Bible Strands
Exodus 3:6
Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks directly to Moses at the burning bush, immediately after commanding him to remove his sandals on holy ground (Exodus 3:5), and immediately before revealing His intent to act on Israel's suffering (Exodus 3:7). This is the self-identification that precedes the commissioning.
The words — אָנֹכִי ('a.no.Khi), the emphatic first-person pronoun, stands alone before the predicate "am the God of," marking a deliberate declaration of identity rather than a casual statement. The construct form אֱלֹהֵי ('e.lo.Hei), "God of," is repeated three times, binding the divine name to each patriarch in turn.
The thread — Jesus cites this exact formula in Matthew 22:32 and Luke 20:37 to argue that the patriarchs are still alive, since "He is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Exodus 4:5 repeats the triad in the commissioning context, confirming it as a fixed covenant identifier.
Why it lands — God does not introduce Himself with a new title or a display of power; He grounds His claim on Moses in prior faithfulness to named individuals. The reader is asked to see that divine initiative here is relational and historical, not merely authoritative.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
Cross-references
- Luke 20:37 Even Moses demonstrates that the dead are raised, in the passage about the burning bush. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
- Matthew 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
- Exodus 4:5 “This is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.”
- Mark 12:26 But concerning the dead rising, have you not read about the burning bush in the Book of Moses, how God told him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?
- Genesis 28:13 And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.
- Acts 7:32 ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
- Revelation 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
- 1 Kings 18:36 At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.
- Judges 13:22 “We are going to die,” he said to his wife, “for we have seen God!”
- Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted; and the train of His robe filled the temple.