the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
Acts 7:30
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"Forty years later, an angel showed himself to Moses in the form of a burning bush. This was in the desert country near Mount Sinai.
"After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH.
"And after forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
At the end of forty years, an angel came to him in the waste land of Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn-tree.
And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in a flame of fire of a bush.
And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord [fn] appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
"When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
And forty years being expired, the angel of the Lord appeared to him, in the wilderness, in a flame of fire in a bush.
"But at the end of forty years there appeared to him in the Desert of Mount Sinai an angel in the middle of a flame of fire in a bush.
And when fourtie yeeres were expired, there appeared to him in the wildernes of mount Sina, an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
And forty years being fulfilled to him, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
And after fourtye yeares, the angell of ye LORDE appeared vnto him vpon mount Sina, in a flamme of fyre in a busshe.
when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina, an angel of the Lord in a flaming bush.
"Forty years later, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to him in the guise of flames of a burning bush. Moses, not believing his eyes, went up to take a closer look. He heard God's voice: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' Frightened nearly out of his skin, Moses shut his eyes and turned away.
"After forty years had passed, AN ANGEL APPEARED TO HIM IN THE WILDERNESS OF MOUNT Sinai, IN THE FLAME OF A BURNING THORN BUSH.
And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
And when .xl. yeares were expired ther appered to him in the wyldernes of mounte Syna an angell of the Lorde in a flamme of fyre in a busshe.
And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
And when forty years had expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina, an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush,
"Forty years later an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush as he was in the desert near Mount Sinai.
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
Forty years later, an angel appeared to Moses from a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
"After forty more years, an angel appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai in the flames of a burning thorn bush .
"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
And when fourtie yeres were expired, there appeared to him in the wildernes of mout Sina, an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire, in a bush.
And when he had completed forty years, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Si''nai, an angel of the LORD in a flame of fire in a bush.
"When forty years were fulfilled, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
"When forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.Exodus 3:2;">[xr]
AND when forty years were there fulfilled to him, there appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai the angel of the Lord in a flame that burned in a bush.
And when forty years had been passed by him there, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in a fire that burned in a bush.
"Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush.
Forty years passed and Moses was near Mount Sinai where no people live. There he saw an angel in the fire of a burning bush.
And when forty years were fulfilled, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai, in a flame of fire in a bush.
"Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
And, when forty years were fulfilled, there appeared unto him, in the desert of Mount Sinai, a messenger, in a flame of fire, in a bush.
And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him, in the desert of mount Sina, an angel in a flame of fire in a bush.
And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
"And when forty years had been completed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush.
And whe fourtie yeres were expired, there appeared to hym in the wyldernesse of mount Sina, an Angel of the Lorde in a flambe of fire in a busshe.
"Forty years later Moses was in the desert near Mount Sinai. An angel appeared to him in the flame of a burning bush.
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning thorn bush.
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
And whanne he hadde fillid fourti yeer, an aungel apperide to hym in fier of flawme of a buysch, in desert of the mount of Syna.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
when: Acts 7:17, Exodus 7:7
there: Exodus 3:1, Exodus 19:1, Exodus 19:2, 1 Kings 19:8, Galatians 4:25, Sinai
an: Acts 7:32, Acts 7:35, Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 22:15-18, Genesis 32:24-30, Genesis 48:15, Genesis 48:16, Exodus 3:2, Exodus 3:6, Isaiah 63:9, Hosea 12:3-5, Malachi 3:1
in a flame: Deuteronomy 4:20, Psalms 66:12, Isaiah 43:2, Daniel 3:27
in a bush: Acts 7:35, Deuteronomy 33:16, Mark 12:26, Luke 20:37
Reciprocal: Genesis 16:10 - the angel Exodus 2:23 - in process Deuteronomy 31:2 - I am an Deuteronomy 34:7 - an hundred Judges 2:1 - And an angel Ecclesiastes 5:6 - before Hosea 12:4 - angel Zechariah 3:1 - the angel Zechariah 12:8 - as the Acts 7:38 - with the Revelation 7:2 - And I Revelation 8:3 - another
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And when forty years were expired,.... "Forty other years" the Arabic version reads; for so long the Jews g say Moses kept Jethro's flock, and so many years he lived in Midian; and so the Syriac version, "when then he had filled up forty years"; which agrees exactly with the account of the Jewish writers observed on Acts 7:23 who say, that he was forty years in Pharaoh's court, and forty years in Midian; so that he was now, as they h elsewhere justly observe, fourscore years of age:
there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai; the same with Horeb, Exodus 3:1 where it is said, "Moses came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb"; where he saw the sight of the burning bush, and out of which the angel appeared to him: and Stephen is to be justified in calling it Mount Sinai; the account which Jerom i gives of it is this;
"Horeb is the Mount of God in the land of Midian, by Mount Sinai, above Arabia, in the desert, to which is joined the mountain and desert of the Saracenes, called Pharan: but to me it seems, that the same mountain was called by two names, sometimes Sinai, and sometimes Horeb;''
and in which he was right. Some think the same mountain had two tops, and one went by one name, and the other by another; or one side of the mountain was called Horeb, from its being dry and desolate; and the other Sinai, from the bushes and brambles which grew upon it. So סינין, "Sinin", in the Misna k, signifies the thin barks of bramble bushes; and the bush hereafter mentioned, in the Hebrew language, is called סנה, "Seneh"; from whence, with the Jews, it is said to have its name.
