Burning bush
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In the Book of Exodus, the burning bush is a miracle that God (YHWH) uses to inform Moses of his divine calling. Burning bush is also a common name applied to several different, unrelated plants.
Book of Exodus
In the Book of Exodus, Moses is forced to flee Egypt and comes to live with Jethro. Moses, while tending his flock near a mountain, comes across a burning bush on the mountain. Moses approaches the bush, and discovers that the bush is burning, yet flames do not consume it. [Exodus 3:2] God's spirit, in the bush, declared "I am your father's God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." [Exodus 3:4] God commanded Moses to remove his sandals, the land was considered holy.God compelled Moses to speak to the Pharaoh for He had "heard the people's cries". [Exodus 3:7] God explained to Moses a promise that they would live in a land "flowing with milk and honey". [Exodus 3:9] Currently the Israelites were treated as slaves under Pharaoh in Egypt. God's helpful words that "He would be with him" (Moses) finally encouraged him to demand the release of the Israelites.
Chapter Notes
- Exodus 3: 2-4 God appears to Moses in the form of a "bush on fire that does not burn up" and calls to him
- Exodus 3: 5-6 God describes Himself ("I am the God of your father"); the ground is considered holy
- Exodus 3: 7-9 God has "heard cries of Israel" and will resuce "His people in Egypt" and bring them to a "land flowing with milk and honey"
- Exodus 3: 11-14 God calls Moses to speak to Pharaoh; Moses is afraid and argues with God
- Exodus 3: 15-19 Moses is told to relay His message to the elders
- Exodus 3: 20-23 God describes future events: plagues and plundering of Egypt
- This article uses the New International Version (NIV) translation.
Homages to the burning bush
In Byzantine times, Saint Katherine's monastery was built on a traditional site of the biblical event. What was thought to be the original burning bush is now dead, but a bush claimed to be its descendant is on view today.A stylised depiction of the burning bush is today the symbol of the Church of Scotland.
Other uses of the term
Burning bush is also a common name applied to several different, unrelated plants:
- The herb Dictamnus albus, also known as false dittany, white dittany, or gas plant, belonging to the family Rutaceae. It gets its name from comparison to the Bible account; the whole plant produces aromatic oils that can catch fire readily on hot days, though (unlike the plant in the biblical account) not without injury to the plant.
- Shrubs in the genus Euonymus, mostly known as spindles, in the family Celastraceae, are also called burning bush in North America, because of their bright red foliage in fall.
- Plants in the genera Bassia (Chenopodiaceae) and Combretum (Combretaceae) are also sometimes known as burning bush.
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