Theburning bush (or theunburnt bush) refers to an event recorded in theJewish Torah (as also in the biblicalOld Testament and Islamic scripture). It is described in the third chapter of theBook of Exodus[1] as having occurred onMount Horeb. According to the biblical account, the bush was on fire but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name.[2] In thebiblical andQuranic narrative, the burning bush is the location at whichMoses was appointed byGod to lead theIsraelites out ofEgypt and intoCanaan.
The Hebrew word in the narrative that is translated into English asbush isseneh (Hebrew:סְנֶה,romanized: səne), which refers in particular tobrambles;[3][4][5]seneh is adis legomenon, only appearing in two places, both of which describe the burning bush.[4] The use ofseneh may be a deliberate pun onSinai (סיני), a feature common in Hebrew texts.[6]
In the narrative, anangel of the Lord is described as appearing "in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush",[7] and God is subsequently described as calling out from it to Moses, who had been grazingJethro's flocks there.[2] When Moses starts to approach, God tells Moses to take off his sandals first due to the place being asacred space.[8]
The voice from the bush, which later self-discloses asYahweh, reveals himself as "the God ofAbraham, the God ofIsaac, and the God ofJacob"[9] and thus Moses hides his face.[9]
SomeOld Testament scholars regard the account of the burning bush as being spliced together from theYahwist andElohist texts, with the angel of Yahweh and the removal of sandals being part of the Yahwist version, and the Elohist's parallels to these being God and the turning away of Moses's face, respectively.[6][10][5]
The text portrays Yahweh as telling Moses that he is sending him toPharaoh to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, an action that Yahweh decided upon as a result of noticing that the Israelites were being oppressed by the Egyptians.[11] Yahweh tells Moses to tell the elders of the Israelites that Yahweh would lead them into the land of theCanaanites,Hittites,Amorites,Hivites, andJebusites,[12] a region generally referred to as a whole by the termCanaan; this is described as being a land of "milk and honey".[12]
Moses asks "When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” (Ex 3:13) The voice of God from the bush reveals that he isYahweh.[13] The textderivesYahweh (יהוה) from the Hebrew wordהיה ([haˈja]) in the phraseאֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה "I Am Who I Am".[5]
According to the narrative, Yahweh instructs Moses to confront the Egyptians and Israelites and briefs the prophet on what is to take place. Yahweh then performs various demonstrative miracles in order to bolster Moses's credibility. Among other things,his staff was transmuted into a snake,[14] Moses's hand was temporarily afflicted with "snowytzaraath",[15] and water was transmuted into blood.[16] In the text, Yahweh instructs Moses to take a staff in his hands to performmiracles with it,[16] as if it is a staff given to him rather than his own;[5] some textual scholars propose that this latter instruction is the Elohist's version of the more detailed earlier description, where Moses uses his staff, which they attribute to the Yahwist.[10][5]
Despite the signs, Moses is described as being very reluctant to take on the role, arguing that he lacked eloquence and that someone else should be sent instead;[17] in the text, Yahweh reacts by angrily rebuking Moses for presuming to lecture the one who made the mouth on who was qualified to speak and not to speak. Yet Yahweh concedes and allowsAaron to be sent to assist Moses since Aaron is eloquent and already on his way to meet Moses.[18] This is the first time in the Torah that Aaron is mentioned and he is described as being Moses's mouthpiece.[19]
Alexander and Zhenia Fleisher relate the biblical story of the burning bush to the plantDictamnus.[20] They write:
Intermittently, under yet unclear conditions, the plant excretes such a vast amount of volatiles that lighting a match near the flowers and seedpods causes the plant to be enveloped by flame. This flame quickly extinguishes without injury to the plant.
They conclude, however, thatDictamnusspp. are not found in the Sinai Peninsula, adding: "It is, therefore, highly improbable that anyDictamnus spp. was a true 'Burning Bush', despite such an attractive rational foundation."
Colin Humphreys replies that "the book of Exodus suggests a long-lasting fire that Moses went to investigate, not a fire that flares up and then rapidly goes out."[21]
Another theory is that it is sunlight onHar Karkom reflected in a surprising way to appear like fire.[22]
Christianhermits originally gathered atMount Serbal, believing it to be thebiblical Mount Sinai. However, in the 4th century, under theByzantine Empire, the monastery built there was abandoned in favour of the newer belief thatMount Saint Catherine was the Biblical Mount Sinai; a new monastery –Saint Catherine's Monastery – was built at its foot, and the alleged site of the biblical burning bush was identified. The bush growing at the spot (a bramble, scientific nameRubus sanctus),[23] was later transplanted several yards away to a courtyard of the monastery, and its original spot was covered by a chapel dedicated to theAnnunciation, with a silver star marking where the roots of the bush had come out of the ground. The Monks at Saint Catherine's Monastery, followingchurch tradition, believe that this bush is, in fact, the original bush seen by Moses, rather than a later replacement,[citation needed] and anyone entering the chapel is required to remove their shoes, just as Moses was said to have done so in the biblical account.
However, in modern times, it is not Mount Saint Catherine, but the adjacent Jebel Musa (Mount Moses), which is currently identified asMount Sinai by popular tradition and guidebooks; this identification arose fromBedouin tradition.