"Says l R. Eliezer, from the day the heavens and the earth were created, the name of this mountain was called Horeb; but after the holy blessed God appeared to Moses out of the midst of the bush, from the name of the bush "(Seneh)", Horeb was called Sinai.''
Some say the stones of this mountain, when broken, had the resemblance of bramble bushes m in them. Add to this, that Josephus n calls this mountain by the same name as Stephen does, when he is reciting the same history. Moses, he says,
"led the flock to the Sinaean mountain, as it is called: this is the highest mountain in that country, and best for pasture, abounding in good herbage; and because it was commonly believed the Divine Being dwelt there, it was not before fed upon, the shepherds not daring to go up to it.''
Here Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law; for to such a life did he condescend, who for forty years had been brought up in the court of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Here appeared to him
an angel of the Lord, and who was no other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as appears from Acts 7:32 and was the second person in the Trinity, the Son of God, the angel of the divine presence, and of the covenant, an uncreated angel. And this is the sense of many of the Jewish writers, who interpret it of the angel the Redeemer, the God of Bethel o; though Jonathan the paraphrast seems to understand it of a created angel, whose name he calls Zagnugael p, and some say it was Michael, and some Gabriel q.
In a flame of fire in a bush; and which yet was not consumed by it. This bush was a bramble bush, or thorn; so Aben Ezra r says it was a kind of thorn, and observes, that in the Ishmaelitish or Turkish language, the word signifies a kind of dry thorn; and so Philo the Jew says s, it was a thorny plant, and very weak; and therefore it was the more wonderful, that it should be on fire, and not consumed. Josephus t affirms, that neither its verdure, nor its flowers were hurt, nor any of its fruitful branches consumed, though the flame was exceeding fierce. The Jerusalem Targum of Exodus 3:2 is,
"and he saw and beheld the bush burned with fire, and the bush מרטיב: "became green"; or, as Buxtorf renders it, "emitted a moisture", and was not burnt.''
This sight, the Arabic writers u say, Moses saw at noon day. Artapanus w, an ancient writer, makes mention of this burning, but takes no notice of the bush; yea, denies that there was anything woody in the place, and represents it only as a stream of fire issuing out of the earth: his words are,
"as he (Moses) was praying, suddenly fire broke out of the earth, and burned, when there was nothing woody, nor any matter fit for burning in the place.''
But Philo better describes it; speaking of the bush, he says x,
"no one bringing fire to it, suddenly it burned, and was all in a flame from the root to the top, as if it was from a flowing fountain, and remained whole and unhurt, as if it was no fuel for the fire, but was nourished by it.''
The Jews allegorize this vision different ways: sometimes they say y,
"the fire designs the Israelites, who are compared to fire, as it is said, Obadiah 1:18 "the house of Jacob shall be a fire"; and the bush denotes the nations of the world, which are compared to thorns and thistles; so shall the Israelites be among the people, their fire shall not consume the people, who are like to thorns and briers; nor shall the nations of the world extinguish their flame, which is the words of the law: but in the world to come, the fire of the Israelites shall consume all people, who are compared to thorns and thistles, according to Isaiah 33:12'
But it is much better observed in the same place;
"the bush pricks, afflicts, and gives pain, why does he (the Lord) dwell in affliction and anguish? because he saw the Israelites in great affliction, he also dwelt with them in affliction, as it is said, Isaiah 63:9 "in all their affliction he was afflicted"''
And very appropriately is it remarked by Philo z;
"the burning bush (says he) is a symbol of the oppressed, the flaming fire, of the oppressors; and whereas that which was burning was not burnt, it shows, that they that are oppressed shall not perish by those who attempt it; and that their attempt shall be in vain, and they shall escape safe.''
