenger. Moses offers excuses to not be the one God sends, claiming, "Who am I…?" (Exodus 3:11). God reassures him, but Moses says the people will be skeptical. They will want to know who has sent him. God's response is the closest thing to a personal name used by God in Scripture: "I am Who I am" (Exodus 3:13–14). He claims to be the self-existent one, as well as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This same passage connects God's use of the "I am" terminology to the Hebrew word YHWH, which is sometimes transliterated as Yahweh or Jehovah. Most often, this is seen in English translations using small capitals: "The Lord" (Exodus 3:9–15)

The third section is of God's message to the elders of Israel, including instructions for their appeal to Pharaoh. Moses was to appear to the leaders of the Hebrews, telling them they would leave slavery and travel to a new land. They would then tell Pharaoh to give them their freedom. Yet they would be denied until God "compelled" the Egyptian ruler (Exodus 3:16–19).

The final passage assures Moses of Israel's upcoming deliverance. The Lord promises to judge Egypt and perform signs. Later chapters describe these as the ten plagues of Egypt (Exodus 7—12). When the Hebrew people leave, they would take great wealth from their captors. God specifically mentions silver and gold jewelry and clothing. These would be given to the Israelites' own children as a sign of victory (Exodus 3:20–22).

All these predictions would come true as promised. However, Moses continues to offer doubts (Exodus 4:1, 10, 13) until the Lord convinces him to obey. Egyptian slavery would end (Exodus 12:41). Through many signs and wonders, the people would leave Egypt, would plunder the Egyptians, worship God at Mount Sinai, and eventually enter a new land as their own nation.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: