Antiguo Testamento

Exodus — Capítulo 3

What does it mean to be in a relationship with God, the ultimate being in the universe? How does one establish that relationship? What is that relationship like, and what does it take to stay in it? These are questions that people around the world have been asking since the beginning of time. The book of Exodus provided the ancient Israelites with answers to such questions, revealing not only w…

Versión

Texto — Reina-Valera 1960

1Apacentando Moisés las ovejas de Jetro su suegro, sacerdote de Madián, llevó las ovejas a través del desierto, y llegó hasta Horeb, monte de Dios.

2Y se le apareció el Ángel de Jehová en una llama de fuego en medio de una zarza; y él miró, y vio que la zarza ardía en fuego, y la zarza no se consumía.

3Entonces Moisés dijo: Iré yo ahora y veré esta grande visión, por qué causa la zarza no se quema.

4Viendo Jehová que él iba a ver, lo llamó Dios de en medio de la zarza, y dijo: ¡Moisés, Moisés! Y él respondió: Heme aquí.

5Y dijo: No te acerques; quita tu calzado de tus pies, porque el lugar en que tú estás, tierra santa es.

6Y dijo: Yo soy el Dios de tu padre, Dios de Abraham, Dios de Isaac, y Dios de Jacob. Entonces Moisés cubrió su rostro, porque tuvo miedo de mirar a Dios.

7Dijo luego Jehová: Bien he visto la aflicción de mi pueblo que está en Egipto, y he oído su clamor a causa de sus exactores; pues he conocido sus angustias,

8y he descendido para librarlos de mano de los egipcios, y sacarlos de aquella tierra a una tierra buena y ancha, a tierra que fluye leche y miel, a los lugares del cananeo, del heteo, del amorreo, del ferezeo, del heveo y del jebuseo.

9El clamor, pues, de los hijos de Israel ha venido delante de mí, y también he visto la opresión con que los egipcios los oprimen.

10Ven, por tanto, ahora, y te enviaré a Faraón, para que saques de Egipto a mi pueblo, los hijos de Israel.

11Entonces Moisés respondió a Dios: ¿Quién soy yo para que vaya a Faraón, y saque de Egipto a los hijos de Israel?

12Y él respondió: Ve, porque yo estaré contigo; y esto te será por señal de que yo te he enviado: cuando hayas sacado de Egipto al pueblo, serviréis a Dios sobre este monte.

13Dijo Moisés a Dios: He aquí que llego yo a los hijos de Israel, y les digo: El Dios de vuestros padres me ha enviado a vosotros. Si ellos me preguntaren: ¿Cuál es su nombre?, ¿qué les responderé?

14Y respondió Dios a Moisés: YO SOY EL QUE SOY. Y dijo: Así dirás a los hijos de Israel: YO SOY me envió a vosotros.

15Además dijo Dios a Moisés: Así dirás a los hijos de Israel: Jehová, el Dios de vuestros padres, el Dios de Abraham, Dios de Isaac y Dios de Jacob, me ha enviado a vosotros. Este es mi nombre para siempre; con él se me recordará por todos los siglos.

16Ve, y reúne a los ancianos de Israel, y diles: Jehová, el Dios de vuestros padres, el Dios de Abraham, de Isaac y de Jacob, me apareció diciendo: En verdad os he visitado, y he visto lo que se os hace en Egipto;

17y he dicho: Yo os sacaré de la aflicción de Egipto a la tierra del cananeo, del heteo, del amorreo, del ferezeo, del heveo y del jebuseo, a una tierra que fluye leche y miel.

18Y oirán tu voz; e irás tú, y los ancianos de Israel, al rey de Egipto, y le diréis: Jehová el Dios de los hebreos nos ha encontrado; por tanto, nosotros iremos ahora camino de tres días por el desierto, para que ofrezcamos sacrificios a Jehová nuestro Dios.

19Mas yo sé que el rey de Egipto no os dejará ir sino por mano fuerte.

20Pero yo extenderé mi mano, y heriré a Egipto con todas mis maravillas que haré en él, y entonces os dejará ir.

21Y yo daré a este pueblo gracia en los ojos de los egipcios, para que cuando salgáis, no vayáis con las manos vacías;

22sino que pedirá cada mujer a su vecina y a su huéspeda alhajas de plata, alhajas de oro, y vestidos, los cuales pondréis sobre vuestros hijos y vuestras hijas; y despojaréis a Egipto.

