New Living Translation
Exodus 3:1
1One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God.
Exodus 3:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
- New International Version (NIV)Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Context of Exodus 3:1
One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. 2There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. 3“This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.”
Read all of Exodus 3Exodus 3:1 word by word
וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה הָיָ֥ה רֹעֶ֛ה אֶת־צֹ֛אן יִתְר֥וֹ חֹתְנ֖וֹ כֹּהֵ֣ן מִדְיָ֑ן וַיִּנְהַ֤ג אֶת־הַצֹּאן֙ אַחַ֣ר הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר וַיָּבֹ֛א אֶל־הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים חֹרֵֽבָה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now Mosesמֹשֶׁהmôsheh · MosesH4872
- keptרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
- keptהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- the flockצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629
- of Jethroיִתְרוֹyithrô · JethroH3503
- his father in lawחֹתֵןchâthan · relativeH2859
- the priestכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- of Midianמִדְיָןmidyân · MidianH4080
- and he ledנָהַגnâhag · to leadH5090
- to the backsideאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- of the desertמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- and cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to the mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- to Horebחֹרֵבchôrêb · HorebH2722
Cross-references for Exodus 3:1
- Psalms 78:70He chose his servant David, calling him from the sheep pens.
- Amos 1:1This message was given to Amos, a shepherd from the town of Tekoa in Judah. He received this message in visions two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam II, the son of Jehoash, was king of Israel.
- Amos 7:14But Amos replied, “I’m not a professional prophet, and I was never trained to be one. I’m just a shepherd, and I take care of sycamore-fig trees.
- Matthew 4:18One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.
- Luke 2:8That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.
- Exodus 2:16Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters who came as usual to draw water and fill the water troughs for their father’s flocks.
- Exodus 18:1Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. He heard especially about how the Lord had rescued them from Egypt.
- Numbers 10:29One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, “We are on our way to the place the Lord promised us, for he said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised wonderful blessings for Israel!”
- Judges 4:11Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh.
- Exodus 3:5“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
- Exodus 18:5Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, now came to visit Moses in the wilderness. He brought Moses’ wife and two sons with him, and they arrived while Moses and the people were camped near the mountain of God.
- Exodus 19:3Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “Give these instructions to the family of Jacob; announce it to the descendants of Israel:
- Exodus 24:15Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.
- 1 Kings 19:8So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God.
- Exodus 17:6I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.
- Deuteronomy 1:6“When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
Commentaries on Exodus 3:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Jethro his father-in-law - Concerning Jethro, see Clarke's note on Exodus 2:18. Learned men are not agreed on the signification of the word חתן chothen, which we translate father-in-law, and which in Genesis 19:14, we translate son-in-law. It seems to be a general term for a relative by marriage, and the connection only in which it stands can determine its precise meaning. It is very possible that Reuel was now dead, it being forty years since Moses came…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Jethro his father-in-law - Or “brother-in-law.” The word in the Hebrew is a word signifying relative by marriage. When Moses arrived in Midian, Reuel was an elderly man Exodus 2:16; 40 years later (Exodus 2:23 note), Reuel‘s son, Jethro, had probably succeeded him. The backside - i. e. “to the west of the district.” Among the Hebrews the East is before a man, the west behind him, the south and north on the right and left hand. Desert - Or wilderness, not…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1God appears to Moses in a burning bush. (1-6) God sends Moses to deliver Israel. (7-10) The name Jehovah. (11-15) The deliverance of the Israelites promised. (16-22) Verses 1-6 The years of the life of Moses are divided into three forties; the first forty he spent as a prince in Pharaoh's court, the second as a shepherd in Midian, the third as a king in Jeshurun. How changeable is the life of man! The first appearance of God to Moses, found him tending…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Sinai is the name commonly used for the mountain where God revealed himself in the covenant (see, for example, 16:1; 19:1–2). Here and in 17:6 and 33:6, the Hebrew text uses the name Horeb. Both names probably refer to the same mountain.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-221. Now Moses kept the flock--This employment he had entered on in furtherance of his matrimonial views (see on Ex 2:21), but it is probable he was continuing his service now on other terms like Jacob during the latter years of his stay with Laban (Ge 30:28). he led the flock to the backside of the desert--that is, on the west of the desert [Gesenius], assuming Jethro's headquarters to have been at Dahab. The route by which Moses led his flock must have…Read the comment
Topics related to Exodus 3:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Exodus 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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