The Burning Bush is the miraculous sign through which the Lord appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb and called him to deliver Israel from Egypt.
The bush was burning with fire yet was not consumed, and from it the Angel of the Lord spoke as God Himself.
At the burning bush God revealed His name, “I AM WHO I AM,” and commissioned Moses for the exodus.
The event marks a decisive moment in the history of redemption and a profound revelation of the holy, self-existent, covenant-keeping God.
While Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law in the wilderness near Horeb, the mountain of God, he saw a bush that burned with fire but was not destroyed. When he turned aside to look, the Angel of the Lord called to him from the midst of the bush and told him to remove his sandals because the place was holy ground. God identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, declared that He had seen the affliction of His people in Egypt, and commissioned Moses to bring them out. When Moses asked for God’s name, the Lord replied, “I AM WHO I AM,” and instructed him to say to Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.” The burning bush therefore combines theophany, revelation of the divine name, and the call to redemptive mission. It displays both the holiness of God (the fire) and His gracious nearness (the bush is not consumed, and God speaks with Moses).
- The burning bush is a genuine theophany — a visible manifestation of the presence of God.
- The fire that does not consume points to the holiness of God and His self-sustaining nature.
- God reveals His personal, covenantal name in connection with this appearance.
- The event is both a call to Moses and a declaration of God’s intention to redeem Israel.
- The ground becomes holy because of God’s presence, requiring reverence.
- The same God who appeared in the bush later led Israel through the wilderness and brought them to the same mountain.
- The New Testament identifies this appearance with the living God who is the God of the living and who continues to speak.
- Miraculous Sign – A bush aflame yet not consumed, designed to draw Moses’ attention.
- Theophany – The Angel of the Lord / God Himself present and speaking from the bush.
- Holy Ground – The place is made holy by God’s presence; Moses must remove his sandals.
- Revelation of the Name – “I AM WHO I AM” — the self-existent, eternal, covenant God.
- Commission – Moses is sent to Pharaoh to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.
- Covenant Faithfulness – God identifies Himself as the God of the patriarchs and acts to fulfill His promises.
- Holiness and Nearness – The fire signals transcendence; the speaking presence signals immanence.
- Exodus 3:1-6 – “Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro… and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 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… God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’… ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ 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.”
- Exodus 3:13-15 – Moses asks God’s name. God 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.’… ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers… This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’”
- Exodus 3:7-10 – God has seen the affliction of His people, heard their cry, and has come down to deliver them; He sends Moses to Pharaoh.
- Acts 7:30-35 – Stephen recounts the appearance of the Angel in the flame of the burning bush and God’s sending of Moses as ruler and redeemer.
- Mark 12:26 – Jesus refers to “the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush,” where God speaks as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, proving the resurrection.
- Luke 20:37 – Parallel reference by Jesus to Moses at the bush.
- John 8:58 – Jesus’ “I am” statement that echoes the divine name revealed at the bush.
- Deuteronomy 33:16 – Moses’ blessing refers to “the favor of him who dwells in the bush.”
- Exodus 4:1-17 – God continues the conversation from the bush, giving Moses signs and Aaron as spokesman.
- Hebrews 11:16 – God is not ashamed to be called the God of the patriarchs, for He has prepared for them a city (linked to the living God of the bush).
The burning bush is one of the most vivid revelations of God in all of Scripture. The fire that does not consume displays His holiness and self-existence; the voice that speaks displays His grace and purpose to save. From the bush God names Himself, claims the patriarchs as His own, and sends Moses to deliver His people. The same “I AM” who spoke there later took on flesh and said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” The ground that was holy for a moment has given way to the greater reality that God now dwells with His people through Christ and the Spirit. Yet the call remains the same: turn aside, take off the sandals of self-sufficiency, and listen to the living God who still speaks through His Word. He has seen the affliction of His people. He has come down to deliver. And His name is still I AM.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.