TYNDALE OPEN STUDY NOTES

Versículo 1

I. 3:1–4:28 This section presents Moses’ call to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It is …

3:1–4:28 This section presents Moses’ call to rescue the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. It is divided into two subsections, 3:1–4:17 and 4:18-28. The first deals with the call itself, while the second addresses the full implications of accepting that call. Moses was not presented with a mere vocational change; he faced an entire reorientation of his life. 3:1-10 In these verses, the stage is set for the reorientation of Moses’ life. 3:1 Sinai is the name usually used for the mountain where God later revealed himself in the covenant (see, e.g., 16:1; 19:1-2). Here and in 17:6 and 33:6 the Hebrew text uses the proper name Horeb. Both names presumably refer to the same mountain, so the NLT consistently uses Sinai.

Versículo 2

II. 3:2 Technically, the angel of the Lord is the Lord’s officially authorized envoy, but the express…

3:2 Technically, the angel of the Lord is the Lord’s officially authorized envoy, but the expression may be used more broadly of other visible manifestations of the Lord (see Gen 16:9-13; Judg 13:3, 6, 21-22). • In the Bible, blazing fire often represents God’s transcendent holiness (see Exod 19:18; Gen 15:17; 1 Kgs 18:38-39; Isa 33:14). • didn’t burn up: This may show that God does not wish to consume the vehicle that he sets ablaze for his purposes.

Versículo 4

III. 3:4 Moses! Moses! God knows his people by name, and individuals are important to him.

3:4 Moses! Moses! God knows his people by name, and individuals are important to him.

Versículo 5

IV. 3:5 The soil around the bush was holy ground, while the soil on the bottom of Moses’ sandals was …

3:5 The soil around the bush was holy ground, while the soil on the bottom of Moses’ sandals was common. The common cannot touch the holy without being transformed or destroyed (see “Clean, Unclean, and Holy” Theme Note). At the outset of the Exodus, God was making it plain that he is absolutely “other” than his creation, a reality that cannot be overlooked in a proper divine-human relationship. The word holy occurs only a few times in the Bible prior to Exod 3:5. It now becomes the central descriptor of God in the Old Testament. In other Semitic languages, the same root occurs infrequently. It does not describe a moral quality in these other languages but simply what is “other than” human. The pagan gods, for instance, were “holy” only in the sense of being “other”—they did everything humans do, good and evil, but on a larger scale. In the Bible, by contrast, moral perfection is a central idea of the term holy. The one true God is the only being in the universe who truly stands apart from this world and is worthy of being called “holy” in this general sense. The true God is perfectly consistent and moral in his character. Here, at the burning bush, God revealed his otherness. Later at Sinai, he revealed his moral character in his requirements for those who would be his covenant partners (see Exod 19:6; 20:1–23:33; see also Lev 11:45; 1 Pet 1:13-16).

Versículo 6

V. 3:6 This transcendent God had committed himself to Moses’ ancestors in a faithful promise maintai…

3:6 This transcendent God had committed himself to Moses’ ancestors in a faithful promise maintained for hundreds of years. Moses was in awe of the one, holy, and transcendent God of Abraham. Jesus quoted this verse when he was sparring with the Sadducees about the concept of resurrection (Matt 22:32; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37).

Versículo 7

VI. 3:7 The continued slavery and distress of Israel touched God’s heart.

3:7 The continued slavery and distress of Israel touched God’s heart.

Versículo 8

VII. 3:8 God would not only rescue them but would take them to their own . . . land that he had promis…

3:8 God would not only rescue them but would take them to their own . . . land that he had promised to Abraham (Gen 13:14-18). • flowing with milk and honey: The land was agriculturally rich, with pasturage for cattle and crops with blooms from which bees could make honey. • Canaanites . . . Jebusites: The list of peoples who lived in Canaan indicates the importance of this strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Desert. As a vital crossroads for trade and communication between Egypt and the rest of the ancient Near East, it was a hotly contested prize. That Israel could end up in sole possession of it seemed an impossibility.

Versículo 10

VIII. 3:10 God would act compassionately to save his suffering people, but it would be through a human …

3:10 God would act compassionately to save his suffering people, but it would be through a human agency. Often God is known among us because of the way his people carry out his will.

