Burning bush at St. Katherine's monastery, Sinai
In the Book of Exodus, the burning bush is a miracle that God (YHWH) uses to inform Moses of his divine calling.
Burning bush is also a common name applied to several different, unrelated plants (see below).
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Contents
- 1 God's promises
- 2 Homages to the burning bush
- 3 Other uses of the term
- 4 Notes
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God's promises
In the Book of Exodus, Moses was forced to flee Egypt and came to live with Jethro. Moses, who shepherded Jethro's flocks, discovered the burning bush while tending the sheep.
Moses approached the bush, and discovered that the bush was on fire, but the flames did not consume it. [Exodus 3:2] God's spirit, in the bush, then declared "I am your father's God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." [Exodus 3:4] God then commanded Moses to remove his sandals, as the land was considered holy.
God then ordered Moses to speak to Pharaoh, because He had "heard the people's cries". [Exodus 3:7] God promised that the Israelites, then enslaved by Pharaoh, would live in a land "flowing with milk and honey". [Exodus 3:9] When Moses expressed doubt that he would be believed, God gave Moses three "signs": his staff turned to a snake, his hand turned leprous (and was cured) and Moses was told that if they did not work, he would be able to turn water into blood. God then added that "He would be with him" (Moses), which finally encouraged him to demand the release of the Israelites.
Homages to the burning bush
Image:Church-scot-standard
Standard of the Church of Scotland
In Byzantine times, Saint Katherine's monastery was built on a traditional site of the biblical event. What was thought to be the original burning bush is now dead, but a bush claimed to be its descendant is on view today.
The motto of the Church of Scotland is nec tamen consumebatur (Latin) - 'Yet it was not consumed', an allusion to Exodus 3:2 and the burning bush. A stylised depiction of the burning bush is the symbol of the Church of Scotland.
Other uses of the term
Burning bush is also a common name applied to several different, unrelated plants:
- The herb Dictamnus albus, also known as false dittany, white dittany, or gas plant, belonging to the family Rutaceae. It gets its name from comparison to the Bible account; the whole plant produces aromatic oils that can catch fire readily on hot days, though (unlike the plant in the biblical account) not without injury to the plant.
- Shrubs in the genus Euonymus, mostly known as spindles, in the family Celastraceae, are also called burning bush in North America, because of their bright red foliage in fall.
- Plants in the genera Bassia (Chenopodiaceae) and Combretum (Combretaceae) are also sometimes known as burning bush.
Notes
- This article uses the New International Version (NIV) translation of the Bible.
Categories: Torah events | Christian symbols | Fire | Church of Scotland
