ACT 7:30-38

The Call of Moses

30After forty years had passed, a messenger appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in a flame of fire in a bush. [7:31] When Moses saw it he marveled at the sight. As he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came: [7:32] 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.' Moses trembled and did not dare to look. [7:33] The Lord said to him: 'Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. [7:34] I have certainly seen the ill-treatment of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. And now, come — I will send you to Egypt.' [7:35] This Moses — whom they had rejected, saying 'Who appointed you ruler and judge?' — this one God sent as both ruler and redeemer, by the hand of the messenger who had appeared to him in the bush. [7:36] He led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. [7:37] This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel: 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.' [7:38] This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers — the one who received living oracles to give to us.

In the world it was spoken into

In the 1st century, the story of Moses’ call at the burning bush would resonate deeply with Jewish listeners familiar with their ancestral narratives. The appearance of an (messenger) of the Lord in a flame of fire would evoke theophanic traditions, where God’s presence is often accompanied by fire (e.g., Exodus 3:2, 13:21). The command to remove sandals because the ground is holy reflects Jewish reverence for sacred spaces, a practice rooted in the Torah (Exodus 3:5). The declaration “I am the God of your fathers” would affirm continuity with the covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a central tenet of Jewish identity. For Hellenistic Jews, the use of (assembly) to describe Israel would parallel Greek civic assemblies, but here it signifies the covenantal community of God’s people. The mention of Moses’ fear and reluctance to look aligns with Jewish and Greco-Roman notions of divine encounters as overwhelming and awe-inspiring. This narrative underscores Moses’ role as a deliverer, a theme of liberation that would resonate with Jewish audiences under Roman rule.

›See the receipts

How other translations render this

ACT 7:30

KJV: And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.
BSB: After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
Koinōnos: After forty years had passed, a messenger appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai in a flame of fire in a bush.

ACT 7:31

KJV: When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the LORD came unto him,
BSB: When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight. As he approached to look more closely, the voice of the Lord came to him:
Koinōnos: When Moses saw it he marveled at the sight. As he drew near to look, the voice of the Lord came:

ACT 7:32

KJV: Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.
BSB: ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and did not dare to look.
Koinōnos: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.' Moses trembled and did not dare to look.

ACT 7:33

KJV: Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.
BSB: Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
Koinōnos: The Lord said to him: 'Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.

ACT 7:34

KJV: I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt.
BSB: I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
Koinōnos: I have certainly seen the ill-treatment of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. And now, come — I will send you to Egypt.

ACT 7:35

KJV: This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.
BSB: This Moses, whom they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ is the one whom God sent to be their ruler and redeemer through the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
Koinōnos: This Moses — whom they had rejected, saying 'Who appointed you ruler and judge?' — this one God sent as both ruler and redeemer, by the hand of the messenger who had appeared to him in the bush.

ACT 7:36

KJV: He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years.
BSB: He led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.
Koinōnos: He led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years.

ACT 7:37

KJV: This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
BSB: This is the same Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.’
Koinōnos: This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel: 'God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers.

ACT 7:38

KJV: This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
BSB: He was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. And he received living words to pass on to us.
Koinōnos: This is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the messenger who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers — the one who received living oracles to give to us.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Where the historical framing draws from

Josephus, WarsWars 2.8.9

›Josephus, Wars Wars 2.8.9

“What they most of all honor, after God himself, is the name of their legislator [Moses], whom if any one blaspheme he is punished capitally.”

Cited to ground: The mention of Moses’ fear and reluctance to look aligns with Jewish and Greco-Roman notions of divine encounters as overwhelming and awe-inspiring.

Translator's notes

ACT 7:30

an angel:The word translated 'an angel' literally means 'a messenger.' In this context, it refers to a divine messenger, but the term itself broadly applied to anyone delivering a message.

ACT 7:31

vision;:The term translated 'vision' refers to something seen, often a supernatural sight or appearance, and could also describe a dream or a spectacle.

ACT 7:34

oppression:The word translated 'oppression' specifically denotes ill-treatment or abuse, often in the context of a ruler or authority figure mistreating their subjects.

ACT 7:38

congregation:The word translated 'congregation' refers to an assembly of people who have been called out or summoned for a specific purpose, not just any gathering.