Versículo 11

IX. 3:11–4:17 Moses, in his response to God, presented four reasons why he was not the one to fulfill…

3:11–4:17 Moses, in his response to God, presented four reasons why he was not the one to fulfill God’s call. Although each reason supposedly relates to Moses and his ability, God’s answers show that they were really questions about God. 3:11-12 Moses first protested that he was unworthy of such a great task, but God responded that this was not the issue. Human worthiness is of no significance if God’s presence is with that person.

Versículo 12

X. 3:12 In the Bible, a sign often occurred after a person or a nation had already had to decide whe…

3:12 In the Bible, a sign often occurred after a person or a nation had already had to decide whether to act in faith or not (see Isa 7:14). A sign cannot create faith where there is none (see Matt 12:39; 16:4). Rather, it encourages the one who has exercised the faith he or she already has.

Versículo 13

XI. 3:13-22 Moses’ second protest was that he had inadequate knowledge. He did not know God’s name. T…

3:13-22 Moses’ second protest was that he had inadequate knowledge. He did not know God’s name. This might mean that God’s personal name had not yet been revealed (see study notes on 6:2-3). It is also possible that Moses meant he did not know the secret, magic formula that a man of power might have been expected to make use of. Interest in such things was common in the ancient Near East. God’s direct response is almost a riddle, but the majority of his answer is a statement of his faithfulness in the past and a demonstration of his knowledge of the future. There is nothing magical about the name Yahweh. Knowledge of secret formulas and magic powers is not the issue; the issue is the character of God and his lordship of history. The reason there is “something about that name” is because of the incomparable character and nature of the one who bears it.

Versículo 14

XII. 3:14 I Am Who I Am: This name speaks of a God who is self-sufficient, self-existent, all encompas…

3:14 I Am Who I Am: This name speaks of a God who is self-sufficient, self-existent, all encompassing, and without limitations, the one being in the universe who is not dependent on something else for his existence.

Versículo 15

XIII. 3:15 Yahweh is probably a form of the Hebrew verb “to be,” so it could mean “he causes to be,” or…

3:15 Yahweh is probably a form of the Hebrew verb “to be,” so it could mean “he causes to be,” or “he who is,” or “I am.” Later Jews were not permitted to speak God’s name aloud, so the Hebrew text supplies the vowels from the word ’adonay (which means “lord” or “master”) whenever God’s proper name, YHWH, appears. In oral reading, the Hebrew reader would pronounce ’adonay, even though the written text is YHWH. We do not know the pronunciation of the divine name. The widely used Yahweh is an informed guess. The English word “Jehovah” is an artificial term made by combining the vowels of ’adonay with the consonants Y-H-W-H. In the NLT, this name is usually translated “Lord” (with small capitals), but it is transliterated “Yahweh” in the few instances, like this verse, where a point is made about the name itself. Also in 6:2-3; 15:3; 33:19; 34:5-6.

Versículo 16

XIV. 3:16-17 Moses was to tell the people of Israel that the God who now spoke to them was the same Go…

3:16-17 Moses was to tell the people of Israel that the God who now spoke to them was the same God their ancestors knew and worshiped, and that he would lead them into a fruitful land wrested from the hands of many others. Moses’ message was not a magical formula, but the word of a God who, standing outside of history, can yet enter and direct it. • flowing with milk and honey: See study note on 3:8.

Versículo 18

XV. 3:18 Hebrews: See study note on 1:15. • a three-day journey . . . to offer sacrifices: If we thin…

3:18 Hebrews: See study note on 1:15. • a three-day journey . . . to offer sacrifices: If we think of the primary purpose of the Exodus as rescuing the Israelites from bondage, this seems like a disingenuous request. But God’s primary purpose was to create a people for himself, and he was taking them into the wilderness to teach them to worship him.

Versículo 19

16. 3:19 I know: See “Hardened Hearts” Theme Note.

3:19 I know: See “Hardened Hearts” Theme Note.

Versículo 20

17. 3:20-21 God’s power would be obvious, and the Egyptians would not only allow the Hebrews to leave…

3:20-21 God’s power would be obvious, and the Egyptians would not only allow the Hebrews to leave, they would pay them to do so.

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Exodus — Capítulo 3