And so Aben Ezra has this note on Exodus 3:2.
"the enemy is compared to fire, and Israel to the bush, wherefore it was not burnt:''
this may be very well considered as an emblem of the state of the Jewish people in fiery trials, and very severe afflictions; who were like a bush for the number of its twigs and branches, they being many, and for its weakness and liableness to be consumed by fire, and yet wonderfully preserved by the power and presence of God among them.
g Pirke Eliezer, c. 40. h Sepher Cosri, fol. 38. 1. & Moses Kotsensis praefat ad Mitzvot Tora. i De locis Hebraicis, fol. 92. E. k Misn. Celim, c. 10. sect. 6. l Pirke Eliezer, c. 41. Aben Ezra in Exod. iii. 2. m R. Moses Narbonensis apud Drusii Preterita in loc. Vid. Hilleri Onomasticum, p. 523. n Antiqu l. 2. c. 12. sect. 1. o R. Menachem in Ainsworth in Exod. iii. 2. p Targum Jon. in ib. q Shemot Rabba, sect. 2. fol. 92. 4. r Comment. in Exod. iii. 2. s De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 612, 613. t In loc. supra citat. u Patricides, p. 26. Elmacinus, p. 47. apud Hottinger. Smegma Oriental. l. 1. c. 8. p. 415. w Apud Euseb. Evangel. praepar. l. 9. c. 27. p. 434. x Ut supra. (De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 612, 613.) y Pirke Eliezer, c. 40. Vid. Shemot Rabba, sect. 2. fol. 92. 4. z Ut supra. (De Vita Mosis, l. 1. p. 612, 613.)
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And when forty years ... - At the age of 80 years. This, however, was known by tradition. It is not expressly mentioned by Moses. It is said, however, to have been after the king of Egypt had died Exodus 2:23; and the tradition is not improbable.
In the wilderness of mount Sina - In the desert adjacent to, or that surrounded Mount Sinai. In Exodus 3:1, it is said that this occurred at Mount “Horeb.” But there is no contradiction; Horeb and Sinai are different peaks or elevations of the same mountain. They are represented as springing from the same base, and branching out in different elevations. The mountains, according to Burckhardt, are a prodigious pile, comprehending many peaks, and about thirty miles in diameter. From one part of this mountain, Sinai, the Law was given to the children of Israel.
An angel of the Lord - The word “angel” means properly a “messenger” (see the notes on Matthew 1:20), and is applied to the invisible spirits in heaven, to people, to the winds, to the pestilence, or to whatever is appointed as a messenger “to make known” or to execute the will of God. The mere “name,” therefore, can determine nothing about the “nature” of the messenger. That “name” might be applied to any messenger, even an inanimate object. The nature and character of this messenger are to be determined by other considerations. The word may denote that the “bush on fire” was the messenger. But a comparison with the other places where this occurs will show that it was a celestial messenger, and perhaps that it was the Messiah who was yet to come, appearing to take the people of Israel under his own charge and direction. Compare John 1:11, where the Jews are called “his own.” In Exodus 3:2, it is said that the angel of the Lord appeared in a flame of fire; in Exodus 3:4 it is said that Yahweh spake to him out of the midst of the bush; language which implies that God was there, and which is strongly expressive of the doctrine that the angel was Yahweh. In Exodus 23:20-21, God says, “I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey “his” voice,” etc., Exodus 23:23; Exodus 32:34; Exodus 33:2. In all these places this angel is mentioned as an extraordinary messenger sent to conduct them to the land of Canaan. He was to guide them, to defend them, and to drive out the nations before them. All these circumstances seem to point to the conclusion that this was no other than the future deliverer of the world, who came then to take his people under his own guidance, as emblematic of the redemption of his people.
In a flame of fire - That is, in what “appeared” to be a flame of fire. The “bush” or clump of trees seemed to be on fire, or to be illuminated with a special splendor. God is often represented as encompassed with this splendor, or glory, Luke 2:9; Matthew 17:1-5; Acts 9:3; Acts 12:7.
In a bush - In a grove, or clump of trees. Probably the light was seen issuing from the “midst” of such a grove.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 30. In a flame of fire in a bush. — See this and the following verses largely explained in the notes, see Clarke Exodus 3:1-8.
