What does Exodus 3:2 mean?
Moses was raised in an Egyptian palace, though he was born to a Hebrew slave. He is now tending to the sheep of his father-in-law in the land of Midian, as an exile from Egypt and his former life. Without any particular warning, Moses sees "the angel of the LORD." He appears in a "flame of fire" coming from a bush. A burning bush is not itself unique, but this bush burned without being consumed. In other words, the bush had flames coming from it without the bush actually burning up. While many different visions could be described, poetically, as "flames," the specific mention that these flames did not consume the bush makes it likely that what Moses saw appeared as literal, visible flames. This "sign" attracted Moses to investigate it in more detail (Exodus 3:3–4).The major controversy in this verse is the identification of "the angel of the LORD." Is he an actual angel, or God in human form? Verse 4 says, "God called to him out of the bush." If this is God's voice, most assume it is God's presence in the bush. However, the other option is also possible. In ancient culture, a messenger could speak on behalf of a dignitary, speaking in his voice. So it is possible this was an angelic being speaking on God's behalf. While either view is possible, most interpreters lean towards this being a theophany, or physical manifestation of God in human form.