Mount Serbal, Mount Sinai, and Mount Saint Catherine all lie at the southern tip of theSinai Peninsula, but the peninsula's name is a comparatively modern invention. It was not known by that name at the time ofJosephus or earlier. Some modern scholars and theologians, favor locations in theHijaz (at the northwest ofSaudi Arabia), northernArabah (in the vicinity ofPetra, or the surrounding area), or occasionally in the central or northern Sinai Peninsula. Hence, the majority of academics and theologians agree that if the Burning Bush ever existed, then it is highly unlikely to be the bush preserved at St Catherine's Monastery.
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The logo of theJewish Theological Seminary of America is also an image of the burning bush with the phrase "and the bush was not consumed" in both English and Hebrew.[24]
TheZohar, a late 1200s work ofKabbalah, suggests that the burning bush was a hint that even though the Israelites were suffering in Egypt, they had God's protection, like the bush that was burning but not consumed.[25][better source needed]
In the medievalCatholic church the event was seen as atypological parallel for theVirgin Birth of Jesus from Mary, who conceived as a virgin, as the bush was burnt but not destroyed. Depictions in medieval Catholic art, such as the 15th-centuryBurning Bush Triptych altarpiece, therefore typically show aVirgin and Child in the middle of the bush or tree. The inscription on the base of the frame which translates (from Latin) as "In the bush which Moses saw burning without being consumed, we recognised, Holy Mother of God, your virginity wondrously preserved". The Eastern Orthodox view was similar.
InEastern Orthodoxy a tradition exists, originating in the early ChristianChurch Fathers and itsEcumenical Synods (or Councils), that the flame Moses saw was in fact God'sUncreated Energies/Glory, manifested as light, thus explaining why the bush was not consumed. It is viewed as Moses being permitted to see theseUncreated Energies/Glory, which are considered to be eternal things; the Orthodoxdefinition of salvation is this vision of theUncreated Energies/Glory, and it is a recurring theme in the works of Greek Orthodox theologians such asJohn S. Romanides.
In Eastern Orthodox parlance, the preferred name for the event isThe Unburnt Bush, and the theology and hymnography of the church view it as prefiguring thevirgin birth of Jesus; Eastern Orthodox theology refers toMary, the mother of Jesus as theTheotokos ("God bearer"), viewing her as having given birth toIncarnate God without suffering any harm, or loss ofvirginity, in parallel to the bush being burnt without being consumed.[27] There is anicon-type by the name ofthe Unburnt Bush, which portrays Mary in the guise ofGod bearer; the icon'sfeast day is held on 4 September (Russian:Неопалимая Купина,romanized: Neopalimaya Kupina).
While God speaks to Moses, in the narrative, Eastern Orthodoxy believes that the angel was also heard by Moses; Eastern orthodoxy interprets the angel as being theLogos of God,[citation needed] regarding it as theAngel of Great Counsel mentioned in theSeptuagint version ofIsaiah 9:6;[28] (it isCounsellor, Mighty God in theMasoretic Text).
The burning bush has been a popular symbol amongReformed churches since it was first adopted by theHuguenots (FrenchCalvinists) in 1583 during its 12th NationalSynod. The French mottoFlagror non consumor – "I am burned but not consumed" – suggests the symbolism was understood of the suffering church that nevertheless lives.[29] However, given the fire is a sign of God's presence, he who is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) the miracle appears to point to a greater miracle: God, in grace, is with his covenant people and so they are not consumed.
According to theQur’án, Moses (Musa)departed for Egypt along with his family after completing the time period.[clarification needed] The Qur’án states that during their travel, as they stopped near the Tur, Musa observed a fire and instructed the family to wait until he returned with fire for them.[30] When Musa reached the Valley of Tuwa, God called out to him from the right side of the valley from a tree, on what is revered as Al-Buq‘ah Al-Mubārakah (Arabic: الـبُـقـعَـة الـمُـبَـارَكَـة, "The Blessed Ground") in the Qur’án.[31] The sacred valley of Tuwa is mentioned in the Qur’án at 20:12 and 79:16. Musa was commanded by God to remove his shoes and was informed of his selection as a prophet, his obligation of prayer and the Day of Judgment. Musa was then ordered to throw his rod which turned into a snake and later instructed to hold it.[32][33] The Qur’án then narrates Musa being ordered to insert his hand into his clothes and upon revealing it would shine a bright light. God states that these are signs for the Pharaoh, andorders Musa to invite Pharaoh to the worship of one God.[32]
TheBaháʼí Faith understands the Burning Bush to represent the Voice of God. The term Burning Bush appears frequently in the writings ofBahá’u’lláh, the Prophet-Founder of the faith. In the teachings of the Baháʼí Faith, the Voice of God as spoken from the Burning Bush, is now, through the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh, speaking directly to humanity; “a Revelation,” Bahá’u’lláh proclaims, "the potency of which hath caused every tree to cry out what the Burning Bush had aforetime proclaimed untoMoses.”[34]
In recounting the association between Moses and the Burning Bush, Bahá’u’lláh writes,
Call thou to mind the days when He Who conversed with God tended, in the wilderness, the sheep ofJethro, His father-in-law. He hearkened unto the Voice of the Lord of mankind coming from the Burning Bush which had been raised above the Holy Land, exclaiming, “O Moses! Verily I am God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” He was so carried away by the captivating accent of the Voice that He detached Himself from the world and set out in the direction of Pharaoh and his people, invested with the power of thy Lord Who exerciseth sovereignty over all that hath been and shall be. The people of the world are now hearing that which Moses did hear, but they understand not.-fromTablets of Bahá’u’lláh[35]
SomeRastafari believe that the burning bush wascannabis.[36][37]
